BANGALORE: Frazer Town reminds you of what Bangalore used to be. With old bungalows scattered about, it still seems to represent the calm and sluggish pace of life that people often now miss in this ‘pensioner’s paradise’.
Frazer Town was built around the year 1910 and the still find the foundation stone laid during the event of establishment at the junction of Mosque Road and Coles Road.
The area was named after the scholar Stuart Frazer, tutor of Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV, and although this area has been offficially renamed as Pulakeshinagar, it is still the same old Frazer Town for Bangaloreans. Some parts of it have a distinct colonial and Christian flavour, and the beautiful St John’s Church is a prominent landmark. The relics of past are even seen today, the colonial bungalows of Gothic style and British architecture, the stone building of Hajee Sir Ismail Sait Government Urdu Model Primary Boys and Girls School are unmissable.
Coles Road and the area around Coles Park is a true foodie’s delight. One of the oldest and most famed kebab joints, Siddiqui’s, allures people from around the city. You have Chung Wah if you are an avid CHinese food lover. And of course, there is Shanthi Sagar, Nandhini, Savoury, Best of Bengal, Pizza Hut — all you could ask for. One should, of course, make a special mention of the very famous Thom’s Bakery.
There are a number of educational institutes here, like Good Will Girls High School and College, St Joseph Convent and more. This residential cum commercial area is still rich in greenery, with COles Park being one of the breathing spaces. The prominent roads linking this place to city, like Promenade Road, Coles Road, Mosque Road, Madhavraya Mudaliar Road (MM
Road), Robertson Road, Spencer Road, Tannery Road, and part of Wheeler Road are mostly tree-lined.
Coles Park was named after AH Coles. Now the park has been renamed as Freedom Fighter’s Park. During the British regime, on special occasions, military bands were played in the park and Bangalore Rifle Volunteers played marching music.
