Template:India capital infobox Bangalore (Kannada: ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು) (pronounced /'beŋgaɭuːru/ in Kannada and /'bæŋgəlɔː(ɹ)/ in English) is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is located on the Mysore Plateau in Southwestern Karnataka. With an estimated metropolitan population of 6.1 million (2006), it is India's third largest city and fifth largest metropolitan area. Though historical references to the city predate 900 AD, a modern written history of continuous settlement exists only from 1537, when Kempe Gowda I, who many regard as the architect of modern Bangalore, built a mud fort in the city and established it as a province of the imperial Vijayanagara Empire. On December 11, 2005, the Government of Karnataka announced that it had accepted Jnanpith awardee U R Ananthamurthy's suggestion to rename Bangalore to its Kannada name, Bengalūru. The new name will be effective from 1 November, 2006 [1].
After India gained independence in 1947, Bangalore evolved into a manufacturing hub for public sector heavy industries - prominently aerospace, space and defence industries. The establishment and success of high technology firms in Bangalore after the liberalisation of India’s economy have led to the growth of India's information technology (IT) industry. Bangalore is referred to as the Silicon Valley of India and accounts for 35% of India's software exports [2]. Home to prestigious colleges and research institutions, the city's literacy rate is the second-highest in the nation. Bangalore’s cosmopolitan culture has drawn from the influences of a myriad of religions and cultures both local and foreign. After the creation of the British Raj, Bangalore developed as a centre for colonial rule in South India. The establishment of the Bangalore Cantonment brought in large numbers of migrant Telugu and North Indian workers to help service the development of infrastructure in the cantonment [3]. The city’s temperate climate, which is milder than the those of other cities in the country, has been a major attraction to people from other parts of India.
Origin of name
The name Bangalore is an anglicised version of the city's name in Kannada — Bengalūru. The earliest reference to the name Bengalūru was found in a 9th century Ganga Dynasty stone inscription on a veera kallu (literally, hero stone - a rock edict extolling the virtues of a warrior). This inscription was found in Begur and Bengaluru is referred to as a place in which a battle was fought. An article, published in The Hindu states [4]:
- “An inscription, dating back to 890 AD, shows Bangalore is over 1,000 years old. But it stands neglected at the Parvathi Nageshwara Temple in Begur near the city...(w)ritten in hale Kannada (old Kannada) of the 9th Century, the epigraph refers to a Bengaluru war in 890 AD in which Buttanachetty, a servant of Nagatta, died. Though this has been recorded by historian R. Narasimhachar in his Epigraphia of Carnatica (Vol. 10 supplementary), no efforts have been made to preserve it.”
There are also theories that the name has a floral origin and is derived from the tree Benga or Ven-kai, also known as the Indian Kino Tree (Pterocarpus marsupium) [5].A popular anecdote (although one contradicted by historical evidence) recounts that the 11th century Hoysala king Veera Ballala II, while on a hunting expedition, lost his way in the forest. Tired and hungry, he came across a poor, old woman who served him boiled beans. The grateful king named the place benda kaal-ooru (literally, town of boiled beans), which was eventually colloquialised to Bengalūru. The city as it is known today was christened by Kempe Gowda I.
History
An inscription found near Begur reveals that the district was part of the Ganga Dynasty until 1004 AD and was known as Benga-val-oru, the City of Guards in old Kannada. The Cholas of Tamil Nadu ruled over the city from 1015 to 1116 until the town came under the rule of the Hoysala Empire. Modern Bangalore was founded by a feudatory of the Vijayanagara Empire, Kempe Gowda I, who built a mud fort in the proximity of modern Bangalore in 1537. Kempe Gowda referred to the new town as his gandu bhoomi or Land of Heroes [6]. Within the fort, the town was divided into petes (IPA:/peɪteɪ/) or localities. The town had two main streets: Chickpete Street ran east-west and Dodpete Street ran north-south. Their intersection formed Dodpete Square — the heart of Bangalore. Kempe Gowda's successor, Kempe Gowda II built four famous towers that marked Bangalore's boundary [7]. During the Vijayanagara rule, Bangalore was also referred to as Devarāyanagara and Kalyānapura (City Auspicious) [8]. After the fall of the Vijayanagara Empire, Bangalore's rule changed hands several times. It was captured by the Maratha chief Shahaji Bhonsle prior to a Mughal invasion. The city became part of the Kingdom of Mysore when the Mughal emporer Aurangzeb leased Bangalore to Chikkadeva Raja Wodeyar in 1689. After the death of Krishnaraja Wodeyar II in 1759, Haider Ali, Commander-in-Chief of the Mysore Army, proclaimed himself the de-facto ruler of Mysore. The kingdom later passed on to Haider Ali's son Tipu Sultan, known as the Tiger of Mysore. Bangalore was eventually incorporated into the British East Indian Empire, after Tipu Sultan was defeated and killed in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War (1799). The British returned administrative control of the Bangalore pete to the Maharajah of Mysore, choosing only to retain the cantonment under their jurisdiction. Under British India, Bangalore was incorporated into the Madras Presidency. The Kingdom of Mysore relocated its capital from Mysore city to Bangalore in 1831 [7]. Two important developments during this period contributed to the rapid growth of the city — the introduction of telegraph connections and the rail connection to Madras in 1864.
In the nineteenth century, Bangalore essentially became a twin city with the pete whose residents were predominantly Kannadigas and the Bangalore Cantonment, whose residents were mostly migrants from Tamil Nadu [7]. Bangalore was hit by a plague epidemic in 1898 that dramatically reduced its population. Telephone lines were laid to help coordinate anti-plague operations and a health officer was appointed to the city in 1898. In 1906, Bangalore became the first city in India to have electricity, powered by the hydroelectric plant situated in Shivanasamudra. Bangalore's reputation as the Garden City of India began in 1927 with the Silver Jubilee celebrations of the rule of Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV. Several projects such as the contruction of parks, public buildings and hospitals were instituted to beautify the city. After Indian independence in August 1947, Bangalore was included in the dominion of Mysore State. Public sector employment and education provided opportunities for Kannadigas from the rest of the state to migrate to the city. Bangalore experienced rapid growth in the decades 1941–1951 and 1971–1981 which saw the arrival of many immigrants from nothern Karnataka and Kodagu. By 1961 Bangalore had become the sixth largest city in India, with a population of 1,207,000 [7]. In the decades that followed, Bangalore's manufacturing base continued to expand with the establishment of private companies such as Motor Industries Company (MICO) (a subsidiary of Robert Bosch GmbH) which set up its manufacturing plant in the city. Bangalore experienced a boom in its real estate market in the 1980s and 1990s, spurred by capital investors from other parts of the country who converted Bangalore's large plots and colonial bungalows to multi-storey apartments [9]. The establishment of multinational companies such as ANZ Bank and Citibank as well as international fast food chains such as Pizza Hut and Kentucky Fried Chicken in the 1990s continuted to contribute to the growth of Bangalore. The city witnessed one of its largest media events ever when it hosted the 1996 Miss World beauty pageant which was seen by over two billion viewers worldwide [10].
Geography
Bangalore is situated in the southeast of the South Indian state of Karnataka. It is located in the heart of the Mysore Plateau (a region of the larger Precambrian Deccan Plateau) at an average elevation of 920 m (3,018 feet). It is positioned at 12.97° N 77.56° E and covers an area of 2,190 sq. km (1,360 sq. miles) and borders with Kolar in the northeast, Tumkur in the northwest, Mandya in the southeast and Mysore and the neighboring state of Tamil Nadu in the south. The Bangalore Urban district is divided into three taluks: Bangalore North, Bangalore South and Anekal. The Bangalore North taluk is a relatively more level plateau, while the Bangalore South taluk has an uneven landscape with intermingling hills and valleys. The topology of Bangalore is flat, except for a ridge in the middle running NNE-SSW. The highest point in Bangalore is Doddabettahalli which is 962 m (3,156 ft) and lies on this ridge [11]. There are no major rivers running through the city, though rivers Arkavathi and Kaveri cross paths at the Nandi Hills, 30 km north of Bangalore. River Vrishabhavathi, a minor tributary of Arkavathi takes birth within the city at Basavanagudi and flows through the city. Together, rivers Arkavathi and Vrishabhavathi carry a majority of the Bangalore's sewage. In the 16th century, Kempe Gowda I constructed many lakes to meet the town's water requirements. Later in the 20th century, the Nandi Hills waterworks, commissioned by Sir Mirza Ismail (Diwan of Mysore, 1926-1941) provided adequete water supply to the growing city. Bangalore currently relies heavily on water reservoirs from the Kaveri basin and on Vrishabhavathi and Arkavathy water treatment plants to meet the water needs of its population of 6 million. Bangalore receives 800 million litres (211 million gallons) of water a day, more than any other Indian city[12]. However, water shortages, especially during the summer, are commonplace.
Bangalore has a handful of freshwater lakes and water tanks, the largest of which are Madivala tank, Hebbal lake, Ulsoor lake and Sankey tank. Groundwater occurs in silty to sandy layers of the alluvial sediments. Bangalore receives adequete rainfall from the Northeast Monsoon as well as the Southwest Monsoon. The Peninsular Gneissic Complex (PGC) is the most dominant rock unit in the area and includes granites, gneisses and migmatites, while the soils of Bangalore consist of red laterite and red fine loamy to clayey soils [13]. Vegetation in the city is primarily in the form of large decidious canopy and minority Coconut trees. Bangalore has not been affected by major seismic activity due to it being located in a seismically stable zone (Zone II). Only mild tremours have been recorded in the city.
Due to its elevation, Bangalore enjoys a pleasant and equable climate throughout the year. The highest temperature recorded is 38.9° C (102.02° F) on 22 May, 1935 and the lowest is 7.8° C (46.06° F) in 1884 [14]. Winter temperatures rarely drop below 12° C (54° F) and summer temperatures seldom exceed 38° C (100° F). The wettest months are August, September and October, in that order. The summer heat is moderated by fairly frequent thunderstorms and occasional squalls cause power outages and local flooding. Most of the rainfall occurs during late afternoon/evening or night and rain before noon is infrequent. The heaviest rainfall recorded in a 24 hour period is 180 mm (7 in) recorded on October 1st, 1997.
Civic administration
Bangalore City officials | |
Mayor | Mumtaz Begum |
Municipal Commissioner | Kalaikurchi Jairaj |
Police Commissioner | Ajai Kumar Singh |
The Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) (Bangalore Metropolitan Council) is the municipal corporation in charge of the civic and infrastructral assets of the city. The city council comprises 100 elected representatives, called "corporators", one from each of the 100 wards (localities) of the city. Elections to the council are held once every 4 years, with results being decided by popular vote. A mayor and commissioner of the council are also elected through a quota system from a Scheduled Castes and Tribes candidate or to an Other Backward Class female candidate [15]. Bangalore's rapid growth has created several problems relating to traffic congestion and infrastructural obsolence that the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike has found challenging to address. The BMP has been criticised from the Karnataka High Court, citizens and corporations for failing to effectively address the crumbling road and traffic infrastructure of Bangalore. In 2005, both the Central Government and State Government allocated considerable portions of their annual budgets to address Bangalore's infrastructural woes [16]. The Bangalore Mahanagara Palike works with the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) and the Bangalore Agenda Task Force (BATF) to design and implement civic projects.
The Bangalore City Police (BCP) is headed by a Police Commissioner, who is an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer. The BCP has six geographic zones, includes Traffic Police, City Armed Reserve, Central Crime Branch and City Crime Record Bureau and runs 86 police stations, including two all-women police stations [17]. As capital of the state of Karnataka, Bangalore houses important state government facilities such as the Karnataka High Court, Vidhana Soudha and Raj Bhavan. Bangalore contributes 2 members to India's lower house of parliament, the Lok Sabha and 24 members to the Karnataka State Assembly [18]
Economy
Bangalore's US$ 59.1 billion economy makes it a major economic centre in India. As of 2001, Bangalore's share of US$ 3.7 billion in Foreign Direct Investment was the 3rd highest for an Indian city [19]. In the 1940s, industrial visionaries such as Sir Mirza Ismail and Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya played an important role in the development of Bangalore's strong manufacturing and industrial base. Bangalore is headquarters to several public manufacturing heavy industries such as Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) and Hindustan Machine Tools (HMT). In June 1972, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) was established under the Department of Space and headquartered in Bangalore. India's first satellite, Aryabhata, was developed and launched by ISRO, which has since successfully launched numerous other satellites including Bhaskara, Rohini and APPLE. ISRO also heads India's ambitious exploration program to moon. Bangalore is called the Silicon Valley of India because of the large number of Information Technology companies located in the city which form the largest contributors to India's US$ 12.2 billion (Rs. 54,000 crore) IT and software export market [20]. Bangalore's IT industry is divided into three main "clusters" — Software Technology Parks of India, Bangalore (STPI), International Technology Park Ltd. (ITPL), and Electronics City.
Infosys and Wipro, India's 2nd and 3rd largest software companies, are headquartered in Electronics City. As headquarters to 38% of global SEI-CMM Level 5 Companies, Bangalore's place in the global IT map is prominent [21]. The growth of Information Technology has presented the city with unique challenges. Ideological clashes between the city's IT moguls, who demand an addressal of the infrastructural problems of the city and the traditionally bureaucratic state governments, whose electoral base is primarily rural Karnataka's agricultural workers, are aplenty. In July 2004 Wipro CEO Azim Premji threatened to pull his company out of the city, stating "We do not see the situation (state of Bangalore's infrastructure) improving in the near future." [22]. Biotechnology is a rapidly expanding field in the city. Bangalore accounts for at least 97 of the approximately 240 biotechnology companies in India. Biocon, headquartered in Bangalore, is the nation's leading biotechnology company and ranks 16th in the world in revenues. The Bangalore Stock Exchange is the largest in South India.
Transport
Bangalore's HAL Airport (IATA code: BLR) is India's fourth-busiest [23] and functions as both a domestic and international airport. Direct flights from Bangalore fly to destinations in Asia, the Middle-East and Europe. The liberalisation of India’s economic policies has led to increase in the number of domestic carriers within India, with several low-cost carriers such as SpiceJet, Kingfisher Airlines, Jet Airways and Go Air servicing the city. Air Deccan, with its hub in Bangalore, has the most number of flights into and out of Bangalore. Unlike most airports in the country which are controlled by the Airports Authority of India, the quasi government-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited owns and operates Bangalore's HAL Airport which it also uses to test and develop fighter aircraft for the Indian Air Force. The dual vested interests in the airport along with an increase in air traffic to Bangalore led to a prolonged tussle for operational ownership between the HAL and the Government of Karnataka. In 1991, plans for a large scale Bangalore International Airport were conceived, however, the project was repeatedly delayed due to red tape and friction between the private companies involved and the state government. Clearance for the construction of the US$ 288 million (Rs. 1,300 crore) airport was eventually granted in June 2004 with Siemens AG, Zurich Airport and Larsen and Toubro as its major private stakeholders. Construction work on the airport began in July 2005.
Bangalore is well connected to the rest of the country through the Indian Railways. The Rajdhani Express connects Bangalore to New Delhi. The city is also connected to Mumbai, Chennai (formerly Madras), Kolkata and Hyderabad and to other major cities in Karnataka. Three-wheeled black and yellow, auto-rickshaws, referred to as autos are a popular form of transport. They are metered and can accomodate upto three passengers. Taxi service within Bangalore is provided by several operators commonly referred to as City Taxis and can take in upto four passengers and are usually metered and relatively more expensive than auto-rickshaws. Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) operates a fleet of 3,207 BMTC public busses, servicing an average of 2,800,000 commuters. [24]. An intra-city rapid rail transport system called the Bangalore Metro is being developed and is expected to be operational in 2008. The Metro, once ready, will encompass a 33 km (20.5 mi) elevated and underground rail network, with 32 stations in Phase I, with more being added in Phase II.
Demographics
As of 2005, Bangalore had a population of over 6 million, making it the 3rd largest city in India and the 27th largest city in the world. With a decadal growth rate of 32%, Bangalore was the fastest growing Indian metropolis after New Delhi, for the decade 1991-2001 [19]. Residents of Bangalore are referred to as Bangaloreans or Bangalorites. While Kannadigas accounted for 38% of the population, sizable minorities from Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh exist. Scheduled Castes and Tribes account for 14.3% of the city's population. Kannada, the official language of the state of Karnataka, is widely spoken in Bangalore, as are Tamil, Telugu and Hindi. English is the lingua franca of the city's white collar workforce.
According to the 2001 census of India, 79.37% of Bangalore's population is Hindu — roughly the same as the national average [25]. Muslims comprise 13.37% of the population, which again, is roughly the same as the national average while Christians and Jains account for 5.79% and 1.05% of the population respectively, double that of their national averages. Women make up 47.5% of Bangalore's population. Bangalore has the second highest literacy rate (83%) for an Indian metropolis, after Mumbai. The city's workforce structure is predominantly non-agrarian with only 6% of Bangalore's workforce being engaged in agriculture related activities. Roughly 8% of Bangalore's population lives in slums — a relatively low proportion among major Indian cities. Bangalore's per capita income, at 2001 levels is US$ 1,110.03 (Rs. 53,625) [26]. The 2003 National Crime Records Bureau statistics indicate that Bangalore has a higher incidence of crime than other large cities in India [27].
Culture
Bangalore is known as the Garden City of India, because of its climate, greenery and the presence of many public parks, including the Lal Bagh and Cubbon Park. Deepavali, the "Festival of Lights", transcends demographic and religious lines and is celebrated with great vigor. Dussera, a traditional celebratory hallmark of the old Kingdom of Mysore is another important festival. Other traditional Indian festivals such as Ganesh Chaturthi, Ugadi, Sankranthi, Eid ul-Fitr and Christmas are also celebrated. Bangalore is home to the Kannada film industry which churns out about 80 movies each year in Kannada. Most Kannada movies are musicals and their soundtracks are very popular in the city. The popularity of Kannada movies has spawned a new colloquial dialect, Bangalore Kannada, which draws upon youth culture and influences from English and other Indian languages. The diversity of cuisine available is reflective of the social and economic diversity of Bangalore. Roadside vendors, tea stalls, South Indian, North Indian, Chinese and Western fast food are all very popular in the city. Udupi restaurants are very popular and serve predominantly vegetarian, regional cuisine. Bangalore has many clubs and bars, and is sometimes referred to as the Pub Capital of India. Popular nightspots in Bangalore include Hint, Blue Bar, Pecos, and TGIF. Bangalore is also a popular venue for Western Rock concerts, with Mark Knopfler, Bryan Adams and Roger Waters having performed at the city's Palace Grounds.
Cricket is the most popular sport in Bangalore. A significant number of national cricketers has come from Bangalore including current Indian cricket team captain Rahul Dravid, Gundappa Vishwanath and Anil Kumble. Many of the city's children play gully cricket on the roads and in city's many public fields. Bangalore's main international cricket stadium is the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, which hosted its first match in 1974. Bangalore has a number of elite clubs, like the Bangalore Golf Club, Bowring Institute and the exclusive Bangalore Club, which counts among its previous members Winston Churchill and the Maharajah of Mysore.
Education
Schools in Bangalore are either run by the state government or by private, sometimes religious, organizations. Private schools in Bangalore typically use English as the medium of instruction and are affiliated with either the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE), the Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE) or the Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board. After completing their secondary eduction, students typically enroll in Junior College (also known as Pre-University) in one of three streams — Arts, Commerce or Science. Upon completing the required coursework, students enroll in general or professional degrees.
Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya, Chief Engineer and later Diwan of Mysore (1912-1919), played an instrumental role in shaping the early history of education in Bangalore [28]. The University of Agricultural Sciences was started as a voca
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