: Bangalore District borders with Kolar District in the northeast, Tumkur District in the northwest, Mandya District in the southwest, Chamarajanagar District in the south and the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu in the southeast.
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Bangalore (Kannada: ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು; pronunciation: ['beŋgəɭuːru] (help·info) in Kannada and /'bæŋgəlɔː(ɹ)/ (help·info) in English) is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Located on the Mysore Plateau in south-western Karnataka, Bangalore has an estimated metropolitan population of 6.1 million (2006), making it India's third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area. Though historical references to the city predate 900, a written history of continuous settlement exists only from 1537, when Kempe Gowda I, whom many regard as the architect of modern Bangalore, built a mud fort in the city and established it as a province of the Vijayanagara Empire.
During the British Raj, Bangalore developed as a center for colonial rule in South India. The establishment of the Bangalore Cantonment brought in large numbers of migrant Tamil, Telugu and North Indian workers for developing and maintaining the infrastructure of the cantonment.[Destination: Bangalore. Dir. Jim Kerns. 2005]
After India gained independence in 1947, Bangalore evolved into a manufacturing hub for public sector heavy industries—particularly aerospace, space and defence. The establishment and success of business software services firms in Bangalore after the liberalisation of India's economy has led to the growth of India's information technology industry. Bangalore is referred to as the Silicon Valley of India and accounts for 35 percent of India's software exports.[Bangalore Crumbling". The Sunday Express. 2006. Indian Express Newspapers (Mumbai) Ltd. 5 Dec. 2004] Home to prestigious colleges and research institutions, the city has the second-highest literacy rate among the metropolitan cities in the nation. However, as a large and growing metropolis in the developing world, Bangalore continues to struggle with problems such as air pollution, traffic congestion, and crime.
On December 11 2005, the Government of Karnataka announced that it had accepted the proposal by Jnanpith Award winner U. R. Ananthamurthy to rename Bangalore to its Kannada name, Bengalūru.["Exit Bangalore, enter Bengaluru, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai". The Times of India. 2006. The Times Group. 6 Dec. 2005] On September 27 2006, the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) passed a resolution to implement the proposed name change, pending approvals from the Government of Karnataka and citizens of the city. [http://www.hindu.com/2006/09/28/stories/2006092824250300.htm]
On October 7th 2006, the Government of Karnataka accepted this resolution and decided to officially implement the name change on November 1st 2006.[http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/oct82006/index2044162006107.asp] However, the name change still has to be approved by the central government, a process that is expected to take a few months.[Sharma, Ashok. "Bangalore, India to Get New Name", Associated Press, 2006-11-01. Retrieved on 2006-11-07.]
Etymology
The name Bangalore is an anglicised version of the city's name in the Kannada language, 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). In this inscription found in Begur, "Bengaluru" is referred to as a place in which a battle was fought in 890. It states that the place was part of the Ganga kingdom and was known as "Bengaval-uru", the "City of Guards" in old Kannada. [K. Chandramouli. "The City of Boiled Beans". The Hindu. 2006. The Hindu Group. 25 Jul. 2002] An article, published in The Hindu, states ["Inscription reveals Bangalore is over 1,000 years old". The Hindu. 2006. The Hindu Group. 20 Aug. 2004]:
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| An inscription, dating back to 890 CE, shows Bengaluru 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 CE, the epigraph refers to a Bengaluru war in 890 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.
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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" (Kannada: ಬೆಂದ ಕಾಳು ಊರು) (literally, "town of boiled beans"), which was eventually colloquialised to "Bengalūru".[http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/Oct302006/index20581420061029.asp]["History of Bangalore". Bangalore Guide 2006. Bangalore Guide] The city as it is known today was named by Kempe Gowda I.
History
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An inscription found near Begur, reveals that the district was a part of the Ganga Dynasty until 1004 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".["About Bangalore - History". Department of IT and Biotechnology. 2006. Government of Karnataka.]
Within the fort, the town was divided into petes (IPA: [peɪteɪ]) or markets. The town had two main streets: Chickkapete Street ran east-west and Doddapete Street ran north-south. Their intersection formed Doddapete square — the heart of Bangalore. Kempe Gowda's successor, Kempe Gowda II, built four famous towers that marked Bangalore's boundary.[Vagale, Uday Kumar. "Public Space in Bangalore: Present and Future Projections". Digital Libraries and Archives. 2006. Virginia Tech. 27 Apr. 2004.]
During the Vijayanagara rule, Bangalore was also referred to as "Devarāyanagara" and "Kalyānapura" ("Auspicious City").
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 Marathas sold Bangalore to Chikkadevaraja Wodeyar (1673-1704) of Mysore for 300,000 rupees in 1687.["The Mughal Throne", Abraham Eraly, Phoenix, London, Great Britain, 2004 (ISBN 0 75381 758 6), Incidental Data, page 538.] The city became part of the Kingdom of Mysore when the Mughal emperor 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 Tippu Sultan, known as the Tiger of Mysore. Bangalore was eventually incorporated into the British East Indian Empire after Tippu Sultan was defeated and killed in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War (1799). The British returned administrative control of the Bangalore "pete" to the Maharaja of Mysore, choosing only to retain the Cantonment under their jurisdiction. Under British rule, Bangalore was incorporated into the Madras Presidency. The Kingdom of Mysore relocated its capital from Mysore city to Bangalore in 1831.["Mysore (CAPITAL)". Encyclopedia Britannica. 1911 ed.]
Two important developments during this period contributed to the rapid growth of the city: the introduction of telegraph connections and a rail connection to Madras in 1864.
 South Parade (now Mahatma Gandhi Road) during colonial times. In the 19th 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.[Digital Libraries and Archives]
Bangalore was hit by a plague epidemic in 1898 that dramatically reduced its population. New extensions in Malleswaram and Basavanagudi were developed in the North and South of the Pete. Telephone lines were laid to help co-ordinate 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 construction of parks, public buildings and hospitals were instituted to beautify the city. After Indian independence in August 1947, Bangalore remained in the new Mysore State of which the Maharaja of Mysore was the Rajpramukh. 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 1941–51 and 1971–81 , which saw the arrival of many immigrants from northern Karnataka and Kodagu. By 1961 Bangalore had become the sixth largest city in India, with a population of 1,207,000.[Digital Libraries and Archives]
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 multistorey apartments.[Benjamin, Solomon. "Governance, economic settings and poverty in Bangalore".Environment&Urbanization Vol 12 No 1 2006. United Nations Public Administration. 1 Apr. 2000.]
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 (KFC) in the 1990s continued to expand foreign investment in Bangalore. The city witnessed one of its largest media events ever when it hosted the 1996 the Miss World beauty pageant, which was seen by over two billion viewers worldwide.["A Globalized Culture Clash". Public Broadcasting Service. 2006. Public Broadcasting Corporation. Jan 2003.]
Many of these developments were met with opposition from groups fearing the loss of the city's national and linguistic identity. Widespread protests organised against the Miss World contest by women's organisations led to the arrests of about 1,000 protesters. In 1996 farmer activists attacked and damaged the KFC outlet in Bangalore, accusing it of "representing western food habits which are not needed in India".[ "McDonald's plans expansion despite war fears:Reuters". Rediff.com. 2006. Rediff.com India Limited. 7 Nov. 2001]
Through the 1990s the state government promoted large-scale development projects such as the construction of sports stadia and exclusive apartment complexes, which resulted in the demolition and resettlement of poorer settlements to distant peripheral locations.[1990s] In the mid-1990s, Bangalore's economy grew many fold because of the software boom. Contrastingly, employment opportunities in almost all other sectors, in the city's manufacturing industries, declined. This was due to rampant and uncontrolled globalisation, liberalisation and privatisation[citationneeded].
Geography
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 A street map of Bangalore depicting the Bangalore Cantonment enclave surrounded by Bangalore city localities. 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 920m (3,018feet). It is positioned at 12.97°N 77.56°E and covers an area of 2190km² (1,360mi²). Bangalore District borders with Kolar District in the northeast, Tumkur District in the northwest, Mandya District in the southwest, Chamarajanagar District in the south and the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu in the southeast. 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 central ridge running NNE-SSW. The highest point is Doddabettahalli, which is 962m (3,156ft) and lies on this ridge.["Studyarea- Bangalore". Centre for Ecological Sciences. 2006. Indian Institute of Science.]
No major rivers run through the city, though the Arkavathi and South Pennar cross paths at the Nandi Hills, 60 km (37 mi) to the north. River Vrishabhavathi, a minor tributary of Arkavathi, arises within the city at Basavanagudi and flows through the city. Together, rivers Arkavathi and Vrishabhavathi carry much of Bangalore's sewage. A sewerage system, constructed in 1922, covers 215km² (133mi²) of the city and connects with five sewage treatment centers located in the periphery of Bangalore.["Each drop of water counts". Deccan Herald. 2006. The Printers (Mysore) Ltd. 11 Mar. 2004]
In the 16th century, Kempe Gowda I constructed many lakes to meet the town's water requirements. The Kempamundi Kere, since overrun by modern development, was prominent. Later in the 20th century, the Nandi Hills waterworks, commissioned by Sir Mirza Ismail (Dewan of Mysore, 1926–41 CE), provided adequate water supply to the growing city. Bangalore currently relies heavily on water reservoirs from the Kaveri basin and on Vrishabhavathi and Arkavathi water treatment plants to meet the water needs of its population of six million. Bangalore receives 800 millionlitres (211 millionUS gallons) of water a day, more than any other Indian city.[ "Thirsty Bangalore seeks divine help". Hindustan Times. 2006. HT Media Ltd. 9 Jun. 2003.]
However, water shortages, especially during summer, are commonplace. A random sampling study of the Air Quality Index (AQI) of twenty stations within the city indicated scores that ranged from 76 to 314, suggesting heavy to severe air pollution around areas of traffic concentration.["Environmental Impact Analysis". Bangalore Metropolitan Rapid Transport Corporation Limited.. 2006. Government of Karnataka. 2005.]
For purposes of comparison, India's metropolitan cities Ahmedabad, Delhi and Kolkata were classified as having heavy pollution, while Bangalore and Mumbai were categorised as having moderate pollution.[Panwar, Sharma. "Air Quality: Status And Classification Of Cities Based on Indicators". Tata Energy Research Institute. 8 Dec. 2004]
 The Agara Lake, at sunset. Bangalore has a large number of lakes — of these Sankey lake, Ulsoor lake and Yediyur lake are the most prominent. 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 adequate 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.[soils]
Vegetation in the city is primarily in the form of large deciduous 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 tremors have been recorded in the city.
Because of its elevation, Bangalore enjoys a pleasant and equable climate throughout the year. The highest temperature recorded is 39°C (102°F) and the lowest is 11°C (52°F).["Historical Weather for Bangalore, India". Weatherbase. 2006. Canty and Associates LLC. ]
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 in late afternoon, evening or night, and rain before noon is infrequent. The heaviest rainfall recorded in a 24-hour period is 180mm (7in) recorded on 1 October 1997 CE.
Civic administration
| Bangalore City officials
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| Mayor
| Mumtaz Begum
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| Municipal Commissioner
| Kalaikurchi Jairaj
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| Police Commissioner
| N Achuta Rao
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The Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP, Bangalore Metropolitan Council) is the municipal corporation in charge of the civic and infrastructural assets of the city. The district of Bangalore is home to 7 other city municipal councils such as those in Yelahanka, Bommanahalli, Dasarahalli, Krishnarajapuram, Pattangere, Bytarayanpura and Mahadevapura. The Government of Karnataka proposes to merge these 7 councils into BMP to form Greater Bangalore. ["Greater Bangalore: single corporation likely to be set up". 2006. The Hindu. 30 Sep. 2006.] The BMP 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 five 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.["Narayanaswamy is new Mayor". Deccan Herald. 2006. The Printers (Mysore) Private Limited. 30 Nov. 2004.] Bangalore's rapid growth has created several problems relating to traffic congestion and infrastructural obsolescence that the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike has found challenging to address. A 2003 Battelle Environmental Evaluation System (BEES) evaluation of Bangalore's physical, biological and socioeconomic parameters indicated that Bangalore's water quality, terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem were close to ideal, while the city's socioeconomic parameters (traffic, quality of life) scored poorly.["Environmental Impact Analysis". Bangalore Metropolitan Rapid Transport Corporation Limited.. 2006. Government of Karnataka. 2005. (page 30)] The BMP has been criticised by the Karnataka High Court, citizens and corporations for failing to effectively address the crumbling road and traffic infrastructure of Bangalore.[[http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/jun292005/state1911192005628.asp "
]High Court pulls up BMP for bad roads"]. Deccan Herald. 2006. The Printers (Mysore) Ltd. June 29. 2005 The unplanned nature of growth in the city resulted in massive traffic gridlocks that the municipality attempted to ease by constructing a flyover system and by imposing one-way traffic systems. Some of the flyovers and one-ways mitigated the traffic situation moderately but were unable to adequately address the disproportionate growth of city traffic ["Budget to trigger growth of metros: PM". MSN India. 2006. Microsoft India. 12 Feb. 2006.] The Bangalore Mahanagara Palike works with the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) and the Bangalore Agenda Task Force (BATF) to design and implement civic projects. Bangalore generates about 3,000 tonnes of solid waste per day, of which about 1,139 tonnes are collected and sent to composting units such as the Karnataka Composting Development Corporation. The remaining solid waste collected by the municipality is dumped in open spaces or on roadsides outside the city.[van Beukering, Sehker, et al. "Analysing Urban Solid Waste...". International Institute for Environment and Development. 2006. March 1999.]
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.["Bangalore City Police". Bangalore City Police. 2006. Karnataka State Police.] As capital of the state of Karnataka, Bangalore houses important state government facilities such as the Karnataka High Court, the Vidhana Soudha (the home of the Karnataka state legislature) and Raj Bhavan. Bangalore contributes two members to India's lower house of parliament, the Lok Sabha, and 24 members to the Karnataka State Assembly.["Members of Karnataka Legislative Assembly". National Informatics Centre. 2006. Government of Karnataka] Electricity in Bangalore is regulated through the Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited (KPTCL). Like many cities in India, Bangalore experiences scheduled power cuts, especially over the summer, to allow electricity providers to meet the consumption demands of households as well as corporations.
- See also: Infrastructure in Bangalore
Economy
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 The Public Utility Building on MG Road is an important commercial landmark in Bangalore. Bangalore's Rs.222,000 crore (USD 51.9 billion) economy (Net District Income) makes it a major economic centre in India.["All India figures at a glance". Department of Economics and Statistics. 2006. Government of Karnataka. 16 Dec. 2005. ] Indeed, Bangalore is India's fourth largest["Bangalore most affluent market". 2006. Business Standard. Business Standard Limited. 23 Aug. 2006] and fastest growing market. ["Bangalore market to grow most". 2006. Business Standard. Business Standard Limited. 25 Aug. 2006] Bangalore's per capita income of Rs.2.9 lakh (US$6,460) is the highest for any Indian city. [Mathur, Om Prakash. "Impact of globalisation on cities and city-related policies in India". 2006. The Urban Partnerships Foundation Aug. 2003] 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 Organisation (ISRO) was established under the Department of Space and headquartered in the city. Bangalore is called the "Silicon Valley of India" because of the large number of Information Technology companies located in the city which contribute 38% of India's Rs.100,000 crore (US$22 billion) IT and software export market.["Annual Report, 2004-05". Nasscom. 2006. Nasscom] Bangalore's IT industry is divided into three main "clusters" — Software Technology Parks of India, Bangalore (STPI); I |
