Bangalore 

/bæŋɡəˈlɔːr/, officially known as Bengaluru[12] ([ˈbeŋɡəɭuːɾu] ( listen)), is

the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than 8
million and a metropolitan population of around 11 million, making it the third most populous
city and fifth most populous urban agglomeration in India.[13] Located in southern India on
the Deccan Plateau, at a height of over 900 m (3,000 ft) above sea level, Bangalore is known for
its pleasant climate throughout the year. Its elevation is the highest among the major cities of
India.[14]
The city's history dates back to around 890 CE, in a stone inscription found at the Nageshwara
Temple in Begur, Bangalore. The Begur inscription is written in Halegannada (ancient Kannada),
mentions 'Bengaluru Kalaga' (battle of Bengaluru). It was a significant turning point in the history
of Bangalore as it bears the earliest reference to the name 'Bengaluru'.[15] In 1537 CE, Kempé
Gowdā – a feudal ruler under the Vijayanagara Empire – established a mud fort considered to be
the foundation of modern Bengaluru and its oldest areas, or petes, which exist to the present
day. After the fall of Vijayanagar empire in 16th century, the Mughals sold Bangalore
to Chikkadevaraja Wodeyar (1673–1704), the then ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore for three lakh
rupees.[16] When Haider Ali seized control of the Kingdom of Mysore, the administration of
Bangalore passed into his hands. It was captured by the British East India Company after victory
in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War (1799), who returned administrative control of the city to
the Maharaja of Mysore. The old city developed in the dominions of the Maharaja of Mysore and
was made capital of the Princely State of Mysore, which existed as a nominally sovereign entity
of the British Raj. In 1809, the British shifted their cantonment to Bangalore, outside the old city,
and a town grew up around it, which was governed as part of British India. Following India's
independence in 1947, Bangalore became the capital of Mysore State, and remained capital
when the new Indian state of Karnataka was formed in 1956. The two urban settlements of
Bangalore – city and cantonment – which had developed as independent entities merged into a
single urban centre in 1949. The existing Kannada name, Bengalūru, was declared the official
name of the city in 2006.
Bangalore is widely regarded as the "Silicon Valley of India" (or "IT capital of India") because of
its role as the nation's leading information technology (IT) exporter.[1] Indian technological
organisations are headquartered in the city. A demographically diverse city, Bangalore is the
second fastest-growing major metropolis in India.[17][18] Recent estimates of the metro economy of
its urban area have ranked Bangalore either the fourth or fifth-most productive metro area of
India.[10][19] Bangalore is home to 7,700 millionaires and 8 billionaires with a total wealth of $320
billion.[20][21] It is home to many educational and research institutions. Numerous state-
owned aerospace and defence organisations, are located in the city. The city also houses
the Kannada film industry.

Contents

 1Etymology
 2History
o 2.1Early and medieval history
o 2.2Foundation and early modern history
o 2.3Later modern and contemporary history
 3Geography
o 3.1Climate
 4Demographics
 5Languages
 6Civic administration
o 6.1Management
o 6.2Pollution control
o 6.3Slums
 o 6.4Waste management
 7Economy
 8Transport
o 8.1Air
o 8.2Namma Metro (Rail)
o 8.3Road
 9Culture
o 9.1Art and literature
o 9.2Indian Cartoon Gallery
o 9.3Theatre, music, and dance
 10Education
o 10.1Schools
o 10.2Universities
 11Media
 12Sports
 13Sister cities
 14See also
 15References
o 15.1Works cited
 16Further reading
 17External links

Etymology
The name "Bangalore" represents an anglicised version of the Kannada language name and its
original name, "Bengalūru" ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು [ˈbeŋɡəɭuːru ] ( listen). It is the name of a village near
Kodigehalli in Bangalore city today and was used by Kempegowda to christen the city as
Bangalore at the time of its foundation. The earliest reference to the name "Bengalūru" was
found in a ninth-century Western Ganga Dynasty stone inscription on a "vīra gallu" (ವೀರಗಲ್ಲು )
(literally, "hero stone", a rock edict extolling the virtues of a warrior). In this inscription found
in Begur, "Bengalūrū" is referred to as a place in which a battle was fought in 890 CE. It states
that the place was part of the Ganga Kingdom until 1004 and was known as "Bengaval-uru", the
"City of Guards" in Halegannada (Old Kannada).[22][23]
An apocryphal story recounts that the twelfth 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-uru"
(literally, "town of boiled beans"), which eventually evolved into "Bengalūru".[22][24][25] Suryanath
Kamath has put forward an explanation of a possible floral origin of the name, being derived
from benga, the Kannada term for Pterocarpus marsupium (also known as the Indian Kino Tree),
a species of dry and moist deciduous trees, that grew abundantly in the region.[26]
On 11 December 2005, the Government of Karnataka announced that it had accepted a proposal
by Jnanpith Award winner U. R. Ananthamurthy to rename Bangalore to Bengalūru.[27] On
27 September 2006, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) passed a resolution to
implement the proposed name change.[28] The government of Karnataka accepted the proposal,
and it was decided to officially implement the name change from 1 November 2006.[29][30] The
Union government approved this request, along with name changes for 11 other Karnataka
cities, in October 2014, hence Bangalore was renamed to "Bengaluru" on 1 November 2014.[31][32]

History
Main article: History of Bangalore

Early and medieval history

The Begur Nageshwara Temple was built in Bangalore around c. 860, during the reign of the Western
Ganga Dynasty.

Someshwara Temple dates from the Chola era

A discovery of Stone Age artefacts during the 2001 census of India at Jalahalli, Sidhapura and

Jadigenahalli, all of which are located on Bangalore's outskirts today, suggest probable human
settlement around 4000 BCE.[33] Around 1,000 BCE (Iron Age), burial grounds were established
at Koramangala and Chikkajala on the outskirts of Bangalore. Coins of the Roman
emperors Augustus, Tiberius, and Claudius found at Yeswanthpur and HAL indicate that the
region was involved in trans-oceanic trade with the Romans and other civilisations in 27 BCE.[34]
The region of modern-day Bangalore was part of several successive South Indian kingdoms.
Between the fourth and the tenth centuries, the Bangalore region was ruled by the Western
Ganga Dynasty of Karnataka, the first dynasty to set up effective control over the region.
[35]
 According to Edgar Thurston[36] there were twenty-eight kings who ruled Gangavadi from the
start of the Christian era until its conquest by the Cholas. These kings belonged to two distinct
dynasties: the earlier line of the Solar race which had a succession of seven kings of the Ratti or
Reddi tribe, and the later line of the Ganga race. The Western Gangas ruled the region initially as
a sovereign power (350–550), and later as feudatories of the Chalukyas of Badami, followed by
the Rashtrakutas until the tenth century.[26] The Begur Nageshwara Temple was commissioned
around 860, during the reign of the Western Ganga King Ereganga Nitimarga I and extended by
his successor Nitimarga II.[37][38] Around 1004, during the reign of Raja Raja Chola I, the Cholas
defeated the Western Gangas under the command of the crown prince Rajendra Chola I, and
captured Bangalore.[37][39] During this period, the Bangalore region witnessed the migration of
many groups — warriors, administrators, traders, artisans, pastorals, cultivators, and religious
personnel from Tamil Nadu and other Kannada speaking regions.[35] The Chokkanathaswamy
temple at Domlur, the Aigandapura complex near Hesaraghatta, Mukthi Natheshwara Temple at
Binnamangala, Choleshwara Temple at Begur, Someshwara Temple at Madiwala, date from
the Chola era.[37]
In 1117, the Hoysala king Vishnuvardhana defeated the Cholas in the Battle of Talakad in south
Karnataka, and extended its rule over the region.[37] Vishnuvardhana expelled the Cholas from all
parts of Mysore state.[40] By the end of the 13th century, Bangalore became a source of
contention between two warring cousins, the Hoysala ruler Veera Ballala III of Halebidu and
Ramanatha, who administered from the Hoysala held territory in Tamil Nadu.[37] Veera Ballala III
had appointed a civic head at Hudi (now within Bangalore Municipal Corporation limits), thus
promoting the village to the status of a town. After Veera Ballala III's death in 1343, the next
empire to rule the region was the Vijayanagara Empire, which itself saw the rise of four
dynasties, the Sangamas (1336–1485), the Saluvas (1485–1491), the Tuluvas (1491–1565), and
the Aravidu (1565–1646).[41] During the reign of the Vijayanagara Empire, Achyuta Deva Raya of
the Tuluva Dynasty raised the Shivasamudra Dam across the Arkavati river at Hesaraghatta,
whose reservoir is the present city's supply of regular piped water.[42]

Foundation and early modern history

Bangalore Fort in 1860 showing fortifications and barracks. The fort was originally built by Kempe Gowda
I as a mud fort in 1537.

Bangalore Palace, built in 1887 in Tudor architectural style was modelled on the Windsor Castle in
England.[43]

Modern Bangalore was begun in 1537 by a vassal of the Vijayanagara Empire, Kempe Gowda I,
who aligned with the Vijayanagara empire to campaign against Gangaraja (whom he defeated
and expelled to Kanchi), and who built a mud-brick fort for the people at the site that would
become the central part of modern Bangalore. Kempe Gowda was restricted by rules made by
Achuta Deva Raya, who feared the potential power of Kempe Gowda and did not allow a
formidable stone fort. Kempe Gowda referred to the new town as his "gandubhūmi" or "Land of
Heroes".[25] Within the fort, the town was divided into smaller divisions—each called a "pete"
(Kannada pronunciation: [peːteː]). The town had two main streets—Chikkapeté Street, which ran
east–west, and Doddapeté Street, which ran north–south. Their intersection formed the
Doddapeté Square—the heart of Bangalore. Kempe Gowda I's successor, Kempe Gowda II, built
four towers that marked Bangalore's boundary. During the Vijayanagara rule, many saints and
poets referred to Bangalore as "Devarāyanagara" and "Kalyānapura" or "Kalyānapuri"
("Auspicious City").[44]