Bangalore- the rest is history

By Farheen Khamar

In a fast paced, multicultural city like Bangalore, seldom do we stop and admire the beauty of it, let alone wonder how it came to be. While every grain of sand may carry the secrets of history, some significant places still stand amidst us as if in a silent scream of being the byproducts of change that have persisted, remained. They are renovated, beautified, modified for our convenience and we see them, appreciate them.

What is History,

Indeed,

But a Record of Change?

-Jawaharlal Nehru

Everyone holds their old times close to their heart, young adults too as much as the old. Often the best conversations people have, come from reminiscing about their past and dwelling on beautiful memories that keep them and their world alive.

In such a conversation with a young journalist, Vijay Joel Thomson, he shared some interesting information about few of the places in Bangalore that most Bangaloreans if not been to, have definitely seen.

Some may argue that the past is insignificant and the moment is now, but every moment in the now was made by our past and makes our future. And while the complexity of time can make a philosophical debate by itself, let us perhaps simplify this for our understanding: Bangalore; Then, and Now.

It is no secret that Bangalore was divided into the Cantonment and the city area where the natives resided. The clear-cut dichotomy of the city defined and shaped what Bangalore is today; from the names of streets, to the nature of its residents, the development of market areas and cross-cultural interaction.

The word ‘cantonment’ is derived from the French word canton, meaning ‘corner’ or ‘district’. Through time, it became an Anglo-Indian word by usage that is referred to military stations in India or places of camp that have clearly distinguished lines of territory to quarter and administer troops.

In Bangalore and its roots by Maya Jayapal, it says that the Cantonment area in Bangalore stretched eastwards from Richards Town, cutting across to old Madras Road, Sarjapur Road, Koramangala, Hosur Road, Langford Road, Richmond Circle, Cubbon Park and Raj Bhavan, the western side of Vidhana Soudha, Miller Road, Cunningham Road and Cantonment Station and finally Palace Grounds.

While each of the places within the Cantonment play a significant role in today’s picture, let’s look at these three places that held a lot of importance during the establishment of the Cantonment and its following years.

The good climate and away from the neighboring places like Srirangapatnam which was then infested with mosquitoes, made Bangalore a strategic location for the British to establish their troops. A Church became the need of the hour in the Cantonment as it grew.

Thereby St. Mark’s Cathedral was born as a result and is the oldest Church in Bangalore.

A Drummers Chapel in the city market was the one that held services attended by the Christians of the town and the troops, before St. Mark’s Cathedral came to be. Soon however as the Cantonment grew in size, there was a need for more space to accommodate more people and even the soldiers found it hard to come all the way from the barracks (buildings that house soldiers). So they requested a Church to be built between the barracks and the fort.

At first, it could only accommodate up to 450 people and also became the only Church to cater to the needs of the English speaking crowd. It is also the only Church to have the completely manual-operated Pipe Organ which is about 92 years old.

Coming to the adjoining Church Street, wonder how it got its name? Undoubtedly, it’s because of St. Mark’s Cathedral- the road that led straight to it from the barracks was named Church Street. With time, as the compound of the Church had grown in size, one could actually see the St. Mark’s Cathedral as one walked down Church Street!

The Cantonment had grown in size and so did the number of worshippers. Troops were also completely moved from the Fort end to the barracks, beyond the eastern end. Therefore a Church in the eastern end became a necessity, what’s more, the number of worshippers increased to about 2000.

This issue at hand was of concern for both the military and the company in authority then- The East India Company, because they followed a One Station, One Church policy. Between extending the compound of St. Mark’s Cathedral which was in the west, or simply building a Church in the eastern side, they went with the latter option which resulted in the birth of The Holy Trinity Church.

So St. Mark’s Cathedral was closer to the fort on the west (now in the west of MG Road) and The Holy Trinity Church was closer to the barracks towards the east (now in the east of MG Road).

A fun fact about The Holy Trinity Church, The Statue of King Edward VII in Cubbon Park is said to be made in such a way that his nose points to the top of the cross at the altar of the Church.

Now that we’ve established the soldiers and their need for Churches in that area, here’s one more interesting place in the same area.

Ever heard of a Victoria Hotel located at the corner of Residency and MG Road? No? Well, that’s because it had been demolished to build the now Bangalore Central Mall. One of its directors said that it was previously named Bangalore Book Society- a reading room for the British established in the year 1845. Legend has it that Winston Churchill read his morning papers here!

It still goes by the name “Victoria Embassy”, and its low ceilings and old antiques are characteristic to its heritage.

When Francis Buchanan wrote about Bangalore as a candidate for a Cantonment, he spoke of its climate, its environment for trade and its accessibility to other regions. This was the Bangalore they chose and the rest is history.