Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
History
Literally meaning 'Town of Boiled Beans', Bengaluru supposedly derived its name from
an ancient incident involving an old village woman who served cooked pulses to a lost
and hungry Hoysala king. Kempegowda, a feudal lord, was the first person to earmark
Bengaluru's extents by building a mud fort in 1537. The town remained obscure until
1759, when it was gifted to Hyder Ali by the Mysore maharaja.
The British arrived in 1809 and made it their regional administrative base in 1831, re-
naming it Bangalore. During the Raj era the city played host to many a British officer, in-
cluding Winston Churchill, who enjoyed life here during his greener years and famously
left a debt (still on the topics) of ?13 at the Bangalore Club.
Now home to countless software, electronics and business-outsourcing firms,
Bengaluru's knack for technology developed early. In 1905 it was the first Indian city to
have electric street lighting. Since the 1940s it has been home to Hindustan Aeronautics
Ltd (HAL), India's largest aerospace company. And if you can't do without email, you
owe it all to a Bangalorean - Sabeer Bhatia, the inventor of Hotmail, grew up here.
The city's name was changed back to Bengaluru in November 2006, though few care to
use it in practice.
Orientation
Finding your way around Bengaluru can be difficult at times. In certain areas, roads are
named after their widths (eg 80ft Rd). The city also follows a system of mains and
crosses: 3rd cross, 5th main, Residency Rd, for example, refers to the third lane on the
fifth street branching off Residency Rd.
Sights
Lalbagh Botanical Gardens
(
www.lalbaghgardens.com
; admission ?10; 5.30am-7.30pm)
Spread over 240 acres of landscaped ter-
rain, the expansive Lalbagh gardens were laid out in 1760 by the famous Mysore ruler,
Hyder Ali. As well as amazing centuries-old trees it claims to have the world's most di-
verse species of plants. You can take a guided tour with Bangalore Walks (
Click here
)
, in
a ecofriendly buggy (per head ?100), or otherwise just stroll around at your own pace. On
GARDEN
