Bengaluru: History

Pre-20th-Century History

Bangalore allegedly got its name after an old woman living nearby served a humble dish of boiled beans to a lost Hoysala king. A local ruler, Kempegowda, founded the 'town of boiled beans' in the early 16th century. He built a mud fort and mapped out the extent of the city he envisioned with four watchtowers (now engulfed by urban sprawl).

Two centuries later, Bangalore became an important fortress city under Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan, although little remains from this period except the Lalbagh Botanical Gardens and a small palace. The British moved their regional administrative base from Srirangapatnam to Bangalore in 1831, and the town began to take on the ordered look of a British cantonment.

Modern History

Bangalore's economic vitality picked up in the 1960s when the government located key defence and telecommunications establishments here. It became the science and technology centre of India, and home to many multinational companies. Known as India's Silicon Valley, it's been a software centre for decades. Over half of India's software exports come from Bangalore, and technology parks are spread around the city.

Recent History

Today's Bangalore is a traffic-locked, vibrant city with many good restaurants, lounges and shops. Despite its shiny veneer of affluence, the city is no stranger to poverty. Slums are tucked away even within well-off neighbourhoods, and there's a dire need to improve the city's infrastructure for all facets of society. Many in the city - and the rest of the state - wonder if the IT windfall will ever trickle down.

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