Bengaluru Pete
Encyclopedia
Bengaluru Pete which was established by Kempegowda I (c. 1510–1570) in 1537 with roads laid in
cardinal directions, with entrance gates at the end of each road is an integral part of the present day Bangalore
city
(Bengaluru Mahanagara ) and has three taluks namely, Anekal
, Bangalore
North and Bangalore
South. Kemepgowda also called the Pete he built as his "gandu bhoomi" or "Land of Heroes". Pete (Kannada: Market centre) forms a well–defined body of markets which were associated with various trades and professions of the populace in the locality markets and given the names of trades pursued in such markets. The well known markets are the Tharagupete–market for grains, the Balepete – for Bangles and musical instruments, the Chikkapete and the Nagarthpete for textile trade, the Ballapurpete and the Ganigarapete market where oil
is extracted by people of the Ganiga
community, the Tigalarapete–flower market of gardeners, the Cubbonpete – textile manufacture by people of the Devanga
community.
The Bengaluru Pete, established in 1537 around the Mud Fort built by Kempe Gowda I as the nucleus, with an area of 2.24 square kilometre , has expanded to the present sprawling city of 741 square kilometre embracing multi ethnic population of 5.7 million; as per Census of India 2001, the present population is reported as 6.6 million (2007)] and is thus known by the epithet "the Boom city". The other nicknames of the city also reflect the growth direction of the city, such as the Silicon Valley of India
, the "Fashion Capital of India," and "The Pub City of India."
The old Pete, structured in the contemporary style of deep networks of crowded streets, richly represented the multi cultural identity, social
history
, and economic geography
of the times which are considered as hallmark in the planning and design of any urban agglomerate. These attributes have been further accentuated in the present day Bangalore city. It is now the third largest metropolis in India., the largest city in the Karnataka state and 28th largest city in the world.
, widely held as the founder of modern Bangalore, built a mud fort and established the area around it as his province. He was the great grand son of Jaya Gowda who established the Yelahankanada Prabhu clan, in 1418 AD and whose principality was in Yelahanka
, north of the present day Bangalore.
Kempegowda I who showed remarkable qualities of leadership from his childhood had a grand vision to build a new city which was further fueled by his visits to Hampi
(now a UNESCO
heritage city) the then beautiful capital city of the Vijayanagar Empire. He persevered with his vision and got permission from the King Achutaraya, the ruler of the empire, to build a new city for himself. The King gifted 12 hoblis (revenue subdivisions) with an annual income of 30,000 varahas (gold coin
s) to his Chieftain Kempegowda to meet the expenses of his venture of building a new city.
Kempegowda moved from his ancestral land of Yelahanka
to establish his new principality
, having obtained support from King Achutaraya. One version for the site selection process for the Bengalore Pete is that during a hunting expedition along with his Advisor Gidde Gowda, he went westward of Yelahanka and reached a village called Shivasamudra (near Hesaraghatta) some 10 miles (16 km) from Yelahanka where, in a tranquil atmosphere under a tree, he visualized building of a suitable city with a fort, a cantonment, tanks (water reservoirs), temples and people of all trades and professions to live in it for his future capital. It is also said that an omen
of an uncommon event of a hare
chasing away a hunter dog
at the place favoured selection of the place and a dream of goddess Lakshmi
(Hindu Goddess of wealth) that prophesized good indications of the events to happen further sealed his decision on the place for his capital. Following this event, on an auspicious day in 1537 A.D., he conducted a ground breaking ritual and festivities by ploughing the land with four pairs of decorated white bull
s in four directions, at the focal point of the junction of Doddapet and Chikkapet, the junction (Pictured) of the present day Avenue Road and Old Taluk Kacheri Road (OTC).
Thereafter, he constructed a mud
fort (now in the western part of the city), with a moat
surrounding it and which had nine large gates. Building of the mud fort is also steeped in a legend which is a tragic but heroic story. During the construction of the Fort it was said that the southern gate would fall off no sooner than it was built and human sacrifice was indicated to ward off the evil spirits. Kempe Gowda could not accept such a situation nor permit any such event to occur. But his daughter-in-law, Lakshamma, realising her father-in-Law's predicament, beheaded herself with a sword at the southern gate in the darkness of night. Thereafter, the fort was completed without any mishap. In her memory, Kempegowda built a temple in her name in Koramangala
. Thus, Kemepgowda's dream fructified and the Bengaluru Pete evolved around the Mud fort called the Bangalore Fort
. This mud fort (see infobox) was converted and enlarged into the present stone fort during Chikkadeva Raya Wodeyar
's rule between 1673 AD – 1704 AD and Hyder Ali
's rule, in 1761.
It has also been reported that Guru Nanak, the Sikh
Guru
, on his way back from Sri Lanka
halted at Bangalore. Kempegowda met him and sought his blessings.Gurunak not only blessed Kempegowda but als told him to develop the place.
The Pete
The Pete as built by Kempegowda I had two main streets, namely the Chikkapete Street, which ran east–west, and the Doddapete Street, which ran north–south. Their intersection formed the Doddapete Square (present Avenue road), the heart of Bangalore.
Halasoor, also called Ulsoor (east), Sondekoppa (west), Yelahanka
(north), and Anekal
(south) were the four gates erected at the cardinal directions. Five more gates were also built and these were named as Varthur, Sarjapur, Kanakanahalli, Kengeri
and Yeshwantapura gates. Relating the Pete to the present landmarks of the city, the following are mentioned:
Temple
s and lake
s were planned and residential layouts, or agraharas (residential area of Brahmins), around each temple were built during the rule of Kempegowda I, in and around the Pete, which along with the mud fort built by him, changed Bengaluru from a village to a centre of culture based on the Hindu religion. These developments were fashioned in the tradition of the Vijayanagara
cities. The montage of bazaars, temple complexes and agraharams in and around the Pete got a further fillip during the rule of Kempegowda II, who built four cardinal towers setting limits for the growth of the Bengaluru pete. But the growth of Bengaluru has far outstripped these limits by several folds.
The visionary approach of the Kempe Gowdas, perceiving the needs of the growing population of the Pete, resulted in building a number of lakes/ponds (called 'Kere' in the Kannada language)and temples (some are pictured in the gallery) in and around the fort. Some of the notable ones are :
Pete expansion
With the decline of the rule of Kempegowdas' clan, the Maratha
rule and culture followed for some time. In 1638, Pete was conquered by Bijapur Sultan who ruled for the next 50 years. The Mughals took over in 1687 and leased the town and the surrounding areas to Chikkadeva Raya Wodeyar
of the Mysore Kingdom, in 1690 AD. Chikkadeva Raya Wodeyar (1673 AD –1704 AD) built an oval shaped fort south of the old mud fort and after his death in 1704 AD, the rule of Hyder Ali
and Tippu Sultan ensued till Tippu's death at the hands of the British
in 1790 AD. It was Hyder Ali who rebuilt the mud Fort in stones. During their reign, a palace called the Tippu's Palace was built at the South end of the fort and a Hindu temple
for Lord Srinivasa was also built adjoining the Tippu Palace, which is called the "Kote Venkataramana Temple
" or "Fort temple". At this stage, the old Pete had expanded to a circumference of 5 kilometres (3 mi) into a prosperous economy with well laid out streets and flourishing shops [the market stretched from the north gate – the present Avenue road (pictured)] – of the Pete to the oval fort]. A beautiful botanical garden
called the Lalbagh was also built in 1760 AD. The Pete became not only a commercial centre but also a military centre of strategic importance.
The Pete initially developed as a pedestrian precinct with the public spaces evolving with bazaar
streets, temple
square
s, lakes and maidans (open grounds). But, under Wodeyar
s' rule, during the British Raj
, in the 19th century, public gardens developed along with the suburbs, adjoining the traditional Pete, in western planning concepts with wider roads. The streets were built in gridiron pattern and designed to cater to heavy vehicular traffic.
During the colonial rule the British
expanded the Pete to include the cantonment
to position their garrison
, which was separated by an 11.5 kilometres (7 mi) wide strip of open land. The colonial city by coincidence decongested the old native city (Pete) and also provided much needed 'lung space'. Since then several developments, post independence (1947 till date), have led to the rapid growth of the city.
of 1,12,076 persons in a diverse use area (Residential: 37.5%; Commercial: 34.6%; Industrial: 6.1%). The trades which defined the Pete in the past have remained but have enormously prospered with modern trades, as distinct entities with a built-in relationship between occupation and community with deep-rooted traditional patterns of living. An urban infrastructure study reported in a scholarly article by Champaka Rajagopal in the Journal of the Development and Research Organization for Nature Arts has the following remarkable observations.
The paper has chronicled the urban planning involving highly intertwined issues of the "pete" succinctly and the conclusion drawn from this study of the Pete is better reflected, as quoted:
, India
.
It is named after Sri Krishnarajendra Wodeyar the former ruler of the princely state of Mysore. This market is located on Mysore Road at its junction with Krishnarajendra Road.
Its the first locality in the whole of Asia to get Electricity.
cardinal directions, with entrance gates at the end of each road is an integral part of the present day Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
city
(Bengaluru Mahanagara ) and has three taluks namely, Anekal
Anekal
Anekal is a taluk of Bangalore district. It lies in the southern part of the Bangalore metropolitan area around 40 kilometres from downtown Bangalore.Kannada is the most widely spoken languages in Anekal.Anekal is known for the karaga festivals...
, Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
North and Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
South. Kemepgowda also called the Pete he built as his "gandu bhoomi" or "Land of Heroes". Pete (Kannada: Market centre) forms a well–defined body of markets which were associated with various trades and professions of the populace in the locality markets and given the names of trades pursued in such markets. The well known markets are the Tharagupete–market for grains, the Balepete – for Bangles and musical instruments, the Chikkapete and the Nagarthpete for textile trade, the Ballapurpete and the Ganigarapete market where oil
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
is extracted by people of the Ganiga
Ganiga
Ganiga or Gandla is the name given to oil pressers in the Ganiga or Gandla is the name given to oil pressers in the Ganiga or Gandla is the name given to oil pressers in the [[India]...
community, the Tigalarapete–flower market of gardeners, the Cubbonpete – textile manufacture by people of the Devanga
Devanga
Devengas are a community from South India that traditionally followed the occupation of weaving. Some Devangas consider themselves to be Brahmins, while most others classify themselves as Vaishyas.-Origins, location and languages:...
community.
The Bengaluru Pete, established in 1537 around the Mud Fort built by Kempe Gowda I as the nucleus, with an area of 2.24 square kilometre , has expanded to the present sprawling city of 741 square kilometre embracing multi ethnic population of 5.7 million; as per Census of India 2001, the present population is reported as 6.6 million (2007)] and is thus known by the epithet "the Boom city". The other nicknames of the city also reflect the growth direction of the city, such as the Silicon Valley of India
Silicon Valley of India
The Silicon Valley of India is a nickname of the Indian city of Bangalore. The name signifies Bangalore's status as a hub for information technology companies in India and is a comparative reference to the original Silicon Valley, based around Santa Clara Valley, California, a major hub for IT...
, the "Fashion Capital of India," and "The Pub City of India."
The old Pete, structured in the contemporary style of deep networks of crowded streets, richly represented the multi cultural identity, social
Social
The term social refers to a characteristic of living organisms...
history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
, and economic geography
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
of the times which are considered as hallmark in the planning and design of any urban agglomerate. These attributes have been further accentuated in the present day Bangalore city. It is now the third largest metropolis in India., the largest city in the Karnataka state and 28th largest city in the world.
History
Even though historically Bengaluru is chronicled to the period of 900 AD, but with confirmed history of the Bengaluru Pete traced to 1537, when Kempe Gowda I (pictured), a Chieftain of the Vijayanagara EmpireVijayanagara Empire
The Vijayanagara Empire , referred as the Kingdom of Bisnaga by the Portuguese, was an empire based in South Indian in the Deccan Plateau region. It was established in 1336 by Harihara I and his brother Bukka Raya I of the Yadava lineage. The empire rose to prominence as a culmination of attempts...
, widely held as the founder of modern Bangalore, built a mud fort and established the area around it as his province. He was the great grand son of Jaya Gowda who established the Yelahankanada Prabhu clan, in 1418 AD and whose principality was in Yelahanka
Yelahanka
Yelahanka is a suburb of Bangalore in the Indian state of Karnataka originally envisaged as a satellite town of Bangalore city, but now part of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike.-Location:...
, north of the present day Bangalore.
Kempegowda I who showed remarkable qualities of leadership from his childhood had a grand vision to build a new city which was further fueled by his visits to Hampi
Hampi
Hampi is a village in northern Karnataka state, India. It is located within the ruins of Vijayanagara, the former capital of the Vijayanagara Empire. Predating the city of Vijayanagara, it continues to be an important religious centre, housing the Virupaksha Temple, as well as several other...
(now a UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
heritage city) the then beautiful capital city of the Vijayanagar Empire. He persevered with his vision and got permission from the King Achutaraya, the ruler of the empire, to build a new city for himself. The King gifted 12 hoblis (revenue subdivisions) with an annual income of 30,000 varahas (gold coin
Gold coin
A gold coin is a coin made mostly or entirely of gold. Gold has been used for coins practically since the invention of coinage, originally because of gold's intrinsic value...
s) to his Chieftain Kempegowda to meet the expenses of his venture of building a new city.
Kempegowda moved from his ancestral land of Yelahanka
Yelahanka
Yelahanka is a suburb of Bangalore in the Indian state of Karnataka originally envisaged as a satellite town of Bangalore city, but now part of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike.-Location:...
to establish his new principality
Principality
A principality is a monarchical feudatory or sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a monarch with the title of prince or princess, or by a monarch with another title within the generic use of the term prince....
, having obtained support from King Achutaraya. One version for the site selection process for the Bengalore Pete is that during a hunting expedition along with his Advisor Gidde Gowda, he went westward of Yelahanka and reached a village called Shivasamudra (near Hesaraghatta) some 10 miles (16 km) from Yelahanka where, in a tranquil atmosphere under a tree, he visualized building of a suitable city with a fort, a cantonment, tanks (water reservoirs), temples and people of all trades and professions to live in it for his future capital. It is also said that an omen
Omen
An omen is a phenomenon that is believed to foretell the future, often signifying the advent of change...
of an uncommon event of a hare
Hare
Hares and jackrabbits are leporids belonging to the genus Lepus. Hares less than one year old are called leverets. Four species commonly known as types of hare are classified outside of Lepus: the hispid hare , and three species known as red rock hares .Hares are very fast-moving...
chasing away a hunter dog
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
at the place favoured selection of the place and a dream of goddess Lakshmi
Lakshmi
Lakshmi or Lakumi is the Hindu goddess of wealth, prosperity , light, wisdom, fortune, fertility, generosity and courage; and the embodiment of beauty, grace and charm. Representations of Lakshmi are also found in Jain monuments...
(Hindu Goddess of wealth) that prophesized good indications of the events to happen further sealed his decision on the place for his capital. Following this event, on an auspicious day in 1537 A.D., he conducted a ground breaking ritual and festivities by ploughing the land with four pairs of decorated white bull
Bull
Bull usually refers to an uncastrated adult male bovine.Bull may also refer to:-Entertainment:* Bull , an original show on the TNT Network* "Bull" , an episode of television series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation...
s in four directions, at the focal point of the junction of Doddapet and Chikkapet, the junction (Pictured) of the present day Avenue Road and Old Taluk Kacheri Road (OTC).
Thereafter, he constructed a mud
Mud
Mud is a mixture of water and some combination of soil, silt, and clay. Ancient mud deposits harden over geological time to form sedimentary rock such as shale or mudstone . When geological deposits of mud are formed in estuaries the resultant layers are termed bay muds...
fort (now in the western part of the city), with a moat
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
surrounding it and which had nine large gates. Building of the mud fort is also steeped in a legend which is a tragic but heroic story. During the construction of the Fort it was said that the southern gate would fall off no sooner than it was built and human sacrifice was indicated to ward off the evil spirits. Kempe Gowda could not accept such a situation nor permit any such event to occur. But his daughter-in-law, Lakshamma, realising her father-in-Law's predicament, beheaded herself with a sword at the southern gate in the darkness of night. Thereafter, the fort was completed without any mishap. In her memory, Kempegowda built a temple in her name in Koramangala
Koramangala
Koramangala is a locality in Bengaluru, India. Situated in the south-eastern part of the city, it is one of the largest, and a highly sought after residential locality with its wide tree-lined boulevards with a mix of luxury apartments, commercial structures and posh bungalows. It is largely...
. Thus, Kemepgowda's dream fructified and the Bengaluru Pete evolved around the Mud fort called the Bangalore Fort
Bangalore Fort
Bangalore Fort was originally built by Kempe Gowda a feudatory of the Vijaynagar Empire and the founder of Bangalore as a mud fort. It was converted into a stone fort by Haider Ali in 1761. It was a stronghold of Tipu Sultan that was captured by the army of the British East India Company led by...
. This mud fort (see infobox) was converted and enlarged into the present stone fort during Chikkadeva Raya Wodeyar
Wodeyar
The Wodeyar dynasty was an Indian royal dynasty that ruled the Kingdom of Mysore from 1399 to 1947, until the independence of India from British rule and the subsequent unification of the Indian dominion and princely states into the Republic of India.The spelling Wodeyar/Wadiyar is found in most...
's rule between 1673 AD – 1704 AD and Hyder Ali
Hyder Ali
Hyder Ali was the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India. Born Hyder Naik, he distinguished himself militarily, eventually drawing the attention of Mysore's rulers...
's rule, in 1761.
It has also been reported that Guru Nanak, the Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
Guru
Guru
A guru is one who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom, and authority in a certain area, and who uses it to guide others . Other forms of manifestation of this principle can include parents, school teachers, non-human objects and even one's own intellectual discipline, if the...
, on his way back from Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
halted at Bangalore. Kempegowda met him and sought his blessings.Gurunak not only blessed Kempegowda but als told him to develop the place.
The Pete
The Pete as built by Kempegowda I had two main streets, namely the Chikkapete Street, which ran east–west, and the Doddapete Street, which ran north–south. Their intersection formed the Doddapete Square (present Avenue road), the heart of Bangalore.
Halasoor, also called Ulsoor (east), Sondekoppa (west), Yelahanka
Yelahanka
Yelahanka is a suburb of Bangalore in the Indian state of Karnataka originally envisaged as a satellite town of Bangalore city, but now part of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike.-Location:...
(north), and Anekal
Anekal
Anekal is a taluk of Bangalore district. It lies in the southern part of the Bangalore metropolitan area around 40 kilometres from downtown Bangalore.Kannada is the most widely spoken languages in Anekal.Anekal is known for the karaga festivals...
(south) were the four gates erected at the cardinal directions. Five more gates were also built and these were named as Varthur, Sarjapur, Kanakanahalli, Kengeri
Kengeri
Kengeri is a suburb of Bangalore in the Indian state of Karnataka.-History:The name Kengeri comes from the words Tengu coconut and Keri meaning place. The place is still surrounded by Coconut farms, most of them ruled by Vilperi the Coconut Baron. The place has been ruled by a number of dynasties...
and Yeshwantapura gates. Relating the Pete to the present landmarks of the city, the following are mentioned:
- The fort extends from 'Binny Mill' in the west to the Ulsoor Police Station in the east, and from the Anjaneya Temple (pictured) near Mysore Bank in the north to Prof. Shivashankar Circle (near Fort High School) in the south.
- The main street extends from Sunakkalpet Circle in the east to the Goodshed Road in the west and this stretch is now known as Old Taluk Kacheri Road.
- The main street of the Pete from Avenue Road (Doddapete Road) in the north to Krishna Rajendra (KR) Road in the south.
Temple
Temple
A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...
s and lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
s were planned and residential layouts, or agraharas (residential area of Brahmins), around each temple were built during the rule of Kempegowda I, in and around the Pete, which along with the mud fort built by him, changed Bengaluru from a village to a centre of culture based on the Hindu religion. These developments were fashioned in the tradition of the Vijayanagara
Vijayanagara
Vijayanagara is in Bellary District, northern Karnataka. It is the name of the now-ruined capital city "which was regarded as the second Rome" that surrounds modern-day Hampi, of the historic Vijayanagara empire which extended over the southern part of India....
cities. The montage of bazaars, temple complexes and agraharams in and around the Pete got a further fillip during the rule of Kempegowda II, who built four cardinal towers setting limits for the growth of the Bengaluru pete. But the growth of Bengaluru has far outstripped these limits by several folds.
The visionary approach of the Kempe Gowdas, perceiving the needs of the growing population of the Pete, resulted in building a number of lakes/ponds (called 'Kere' in the Kannada language)and temples (some are pictured in the gallery) in and around the fort. Some of the notable ones are :
- The lakes in the inner circle are the Kempe Gowda Agrahara, Siddikatte, Sampangi, Dharmambudhi, Kempambudhi kere, and Karanji.
- The outer circle lakes were the Yediyur, Chennamma, Mavalli, Akki Thimmana halli, Jakkaraya kere. Most of the lakes have been encroached for the present urban needs
- The early temples built or improved were the Gavi Gangadhareshwara TempleGavi Gangadhareshwara TempleGavi Gangadhareshwara Temple also Gavipuram Cave Temple, an example of Indian rock-cut architecture, is located in Bangalore in the state of Karnataka in India...
, Nandi (Bull Temple) (Basavanna), Dodda Ganapathi, Karanji Anjaneya, Ulsoor Someswara, Koramangala LakshmiLakshmiLakshmi or Lakumi is the Hindu goddess of wealth, prosperity , light, wisdom, fortune, fertility, generosity and courage; and the embodiment of beauty, grace and charm. Representations of Lakshmi are also found in Jain monuments...
, MahakaliMahakaliMahakali , literally translated as Great Kali, is a Hindu Goddess, considered to be the consort of Shiva the God of consciousness, and as the basis of Reality and existence...
, Veerabhadra, Vinayaka and Kalabhairava.
Pete expansion
With the decline of the rule of Kempegowdas' clan, the Maratha
Maratha
The Maratha are an Indian caste, predominantly in the state of Maharashtra. The term Marāthā has three related usages: within the Marathi speaking region it describes the dominant Maratha caste; outside Maharashtra it can refer to the entire regional population of Marathi-speaking people;...
rule and culture followed for some time. In 1638, Pete was conquered by Bijapur Sultan who ruled for the next 50 years. The Mughals took over in 1687 and leased the town and the surrounding areas to Chikkadeva Raya Wodeyar
Wodeyar
The Wodeyar dynasty was an Indian royal dynasty that ruled the Kingdom of Mysore from 1399 to 1947, until the independence of India from British rule and the subsequent unification of the Indian dominion and princely states into the Republic of India.The spelling Wodeyar/Wadiyar is found in most...
of the Mysore Kingdom, in 1690 AD. Chikkadeva Raya Wodeyar (1673 AD –1704 AD) built an oval shaped fort south of the old mud fort and after his death in 1704 AD, the rule of Hyder Ali
Hyder Ali
Hyder Ali was the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India. Born Hyder Naik, he distinguished himself militarily, eventually drawing the attention of Mysore's rulers...
and Tippu Sultan ensued till Tippu's death at the hands of the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in 1790 AD. It was Hyder Ali who rebuilt the mud Fort in stones. During their reign, a palace called the Tippu's Palace was built at the South end of the fort and a Hindu temple
Hindu temple
A Mandir, Devalayam, Devasthanam, or a Hindu temple is a place of worship for followers of Hinduism...
for Lord Srinivasa was also built adjoining the Tippu Palace, which is called the "Kote Venkataramana Temple
Kote Venkataramana Temple
Kote Venkataramana Temple is a Hindu temple in Krishnarajendra Road, Bangalore, India dedicated to the god Venkateshwara. The temple was built in Dravidian style by Chikkadevaraja Wodeyar , then ruler of Mysore in the sixteenth century. The temple is renowned for its beautiful stone carvings...
" or "Fort temple". At this stage, the old Pete had expanded to a circumference of 5 kilometres (3 mi) into a prosperous economy with well laid out streets and flourishing shops [the market stretched from the north gate – the present Avenue road (pictured)] – of the Pete to the oval fort]. A beautiful botanical garden
Botanical garden
A botanical garden The terms botanic and botanical, and garden or gardens are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word botanic is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...
called the Lalbagh was also built in 1760 AD. The Pete became not only a commercial centre but also a military centre of strategic importance.
The Pete initially developed as a pedestrian precinct with the public spaces evolving with bazaar
Bazaar
A bazaar , Cypriot Greek: pantopoula) is a permanent merchandising area, marketplace, or street of shops where goods and services are exchanged or sold. The term is sometimes also used to refer to the "network of merchants, bankers and craftsmen" who work that area...
streets, temple
Temple
A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...
square
Town square
A town square is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town used for community gatherings. Other names for town square are civic center, city square, urban square, market square, public square, and town green.Most town squares are hardscapes suitable for open markets,...
s, lakes and maidans (open grounds). But, under Wodeyar
Wodeyar
The Wodeyar dynasty was an Indian royal dynasty that ruled the Kingdom of Mysore from 1399 to 1947, until the independence of India from British rule and the subsequent unification of the Indian dominion and princely states into the Republic of India.The spelling Wodeyar/Wadiyar is found in most...
s' rule, during the British Raj
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
, in the 19th century, public gardens developed along with the suburbs, adjoining the traditional Pete, in western planning concepts with wider roads. The streets were built in gridiron pattern and designed to cater to heavy vehicular traffic.
During the colonial rule the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
expanded the Pete to include the cantonment
Cantonment
A cantonment is a temporary or semi-permanent military or police quarters. The word cantonment is derived from the French word canton meaning corner or district, as is the name of the Cantons of Switzerland. In South Asia, the term cantonment also describes permanent military stations...
to position their garrison
Garrison
Garrison is the collective term for a body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it, but now often simply using it as a home base....
, which was separated by an 11.5 kilometres (7 mi) wide strip of open land. The colonial city by coincidence decongested the old native city (Pete) and also provided much needed 'lung space'. Since then several developments, post independence (1947 till date), have led to the rapid growth of the city.
Present urban status of pete
The Pete as it exists today in the heart of Bangalore Metropolis reported a populationPopulation
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of 1,12,076 persons in a diverse use area (Residential: 37.5%; Commercial: 34.6%; Industrial: 6.1%). The trades which defined the Pete in the past have remained but have enormously prospered with modern trades, as distinct entities with a built-in relationship between occupation and community with deep-rooted traditional patterns of living. An urban infrastructure study reported in a scholarly article by Champaka Rajagopal in the Journal of the Development and Research Organization for Nature Arts has the following remarkable observations.
- The Pete is presently, inhabited mainly by people from the DevangaDevangaDevengas are a community from South India that traditionally followed the occupation of weaving. Some Devangas consider themselves to be Brahmins, while most others classify themselves as Vaishyas.-Origins, location and languages:...
, TigalaTigalaThigalas, also known as Thigalaru it is a relatively new name of an endogamous social group or caste of people native to southern Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and border regions of Tamil Nadu...
, MarwariMarwarisMarwari or Marwadi or Rajasthani people are Indian ethnic group, that inhabit the Rajasthan region of India. Their language Rajasthani is a part of the western group of Indo-Aryan languages....
, GujaratiGujarati peopleGujarati people , or Gujaratis are an ethnic group that is traditionally Gujarati-speaking and can trace their ancestry to the state of Gujarat in western India...
, Jain and MuslimMuslimA Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
communities. - In the Pete, industrial and trade activities overflow into the streets, and incredibly encroach public space.
- Within the Pete precincts, the Gujarati, Marwari and Jain communities from north western parts of the country, generally bankers, have gradually diversified their trade from pearlPearlA pearl is a hard object produced within the soft tissue of a living shelled mollusk. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is made up of calcium carbonate in minute crystalline form, which has been deposited in concentric layers. The ideal pearl is perfectly round and smooth, but many other...
market to textileTextileA textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
, garments, jewelleryJewelleryJewellery or jewelry is a form of personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets.With some exceptions, such as medical alert bracelets or military dog tags, jewellery normally differs from other items of personal adornment in that it has no other purpose than to...
, paperPaperPaper is a thin material mainly used for writing upon, printing upon, drawing or for packaging. It is produced by pressing together moist fibers, typically cellulose pulp derived from wood, rags or grasses, and drying them into flexible sheets....
, chemists, druggists, cutleryCutleryCutlery refers to any hand implement used in preparing, serving, and especially eating food in the Western world. It is more usually known as silverware or flatware in the United States, where cutlery can have the more specific meaning of knives and other cutting instruments. This is probably the...
, metalMetalA metal , is an element, compound, or alloy that is a good conductor of both electricity and heat. Metals are usually malleable and shiny, that is they reflect most of incident light...
, hardwareHardwareHardware is a general term for equipment such as keys, locks, hinges, latches, handles, wire, chains, plumbing supplies, tools, utensils, cutlery and machine parts. Household hardware is typically sold in hardware stores....
and electrical goods. - Marwaris of the Pete, for whom family still controls inheritance and management of their own business, have diversified into several trades - including assembly of computers - that new economies offer
- Muslim communities of Kumbarpete, like the takaras (traders in household stoneRock (geology)In geology, rock or stone is a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids.The Earth's outer solid layer, the lithosphere, is made of rock. In general rocks are of three types, namely, igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic...
equipment), chapparband (menders of roofRoofA roof is the covering on the uppermost part of a building. A roof protects the building and its contents from the effects of weather. Structures that require roofs range from a letter box to a cathedral or stadium, dwellings being the most numerous....
tiles), sikkalgar (dealers in copperCopperCopper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
/ brassBrassBrass is an alloy of copper and zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties.In comparison, bronze is principally an alloy of copper and tin...
vessels) and phuleras (traders of flowers) have, over time, diversified into the construction industry - In the Tharagupete area hardwareHardwareHardware is a general term for equipment such as keys, locks, hinges, latches, handles, wire, chains, plumbing supplies, tools, utensils, cutlery and machine parts. Household hardware is typically sold in hardware stores....
dealers (mostly dominated by Muslims) say that they have benefited greatly by the rise in global markets, particularly in the construction industry. - In spite of diversification of trade and industry most of the areas within the Pete have retained their strong presence of community based occupation such as:
- Avenue road (old Doddapete road) retains its traditional trade in garments and textiles, jewellery and pawn brokering
- Krishna Rajendra (KR) Market is known for trade in vegetables, fruits, flowers, ironIronIron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
and steelSteelSteel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
utensils - Sultanpete trades in paper and in Cubbonpete trade is in textile industryTextile industryThe textile industry is primarily concerned with the production of yarn, and cloth and the subsequent design or manufacture of clothing and their distribution. The raw material may be natural, or synthetic using products of the chemical industry....
- All the above informal industries of the Pete are reported to have generated more jobs for people. The garment industry, in particular, registered volume of exports more than the Information TechnologyInformation technologyInformation technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
. - According to the Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) of Bangalore, 1995 that determines zoning, land use and transport within Bangalore Metropolitan Area (which has zoned 1306 square kilometre area of the Bangalore Development Authority), has zoned the city into intensely developed (Zone A), moderately developed (Zone B) and sparsely developed (Zone C) areas. The Pete falls within the intensely developed zone.
- The existing trends of development in the Pete is of high built up area and people density that has resulted in less livable conditions
- A detail study of the changing socio–economic patterns that could bring about in reality different development patterns, is essential by introducing new buildingBuildingIn architecture, construction, engineering, real estate development and technology the word building may refer to one of the following:...
byelaws by the municipal corporationMunicipal corporationA municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. Municipal incorporation occurs when such municipalities become self-governing entities under the laws of the state or province in which... - . Therefore, the Pete skirts through formal enforceable legal systems but continue to develop in an alternative, less livable way due to strong local politics.
The paper has chronicled the urban planning involving highly intertwined issues of the "pete" succinctly and the conclusion drawn from this study of the Pete is better reflected, as quoted:
For a place as intricate and complex as the Pete, formulation of regulations through public participation would be sensitive and challenging. Communities, religions and economies have coexisted here but not without tensions… an inclusive methodology would help direct the role of the urban designer as a 'less cavalier' coordinator, addressing diverse disciplines and negotiating the efforts of various groups that shape urban places, especially for informal urban settings such as the Pete.
K.R. Market
K.R. Market is the main wholesale market dealing with commodities in BangaloreBangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
It is named after Sri Krishnarajendra Wodeyar the former ruler of the princely state of Mysore. This market is located on Mysore Road at its junction with Krishnarajendra Road.
Its the first locality in the whole of Asia to get Electricity.