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The growth of IT has presented the city with unique challenges. Ideological clashes sometimes occur between the city’s IT moguls, who demand an improvement in the city’s infrastructure, and the state government, whose electoral base is primarily the people in rural Karnataka. The encouragement of high-tech industry in Bangalore, for example, has not favoured local employment development, but has, instead, increased land values and forced out small enterprise. The state has also resisted the massive investments required to reverse the rapid decline in intra-city transport which has already begun to drive new and expanding businesses to other centres across India. Bengaluru is a hub for biotechnology related industry in India and in the year 2005, around 47% of the 265 biotechnology companies in India were located here; including Biocon, India’s largest biotechnology company. |
The headquarters of several public sector undertakings such as Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) and HMT (formerly Hindustan Machine Tools) are located in Bangalore. In June 1972 the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) was established under the Department of Space and headquartered in the city. |
The Indian Premier League franchise Bangalore Royal Challengers, the Premier Hockey League franchise Bangalore Hi-fliers, and the Karnataka Premier League franchisees Bangalore Brigadiers and Provident Bangalore are based in the city. India’s Davis Cup team members, Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna also reside in Bangalore. The city hosts the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Bangalore Open tournament annually. Beginning September 2008, Bangalore has also been hosting the Kingfisher Airlines Tennis Open ATP tournament annually. Bangalore is also home to the Bangalore Rugby Football Club (B.R.F.C) |
The Karnataka High Court is the supreme judicial body in Karnataka and is located in Bangalore, housed in the historic Atthara Kacheri. |
The name “Bangalore” represents an anglicised version of the Kannada language name, “Benga?uru” ( listen). The earliest reference to the name “Bengaluru” was found in a ninth century Western Ganga Dynasty stone inscription on a “vira gallu” (????????) (literally, “hero stone”, a rock edict extolling the virtues of a warrior). In this inscription found in Begur, “Bengaluru” 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). An apocryphal, though popular, anecdote recounts that the 11th 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 “Bengaluru”. |
The region of modern day Bangalore was part of several successive South Indian kingdoms. After centuries of the rule of the Western Gangas, the region was captured by the Cholas in 1024. In 1116 the Hoysala Empire overthrew the Cholas and extended its rule over the region. Modern Bangalore had its beginning in 1537 by a vassal of the Vijayanagara Empire, Kempé Gowda I, who built a mud-brick fort at the site that would become the central part of modern Bangalore. Kempé Gowda referred to the new town as his “gandubhumi” or “Land of Heroes”. |
The topology of Bangalore is flat except for a central ridge running NNE-SSW. The highest point is Vidyaranyapura Doddabettahalli, which is 962 m (3,156 ft) and lies on this ridge. No major rivers run through the city, though the Arkavathi and South Pennar cross paths at the Nandi Hills, 60 km (37 mi.) to the north. River Vrishabhavathi, a minor tributary of the Arkavathi, arises within the city at Basavanagudi and flows through the city. The rivers Arkavathi and Vrishabhavathi together carry much of Bangalore’s sewage. A sewerage system, constructed in 1922, covers 215 km² (133 mi²) of the city and connects with five sewage treatment centres located in the periphery of Bangalore. |
The Vikasa Soudha, situated adjacent to the Vidhana Soudha, houses many state ministries. |
There are currently 1,000 vehicles being registered daily in Bangalore RTOs. The total number of vehicles as on date are 38.8 lakh vehicles, with a road length of 11,000 km. |
Three-wheeled, green and black auto-rickshaws, referred to as autos, are a popular form of transport. They are metered and can accommodate up to three passengers. Taxis, commonly called City Taxis, are usually available only on call. Taxis are metered and are generally more expensive than auto-rickshaws. |
Until the early 19th century, education in Bangalore was mainly run by religious leaders and restricted to students of that religion. The western system of education was introduced during the rule of Mummadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar, when two schools were established in Bangalore. Subsequently, Wesleyan Mission established a school in 1851 and the Bangalore High School which was started by the Government in 1858. |