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| ?Bangalore Bengalūru Karnataka • India | |
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| Coordinates: | |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| Area • Elevation | 741 km² (286 sq mi)The total area of Greater Bangalore has been mentioned in the Karnataka budget of 2007-08 as 741 km². Finance Budget for 2007-08. Government of India. Retrieved on 2007-06-28. • 920 m (3,018 ft) |
| Region | Bayaluseeme |
| District(s) | Bangalore Urban |
| Population • Density | 5,280,000 (3rd) (2007) • 7,126/km² (18,456/sq mi) |
| Commissioner | Dr.S. Subramanya |
| Codes • Pincode • Telephone • UN/LOCODE • Vehicle | • 560 xxx • +91-(0)80 • IN BLR • KA 01, KA 02, KA 03, KA 04, KA 05, KA 41, KA 50, KA 51, KA 53 |
For other uses, see Bangalore (disambiguation).
Bangalore (Indian English: [ˈbæŋgəloːɾ] ), (Kannada: ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು Bengaluru, [\'beŋgəɭuːru] ), is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore has an estimated metropolitan population of 65 lakh (6.5 million), making it India\'s third most populous cityIndia: largest cities and towns and statistics of their population. World Gazetteer. and fifth-largest metropolitan area.
Though historically attested at least since 900 CE, recorded history of the city starts from 1537, when Kempe Gowda I, widely regarded as the founder of modern Bangalore, built a mud fort and established it as a province of the Vijayanagara Empire. During the British Raj, Bangalore developed as a centre for colonial rule in South India. The establishment of the Bangalore Cantonment brought in large numbers of migrants from other parts of the country. Since independence in 1947, Bangalore grew to become the capital of Karnataka state. Today, as a large and growing metropolis in the developing world, Bangalore continues to struggle with problems such as air pollution, traffic congestion, and crime. Home to some of the most well-recognised colleges and research institutions in India, the city has the second-highest literacy rate among the metropolitan cities in the nation.
It is home to numerous public sector heavy industries, software companies, aerospace, telecommunications, machine tools, heavy equipment, and defence establishments. Bangalore is referred to as the Silicon Valley of India due to its pre-eminent position as the leading contributor to India\'s IT industry.Bangalore Crumbling. The Sunday Express. Retrieved on 2007-10-06. Bangalore has developed into one of India\'s major economic hubs and was rated by CNN as the "Best place to do business" in the world.Best places to do business in the wired world. CNN. Retrieved on 2007-09-06.
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An inscription, dating back to 890 CE, shows Bengaluru is over 1,000 years old. But it stands neglected at the Parvathi Nageshwara Temple in Begur near the city...written in Hale Kannada (Old Kannada) of the 9th century CE, the epigraph refers to a Bengaluru war in 890 in which Buttanachetty, a servant of Nagatta, died. Though this has been recorded by historian R. Narasimhachar in his Epigraphia of Carnatica (Vol. 10 supplementary), no efforts have been made to preserve it.
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-ooru" (Kannada: ಬೆಂದಕಾಳೂರು) (literally, "town of boiled beans"), which was eventually colloquialised to "Bengalūru".Vijesh Kamath. Many miles to go from Bangalore to Bengaluru. Deccan Herald. Retrieved on 2007-07-02.
On December 11, 2005, the Government of Karnataka announced that it had accepted a proposal by Jnanpith Award winner U. R. Ananthamurthy to rename Bangalore to Bengaluru, which is its name in Kannada."From today, Bangalore becomes Bengalooru". The Times of India. 2006. The Times Group. 1 November 2006 On September 27, 2006, the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike(BMP) passed a resolution to implement the proposed name change,"It will be `Bengaluru\', resolves BMP", The Hindu, 2006-09-28. Retrieved on 2007-05-16. which was accepted by the Government of Karnataka and it was decided to officially implement the name change from November 1, 2006."It’ll be ‘Bengaluru’ from Nov 1", Deccan Herald, 2006-10-08. Retrieved on 2007-05-16. However, this process has been currently stalled due to delays in getting clearances from the Union Home Ministry."Bengaluru will have to wait", Times of India epaper:Page 6, 2006-10-17. Retrieved on 2007-05-16.
After centuries of the rule of the Western Gangas, Bengaluru was captured by the Cholas in 1024 which later passed on to the Chalukya-cholas in 1070. In 1116 the Hoysala Empire, overthrew the Cholas and extended its rule over Bangalore. Modern Bangalore was founded by a vassal of the Vijayanagara Empire, Kempe Gowda I, who built a mud fort and a Nandi Temple in the proximity of modern Bangalore in 1537. Kempe Gowda referred to the new town as his "gandu bhoomi" or "Land of Heroes"."About Bangalore - History". Department of IT and Biotechnology. 2006. Government of Karnataka.
Within the fort, the town was divided into smaller divisions called "pētēs" (IPA: [peɪteɪ]). The town had two main streets: Chickkapētē Street, which ran east-west, and Doddapētē Street, which ran north-south. Their intersection formed the Doddapētē Square — the heart of Bangalore. Kempe Gowda\'s successor, Kempe Gowda II, built four famous towers that marked Bangalore\'s boundary.Vagale, Uday Kumar. "Public Space in Bangalore: Present and Future Projections"PDF (773 KiB). Digital Libraries and Archives. 2006. Virginia Tech. 27 April 2004. During the Vijayanagara rule, Bangalore was also referred to as "Devarāyanagara" and "Kalyānapura" ("Auspicious City"). After the fall of the Vijayanagara Empire, Bangalore\'s rule changed hands several times. In 1638, a large Bijapur army led by Ranadulla Khan and accompanied by Shahji Bhonsle defeated Kempe Gowda III and Bangalore was given to Shahji as a jagir. In 1687, the Mughal general Kasim Khan defeated Ekoji, son of Shahji, and then sold Bangalore to Chikkadevaraja Wodeyar (1673–1704) of Mysore for 300,000 rupees.S. Srinivas. The bean city. The Hindu. Retrieved on 2007-07-02."The Mughal Throne", Abraham Eraly, Phoenix, London, Great Britain, 2004 (ISBN 0-7538-1758-6), Incidental Data, page 538. After the death of Krishnaraja Wodeyar II in 1759, Hyder Ali, Commander-in-Chief of the Mysore Army, proclaimed himself the de facto ruler of Mysore. The kingdom later passed to Hyder Ali\'s son Tippu Sultan, known as the Tiger of Mysore. Bangalore was eventually incorporated into the British Indian Empire after Tippu Sultan was defeated and killed in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War (1799). The British returned administrative control of the Bangalore "pētē" to the Maharaja of Mysore, choosing only to retain the Cantonment under their jurisdiction. The \'Residency\' of Mysore State was first established at Mysore in 1799 and later shifted to Bangalore in the year 1804. It was abolished in the year 1843 only to be revived in 1881 at Bangalore and to be closed down permanently in 1947, with Indian independence. The British, found it easier to recruit employees in the Madras Presidency and relocate them to cantonment area during this period. The Kingdom of Mysore relocated its capital from Mysore city to Bangalore in 1831."Mysore (CAPITAL)". Encyclopedia Britannica. 1911 ed. Two important developments during this period contributed to the rapid growth of the city: the introduction of telegraph connections and a rail connection to Madras in 1864.
In the 19th century, Bangalore essentially became a twin city, with the "pētē", whose residents were predominantly Kannadigas, and the "cantonment" created by the British, whose residents were predominantly Tamils. Public Space in Bangalore: Present and Future Projections (Chapter 8, Page 17) Bangalore was hit by a plague epidemic in 1898 that dramatically reduced its population. New extensions in Malleshwara and Basavanagudi were developed in the north and south of the pētē. Telephone lines were laid to help co-ordinate anti-plague operations, and a health officer was appointed to the city in 1898. In 1906, Bangalore became the first city in India to have electricity, powered by the hydroelectric plant situated in Shivanasamudra. Bangalore\'s reputation as the Garden City of India began in 1927 with the Silver Jubilee celebrations of the rule of Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV. Several projects such as the construction of parks, public buildings and hospitals were instituted to beautify the city. After Indian independence in August 1947, Bangalore remained in the new Mysore State of which the Maharaja of Mysore was the Rajapramukh. Public sector employment and education provided opportunities for Kannadigas from the rest of the state to migrate to the city. Bangalore experienced rapid growth in the decades 1941–51 and 1971–81 , which saw the arrival of many immigrants from northern Karnataka. By 1961, Bangalore had become the sixth largest city in India, with a population of 1,207,000.Digital Libraries and Archives In the decades that followed, Bangalore\'s manufacturing base continued to expand with the establishment of private companies such as Motor Industries Company (MICO; a subsidiary of Robert Bosch GmbH), which set up its manufacturing plant in the city. Bangalore experienced a boom in its real estate market in the 1980s and 1990s, spurred by capital investors from other parts of the country who converted Bangalore\'s large plots and colonial bungalows to multi-storied apartments.Benjamin, Solomon. "Governance, economic settings and poverty in Bangalore"PDF (151 KiB).Environment&Urbanization Vol 12 No 1 2006. United Nations Public Administration. 1 April 2000. In 1985, Texas Instruments became the first multinational to set up base in Bangalore. Other Information Technology companies followed suit and by the end of the 20th century, Bangalore had firmly established itself as the Silicon Valley of India.
The Hesaraghatta Lake in Bangalore
Bangalore lies in the southeast of the South Indian state of Karnataka. It is in the heart of the Mysore Plateau (a region of the larger Precambrian Deccan Plateau) at an average elevation of 920 m (3,018 feet). It is positioned at and covers an area of 741 km² (286 mi²). The majority of the city of Bangalore lies in the Bangalore Urban district of Karnataka and the surrounding rural areas are a part of the Bangalore Rural district. The Government of Karnataka has carved out the new district of Ramanagaram from the old Bangalore Rural district.
The topology of Bangalore is flat except for a central ridge running NNE-SSW. The highest point is Doddabettahalli, which is 962 m (3,156 ft) and lies on this ridge."Studyarea- Bangalore". Centre for Ecological Sciences. 2006. Indian Institute of Science. 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 centers located in the periphery of Bangalore."Each drop of water counts". Deccan Herald. 2006. The Printers (Mysore) Ltd. 11 March 2004
In the 16th century, Kempe Gowda I constructed many lakes to meet the town\'s water requirements. The Kempambudhi Kere, since overrun by modern development, was prominent among those lakes. In the earlier half of 20th century, the Nandi Hills waterworks was commissioned by Sir Mirza Ismail (Diwan of Mysore, 1926–41 CE) to provide a water supply to the city. Currently, the river Kaveri provides around 80% of the total water supply to the city with the remaining 20% being obtained from the Thippagondanahalli and Hesaraghatta reservoirs of the Arkavathi river.FAQ. Retrieved on 2007-07-02. Bangalore receives 800 million litres (211 million US gallons) of water a day, more than any other Indian city. "Thirsty Bangalore seeks divine help". Hindustan Times. 2006. HT Media Ltd. 9 June 2003. However, Bangalore sometimes does face water shortages, especially during the summer season in the years of low rainfall. A random sampling study of the Air Quality Index (AQI) of twenty stations within the city indicated scores that ranged from 76 to 314, suggesting heavy to severe air pollution around areas of traffic concentration."Environmental Impact Analysis"PDF. Bangalore Metropolitan Rapid Transport Corporation Limited.. 2006. Government of Karnataka. 2005. Bangalore has a handful of freshwater lakes and water tanks, the largest of which are Madivala tank, Hebbal lake, Ulsoor lake and Sankey Tank. Groundwater occurs in silty to sandy layers of the alluvial sediments. The Peninsular Gneissic Complex (PGC) is the most dominant rock unit in the area and includes granites, gneisses and migmatites, while the soils of Bangalore consist of red laterite and red, fine loamy to clayey soils.soils Vegetation in the city is primarily in the form of large deciduous canopy and minority coconut trees. Though Bangalore has been classified as a part of the seismic zone II (a stable zone), it has experienced quakes of magnitude as high as 4.5.Onkar Singh. The Rediff Interview/ Dr S K Srivastav, additional director general, Indian Meteorological Department. [Rediff.com]. Retrieved on 2007-07-02.
Due to its high elevation, Bangalore usually enjoys salubrious climate throughout the year, although freak heat waves can make things very uncomfortable in the summer.Rise in temperature `unusual\' for Bangalore. The Hindu. Retrieved on 2007-07-02. The coolest month is January with an average low temperature of 15.1 °C and the hottest month is April with an average high temperature of 33.6 °C.Bangalore. Government of India. Retrieved on 2007-02-07. The highest temperature ever recorded in Bangalore is 38.9 °C and the lowest ever is 7.8 °C (on January 1884).Vidyashree Amaresh. Set up rain gauges in areas prone to flooding. Online Edition of The Hindu, dated 2006-05-10. Retrieved on 2007-12-22.Ashwini Y.S.. B’lore weather back again. Online Edition of The Deccan Herald, dated 2006-12-17. Retrieved on 2007-12-22. Winter temperatures rarely drop below 12 °C (54 °F), and summer temperatures seldom exceed 36–37 °C (100 °F). Bangalore receives rainfall from both the northeast and the southwest monsoons and the wettest months are September, October and August, in that order. The summer heat is moderated by fairly frequent thunderstorms, which occasionally cause power outages and local flooding. The heaviest rainfall recorded in a 24-hour period is 179 millimetres (7.0 in) recorded on 1 October 1997.Ravi Sharma (2005-11-05). Bangalore\'s woes. The Frontline. Retrieved on 2008-02-05.
| Bangalore City officials | |
| Administrator | S. Dilip Rau |
| Municipal Commissioner | Dr. S. Subramanya |
| Police Commissioner | N. Achuta Rao |
The Karnataka High Court is the supreme judicial body in Karnataka and is located in Bangalore.
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP, Greater Bangalore Municipal Corporation) is in charge of the civic administration of the city.Afshan Yasmeen. Greater Bangalore, but higher tax?. Online Edition of The Hindu, dated 2007-01-08. Retrieved on 2007-10-17. It was formed in 2007 by merging 100 wards of the erstwhile Bangalore Mahanagara Palike, with the neighbouring 7 City Municipal Councils (CMC), one Town Municipal Council and 110 villages around Bangalore.
Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike is run by a city council. The city council comprises elected representatives, called "corporators", one from each of the wards (localities) of the city. Elections to the council are held once every 5 years, with results being decided by popular vote. A mayor and commissioner of the council are also elected through a quota system from a Scheduled Castes and Tribes candidate or to an Other Backward Class female candidate. Members contesting elections to the council represent one of more of the state\'s political parties. However, elections to the newly-created body are yet to be held, due to delays in delimitation of wards and finalising voter lists. There are expected to be about 150 wards, up from the 100 wards of the old Bangalore Mahanagara Palike. Elections are tentatively scheduled to be held in early 2008.
Bangalore\'s rapid growth has created several problems relating to traffic congestion and infrastructural obsolescence that the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike has found challenging to address. A 2003 Battelle Environmental Evaluation System (BEES) evaluation of Bangalore\'s physical, biological and socioeconomic parameters indicated that Bangalore\'s water quality and terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems were close to ideal, while the city\'s socioeconomic parameters (traffic, quality of life) scored poorly."Environmental Impact Analysis"PDF. Bangalore Metropolitan Rapid Transport Corporation Limited.. 2006. Government of Karnataka. 2005. (page 30) The BMP has been criticised by the Karnataka High Court, citizens and corporations for failing to effectively address the crumbling road and traffic infrastructure of Bangalore."High Court pulls up BMP for bad roads". Deccan Herald. 2006. The Printers (Mysore) Ltd. June 29 2005 The unplanned nature of growth in the city resulted in massive traffic gridlocks that the municipality attempted to ease by constructing a flyover system and by imposing one-way traffic systems.
Some of the flyovers and one-ways mitigated the traffic situation moderately but were unable to adequately address the disproportionate growth of city traffic. In 2005 both the Central Government and the State Government allocated considerable portions of their annual budgets to address Bangalore\'s infrastructure."Budget to trigger growth of metros: PM". MSN India. 2006. Microsoft India. 12 February 2006. The Bangalore Mahanagara Palike works with the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) and the Bangalore Agenda Task Force (BATF) to design and implement civic projects. Bangalore generates about 3,000 tonnes of solid waste per day, of which about 1,139 tonnes are collected and sent to composting units such as the Karnataka Composting Development Corporation. The remaining solid waste collected by the municipality is dumped in open spaces or on roadsides outside the city.van Beukering, Sehker, et al. "Analysing Urban Solid Waste..."PDF (149 KiB). International Institute for Environment and Development. 2006. March 1999.
The Bangalore City Police (BCP) is headed by a Police Commissioner, who is an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer. The BCP has six geographic zones, includes the Traffic Police, the City Armed Reserve, the Central Crime Branch and the City Crime Record Bureau and runs 86 police stations, including two all-women police stations."Bangalore City Police". Bangalore City Police. 2006. Karnataka State Police. As capital of the state of Karnataka, Bangalore houses important state government facilities such as the Karnataka High Court, the Vidhana Soudha (the home of the Karnataka state legislature) and Raj Bhavan (the residence of the Governor of Karnataka). Bangalore contributes two members to India\'s lower house of parliament, the Lok Sabha, and 24 members to the Karnataka State Assembly."Members of Karnataka Legislative Assembly". National Informatics Centre. 2006. Government of Karnataka In 2007, the Delimitation Commission of India reorganised the constituencies based on the 2001 census, and thus the number of Assembly and Parliamentary constituencies in Bangalore has been increased to 28 and 3 respectively.Final Notification and Order. Delimitation Commission of India (2007-07-02). Retrieved on 2007-10-17. These changes will take effect from the next elections. Electricity in Bangalore is regulated through the Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited (KPTCL). Like many cities in India, Bangalore experiences scheduled power cuts, especially over the summer, to allow electricity providers to meet the consumption demands of households as well as corporations.
The headquarters of Infosys, India\'s second largest IT company, is located in Bangalore
Bangalore\'s Rs. 260,260 crore (USD 60.5 billion) economy (2002–03 Net District Income) makes it a major economic centre in India."All India figures at a glance"PDF (2.75 MiB). Department of Economics and Statistics. 2006. Government of Karnataka. 16 Dec. 2005. Bangalore is India\'s fourth largest FMCG and clothing and footwear market. "Bangalore most affluent market". 2006. Rediff.com. 23 Aug. 2006 The city is the third-largest hub for high net worth individuals (HNWI / HNIs), after Mumbai and Delhi. Bangalore is home to over 10,000 individual dollar millionaires and around 60,000 super-rich people who have an investable surplus of Rs. 4.5 crore (US$ 1.15 million) and Rs. 50 lakh (US$ 127,360) respectively."Bangalore third richest city in country".2007. Times of India.Times of India. 1 Apr. 2007 As of 2001, Bangalore\'s share of Rs. 1660 crore (US$ 3.7 billion) in Foreign Direct Investment was the fourth highest for an Indian city.Mathur, Om Prakash. "Impact of globalisation on cities and city-related policies in India"PDF (436 KiB). 2006. The Urban Partnerships Foundation Aug. 2003 In the 1940s industrial visionaries such as Sir Mirza Ismail and Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya played an important role in the development of Bangalore\'s strong manufacturing and industrial base.
Bangalore is headquarters to several public manufacturing heavy industries such as Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), Bharat Electronics Limited, Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) and Hindustan Machine Tools (HMT). In June 1972 the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) was established under the Department of Space and headquartered in the city.
Bangalore is called the "Silicon Valley of India" because of the large number of Information Technology companies located in the city which contributed 33% of India\'s Rs. 144,214 crore (US$ 32 billion) IT exports in 2006-07.Jairam Ramesh. IT in India: Big successes, large gaps to be filled. Online Edition of The Business Standard, dated 2007-09-30. Retrieved on 2007-10-04. Bangalore\'s IT industry is divided into three main "clusters" — Software Technology Parks of India, Bangalore (STPI); International Technology Park Bangalore (ITPB), formerly International Technology Park Ltd. (ITPL); and Electronics City. UB City, the headquarters of the United Breweries Group, is a high-end commercial zone.http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1672524.cms Infosys and Wipro, India\'s second and third largest software companies are headquartered in Bangalore as are many of the global SEI-CMM Level 5 Companies. The growth of Information Technology 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.Surendra Munshi. Poverty of Politics - If politicians lack vision, the rate of change will remain slow. Online Edition of The Telegraph. Retrieved on 2007-10-25. Bangalore 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.Bangalore Helix to be a reality soon. Online edition of The Hindu, dated 2005-04-23. Retrieved on 2007-10-04.Biocon in drug development talks with Bayer. Online webpage of Reuters, dated 2007-10-04. Retrieved on 2007-10-04.
Additionally, a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) is being developed in the outskirts of the city. The Rs. 750 crore (US$ 191.04 million) SEZ, developed by the Karle Group is projected by some to employ an estimated 20,000 people in Nagawara.PEs to pump in $50 m in Karle’s Bangalore SEZ. Times of India. India Times. 7 Jan, 2008
KSRTC buses connect Bangalore with other parts of Karnataka.
Bangalore\'s HAL Airport (IATA code: BLR) is India\'s fourth busiestAirports Authority of India: Traffic statistics - Passengers (Intl+Domestic), Annexure IIICAirports Authority of India: Traffic statistics - Aircraft movements (Intl+Domestic), Annexure IIC and functions as both domestic and international airport and is well connected to several destinations in the world. Unlike most airports in the country which are controlled by the Airports Authority of India, the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited owns and operates this airport, and also uses it to test and develop fighter aircraft for the Indian Air Force.Rasheed Kappan. HAL keen to retain domestic airport. Online Edition of The Hindu, dated 2007-06-14. Retrieved on 2007-10-04. With the liberalisation of India\'s economic policies, many domestic carriers such as SpiceJet, Kingfisher Airlines, Jet Airways and Go Air have started servicing the city, which has led to congestion problems at this airport.Rasheed Kappan. Chaos reigns supreme at Bangalore airport. Online Edition of The Hindu, dated 2006-02-13. Retrieved on 2007-10-04. This situation is expected to be eased when the new Bengaluru International Airport, which is being constructed in Devanahalli in the outskirts of Bangalore, becomes operational. Currently targeted to be inaugurated on 30th March 2008BIAL Project Status. Official website of the New Bangalore International Airport. Retrieved on 2007-12-24. , this airport will have two runways and is being built to handle 11 million passengers per year.R. Krishnakumar. Expressway for airport drive. Deccan Herald. Retrieved on 2007-07-02. Air Deccan and Kingfisher Airlines have their headquarters in Bangalore.A Sense of Deja Vu. Online Edition of The Business World. Retrieved on 2007-10-04.
A rapid transit system called the Bangalore Metro is being developed and is expected to be operational by 2011. Once completed, this will encompass a 33 km (20.5 mi) elevated and underground rail network, with 32 stations in Phase I and more being added in Phase II.Govind D. Belgaumkar. Metro rail may result in increase in temperature. Online Edition of The Hindu, dated 2006-10-18. Retrieved on 2007-10-17. Bangalore is well connected to the rest of the country through the Indian Railways. The Rajdhani Express connects Bangalore to New Delhi, the capital of India. The city is also connected to Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, and Hyderabad, as well as other major cities in Karnataka.Popular Trains. Online webpage of Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited. Retrieved on 2007-10-17..
Three-wheeled, black and yellow auto-rickshaws, referred to as autos, are a popular form of transport.Stir leaves hundreds stranded. Online Edition of The Hindu, dated 2006-12-15. Retrieved on 2007-10-17. They are metered and can accommodate up to three passengers. Taxi service within Bangalore is provided by several operators commonly referred to as Citi taxis which can take in up to four passengers and are usually metered and more expensive than auto-rickshaws.
Buses operated by Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) are the only means of public transport, available in the city.S Praveen Dhaneshkar. Loyalty may pay for Volvo commuters!. Online Edition of The Deccan Herald, dated 2007-06-20. Retrieved on 2007-04-10. While commuters can buy tickets on boarding these buses, BMTC also provides an option of a bus pass to frequent users. BMTC also runs air-conditioned red-coloured Volvo buses on major routes.
With an estimated population of 5,281,927 in the year 2007, Bangalore is the third most populous city in India and the 27th most populous city in the world.World: largest cities and towns and statistics of their population. World-Gazetter.com. Retrieved on 2007-10-17. With a decadal growth rate of 38%, Bangalore was the fastest-growing Indian metropolis after New Delhi for the decade 1991–2001.globalization Residents of Bangalore are referred to as Bangaloreans in English or Bengaloorinavaru in Kannada. As of 2004, Kannadigas formed about 38.7% of the population, and the rest (61.3%) were non-Kannadigas. The cosmopolitan nature of the city has caused people from other states of India to migrate to Bangalore and settle there "Kannadigas assured of all support". The Hindu. 2006. The Hindu Group. 23 July 2004 Scheduled Castes and Tribes account for 14.3% of the city\'s population. Apart from English and Kannada, other major languages spoken in the city are Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. [1]. Karnataka Tourism .
According to the 2001 census of India, 79.37% of Bangalore\'s population is Hindu, roughly the same as the national average."Census GIS Household". censusindiamaps.net. 2006. Muslims comprise 13.37% of the population, which again is roughly the same as the national average, while Christians and Jains account for 5.79% and 1.05% of the population, respectively, double that of their national averages. Women make up 47.5% of Bangalore\'s population. Bangalore has the second highest literacy rate (83%) for an Indian metropolis, after Mumbai. Roughly 10% of Bangalore\'s population lives in slums"Total Population, Slum Population...". Census of India, 2001. 2006. Government of India. — a relatively low proportion when compared to other cities in the developing world such as Mumbai (42%) and Nairobi (60%).Warah, Rasna. "Slums Are the Heartbeat of Cities". The EastAfrican. 2006. National Media Group Ltd. 6 October 2003 The 2004 National Crime Records Bureau statistics indicate that Bangalore accounts for 9.2% of the total crimes reported from 35 major cities in India. Delhi and Mumbai accounted for 15.7% and 9.5% respectively."Crime in Mega Cities"PDF (159 KiB). National Crime Records Bureau. 2006. Government of India. 2004.
Bangalore is known as the "Garden City of India" Garden city. Online Edition of The Hindu, dated 2004-06-06. Retrieved on 2007-10-16. because of its greenery and the presence of many public parks, including the Lal Bagh and Cubbon Park. Dasara, a traditional celebratory hallmark of the old Kingdom of Mysore, is the state festival and is celebrated with great vigour. Deepavali, the "Festival of Lights", transcends demographic and religious lines and is another important festival. Other traditional Indian festivals such as Ganesh Chaturthi, Ugadi, Sankranthi, Eid ul-Fitr, and Christmas are also celebrated. Bangalore is home to the Kannada film industry, which churns out about 80 Kannada movies each year.Ravi Sharma. A chauvinistic turn. Online Edition of The Frontline, Volume 21 - Issue 25, Dec. 04–17, 2004. Retrieved on 2007-11-22.. One of the most notable contributors to Sandalwood, as the Kannada Movie Industry is referred to, was the late Dr. Rajkumar.
The diversity of cuisine available is reflective of the social and economic diversity of Bangalore. Roadside vendors, tea stalls, and South Indian, North Indian, Chinese and Western fast food are all very popular in the city. Udupi restaurants are very popular and serve predominantly vegetarian, regional cuisine.
Bangalore is also a major center of Indian classical music and dance. Classical music and dance recitals are widely held throughout the year and particularly during the Ramanavami and Ganesha Chaturthi festivals. The Bengaluru Gayana Samaja has been at the forefront of promoting classical music and dance in the city. The city also has a vibrant Kannada theater scene with organisations like Ranga Shankara and Benaka leading the way. Some of India\'s biggest names in theater like the late B. V. Karanth, Girish Karnad and others are residents of the city.
Bangalore also is home to an active presence of Rock and other forms of western music. Bangalore is now also known as the Rock City of India. Bands like Iron Maiden, Aerosmith, Scorpions, Deep Purple, The Rolling Stones, Sepultura, Joe Satriani, Black Eyed Peas, INXS, Uriah Heep. Sting, Michael Learns to Rock, Roger Waters, Mark Knopfler, Jethro Tull and Bryan Adams among others, have performed in the city.Bringing people together through music. Online Edition of The Times of India, dated 2006-05-26. Retrieved on 2007-11-22. Bangalore is sometimes referred to as the "Pub Capital of India".Richard Plunkett (2001), p124
Cricket is one of the most popular sports in Bangalore. A significant number of national cricketers have come from Bangalore, including former Indian cricket team captain Rahul Dravid and the current Test captain Anil Kumble. Other cricketing greats from Bangalore are Gundappa Vishwanath, E.A.S. Prasanna, Venkatesh Prasad, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar, Syed Kirmani,Sadanand Vishwanath and Roger Binny. Many children play gully cricket on the roads and in the city\'s many public fields. Bangalore\'s main international cricket stadium is the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, which hosted its first match in 1974.Cricinfo Page on Chinnaswamy Stadium Bangalore has a number of elite clubs, like the Bangalore Golf Club, the Bowring Institute and the exclusive Bangalore Club, which counts among its previous members Winston Churchill and the Maharaja of Mysore.Detailed Account on Bangalore Club
Till the early 19th century, education in Bangalore was mainly undertaken in schools that were run by religious leaders and restricted to pupils of that religion.Hayavadana Rao (1929), p494 The western system of education came into vogue during the rule of Mummadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar when two schools were established in Bangalore. This was followed by a school established by the Wesleyan Mission in 1851 and the Bangalore High School which was started by the Government in 1858.Hayavadana Rao (1929), p497
In the present day, schools for young children in Bangalore are mainly based on the kindergarten form of education.Bangalore a hot destination for foreign students. Online Edition of The Times of India, dated 2003-08-09. Retrieved on 2007-10-16. Primary and secondary education in Bangalore is offered by various schools which are affiliated to any one of the boards of education like the Karnataka state board, ICSE, CBSE, National Open School (NOS), IGCSE and IB.Broad choice of Class X boards. Online Edition of The Deccan Herald, dated 2004-07-01. Retrieved on 2007-10-16. There are three kinds of schools in Bangalore viz. government (run by the government), aided (financial aid is provided by the government) and un-aided private (no financial aid is provided).Trimester system in all Karnataka schools from June 1. Online Edition of The Times of India, dated 2004-05-18. Retrieved on 2007-10-16. After completing their secondary education, students typically enroll in Junior College (also known as Pre-University) in one of three streams — Arts, Commerce or Science.Students, parents throng PU colleges in city. Online Edition of The Hindu, dated 2006-05-16. © 2006, The Hindu. Retrieved on 2007-10-16. Upon completing the required coursework, students enroll in general or professional degrees.
Bangalore is also the home of the Bangalore University which was established in 1964. Around 500 colleges, having a total student strength of 300 thousand are affiliated to this university. The university has two campuses within Bangalore; Jnanabharathi and Central College.BU overloaded, wants to split. Online Edition of The Times of India, dated 2007-01-09. Retrieved on 2007-10-16.
Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore which was established in 1909 is the premier institute for scientific research and study in India.Parvathi Menon and Ravi Sharma. Hub of research. Online Edition of the Hindu, dated 2006-09-08. Retrieved on 2007-10-16. Bangalore is also the home of colleges like the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) which is one of the most sought after law colleges in India and the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore which is one of the premier management schools in India.
The first printing-press was established in Bangalore in the year 1840.Vijaya B. Punekar. Assimilation: A Study of North Indians in Bangalore. Retrieved on 2007-10-04. In 1859, Bangalore Herald became the first English bi-weekly newspaper to be published in BangaloreM. Fazlul Hasan. Bangalore Through the Centuries. Historical Publications. Retrieved on 2007-10-07. and in 1860, Mysore Vrittanta Bodhini became the first Kannada newspaper to be circulated in Bangalore. Currently, Vijaya Karnataka and The Times of India are the most widely circulated Kannada and English newspapers in Bangalore respectively, closely followed by the Praja Vani and Deccan Herald both owned by the Printer\'s (Mysore) Limited - the largest print media house in Karnataka.Preiti Sharma. Double dhamaka. Online Edition of The Ecomomic Times, dated 2006-10-18. Retrieved on 2007-10-07.Shuma Raha. Battleground Bangalore. Online Edition of The Telegraph, dated 2006-11-19. Retrieved on 2007-10-07.
Bangalore got its first radio station when All India Radio, the official broadcaster for the Indian Government, started broadcasting from its Bangalore station on November 2, 1955.Idhu Akashvani, Bengalooru!. Online Edition of The Deccan Herald, dated 2006-01-23. Retrieved on 2007-10-07. The radio transmission was AM, till in 2001, Radio City became the first private channel in India to start transmitting FM radio from Bangalore.Radio City goes on air in Mumbai. Online Edition of The Hindu Business Line, dated 2002-05-23. Retrieved on 2007-10-07. In recent years, a number of FM channels have started broadcasting from Bangalore.Radio gaga: 6 more FM stations. Online Edition of The Deccan Herald, dated 2006-01-08. Retrieved on 2007-10-07. The city also has various clubs for HAM radio enthusiasts.Juliana Lazarus. Of young ladies and old men. Online Edition of The Hindu, dated 2003-01-13. Retrieved on 2007-10-08.
Bangalore got its first look at television when Doordarshan established a relay centre here and started relaying programs from November 1, 1981.Doordarshan, Bangalore. Online webpage of the Press Information Bureau. Retrieved on 2007-10-07. A production center was established in the Doordarshan\'s Bangalore office in 1983, thereby allowing the introduction of a news program in Kannada on November 19, 1983. Doordarshan also launched a Kannada satellite channel on August 15, 1991 which is now christened DD Chandana. The advent of private satellite channels in Bangalore started in September 1991 when Star TV started to broadcast its channels.Sevanti Ninan. Tune in to quality. Online Edition of The Hindu, dated 2001-07-29. Retriev
