Bangalore 1946

Welcome back into the past. Here are some images of Bangalore, generations old, that are apparently lost in the pages of history. Come, travel with me back in time to the Bangalore in the days of the Raj, when it was still a small cantonment town. The year was 1946, and the place Namma Bangalore.

Does this frame look familiar??? It should. This is the BRIGADE ROAD. The left hand side building is still standing, and housed the Ashok Electricals, the Post Office, now it is the LEE and Luis Phillips showroom. The road hasn't got any bigger, but the traffic and the crowd definitely have.

And here's the SOUTH PARADE road...

Any guesses what it is called now?? THE M.G. ROAD. Yeah. The building you are seeing is the Higginbothams bookstore, which looks dilapidated on the present day.

The above picture is of Hosur Road. The present day electronics, IT and BPO Hub.

The town hall area....

This strong stone building is now only known as the Oriental Building (presently houses the LIC) and is at the intersection of MG Road (then called as, South Parade) and St. Marks Road. There apparently was a large circle at this juncture as can be seen in the photograph. The road you are looking at is St. Marks Road.

This is the Mayo hall. It sure looks much more regal than what it does today. It houses the Courts and was apparently also one of the main Police Station jails. I do not believe that the staircase shown in the picture still exists, and the view is supposedly that from Residency Road, only after taking a print out will I be able to compare because the building is so symmetrical.

Observe something?? The license plate shows BAN565 suggests that there were fewer than 1000 cars in Bangalore in 1946. Or in the entire state (then known as the state of Mysore).