Bengaluru is now official

Bengaluru: Shedding the colonial name, Bangalore on Saturday became Bengaluru synchronising with the state formation day “Karnataka Rajyotsava”.

In tandem, 11 other cities across Karnataka were also rechristened by the state government, casting away the anglicised names.

The new names have come into force after the state government issued a special gazette notification to effect the  changes, giving them the distinct local flavour.

Now Bangalore will be called Bengaluru, Mangalore Mangaluru, Mysore Mysuru, Bellary Ballari, Belgaum Belagavi, Hubli Hubballi, Tumkur Tumakuru, Bijapur Vijayapura, Chikmagalur Chikkamagaluru, Gulbarga Kalaburagi, Hospet Hosapete and Shimoga Shivamogga. In the ninth century, Bengaluru was called Bengaval-uru (city of guards).

In the 12th century, according to another legend, it became Benda-kaalu-ooru (town of boiled beans).

According to an apocryphal, 12th century Hoysala king Veera Ballala II lost his way during a hunting expedition in a forest.  

A poor old woman offered boiled beans to the tired king, who with a sense of gratitude called the place “benda-kaalu-uru”. Kempegowda, a feudatory ruler under the erstwhile Vijayanagara Empire, was considered the founder of Bengaluru.

He chose Bendakaluru for his capital in early 16th century, which transformed into Bengaluru, and during British rule became Bangalore.

The city has in recent decades metamorphosed into the country’s IT capital, earning it the tag the Silicon Valley of India, as also as Biotech capital, after its earlier forms as a Pensioner’s Paradise and Garden City. With explosive growth and cracking infrastructure, the city has now earned the notorious distinction as “Garbage City”.