Date with History: Chamarajpet, Bengaluru's overcrowding led to this first extension in 1892

By Divya Shekhar

The birth of Chamarajpet is a watershed moment in the history of Bengaluru for more reasons than one. It all started way back in 1880 when Bengaluru was a prosperous trade and commerce hub with a population of 80,000. Overcrowding and poor sanitary conditions in the old city prompted the Mysore rulers to create new extensions.Chamarajpet was the first such extension formed in 1892.
But it gained prominence as a residential locality only gradually as people were initially hesitant to move away from the city . Five years after Chamarajpet was created, the plague struck the old city and this led to the population of the extension.

Malleshwaram was created in 1896. Called the southern and northern extensions respectively , they had been planned in 1889, and were handed over the Bangalore city municipality in 1895.

Historian Suresh Moona told ET, "Chamarajapet was a well-planned layout that derived its name from Chamarajendra Wodeyar, who ruled from 1868 to 1894 and was known for progressive thinking. Since Chamarajpet was the old city's first extension, it was named in his hon our."

There are five main roads in Chamarajpet and almost all of them have at least one temple, pointed out Moona, adding that the area was home to many Kannada literary luminaries and Sanskrit pundits. The Chamarajendra Sanskrit College, one of the oldest in the city, exists even today.

The nomenclature of Chamarajpet 1st Main Road is a story in itself.Initially called Albert Victor Road -in the memory of the former Prince of Wales, who laid the foundation stone for the Lalbagh Glass House in 1888 (the plaque indicating this is found at the Lalbagh entrance even today) -it was renamed Aluru Venkata Rao Road (after the leader of the Karnataka Ekikarana movement) post-Independence, ensuring that the abbreviation A V remained.

Chamarajpet retains its historical charm with landmarks like Tipu Sultan's Summer Palace, the Kannada Sahitya Parishat that was established in 1915 and religious structures like the Kote Venkataramana Temple.