Basavanagudi: a trip down history and heritage

A classic locality in Bangalore which reflects the city’s history and heritage, Basavanagudi is an area that must be on your ‘to-do’ list when in Bangalore. Mention the word ‘Basavanagudi’ to any Bangalorean and it is sure to evoke responses filled with memories, nostalgia and plenty of wistfulness.  Well, this is no surprise for Basavanagudi is an age-old locality that reflects the rich history, culture, and heritage of the garden city.  In fact, it is the perfect reflection of the ‘good old Bangalore’, the time when the sobriquets “city of lakes” and “pensioners’ paradise” seemed relevant to the city.  With several heritage monuments, buildings and parks, Basavanagudi located in South Bangalore, surely has a unique charm of its own. Iconic Bull temple It is not very often that an entire area in a city as big as Bangalore is named after a temple.  But that is true in the case of Basavanagudi which is named after the legendary bull temple.  In fact, the word “Basavana” translates into bull and “gudi” translates into the temple in Kannada.  One of the most famous landmarks of the city, the Bull temple has an interesting legend associated with it.  Centuries ago, the area which was called “Sunkenahalli” was a fertile land that was dedicated to the cultivation of groundnut crops.   Each year, the crop was ravaged by a ferocious bull and hence the angry farmers attacked the bull which decided to station itself motionless in the present area where the temple exists.  Much to the amazement of the farmers, it turned to stone and legend has it that it started ‘growing’ in size.  This statue of the holy bull or ‘Nandi’ is mammoth indeed and measures a whopping 4.5 m in height and 6.5 m in length.  In fact, it is one of the rare temples where the ‘vahana’ or vehicle takes precedence over the master for the Nandi definitely outsizes the small “Linga” which is a symbol of Lord Shiva. A view of the Bull temple Close to the bull temple is the big Ganesha aka ‘Dodda Ganapati’ temple that is again arguably one of the most notable landmarks of Bangalore. The Mallikarjuna temple dedicated to Lord Shiva is yet another ancient temple in the locality that has high archaeological significance. The venue of renowned events Incidentally, the Bull temple and the Bull temple road is the venue for Bangalore’s most important harvest festival the “Kadlekai Parshe” or the groundnut fair which is held each year on the last Monday of the ‘Karthik’ month which is usually in November.  Groundnut sellers from all over Karnataka and even Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh offer their first harvest of groundnut to the holy bull and sell the remaining to the visitors of the fair.  The entire road is transformed into a colourful spectacle with scores of vendors selling all sorts of knick knacks, eatables and artefacts apart from fresh groundnuts. Another view of the Bull temple The annual “Bengaluru Ganesh Utsav” which is the yearly celebration during Ganesh Chaturthi is also held in the famous APS and National college grounds located in Basavanagudi. View of the Big bull idol Bugle rock gardens Yet another famous landmark of Basavanagudi is the Bugle rock gardens that have huge rock formations in the form of boulders that date back to a whopping 3000 million years!  The gardens house one of the four towers installed by Kempe Gowda, the founder of Bangalore and mark the southern boundary of the city. It is said that a guard would blow the bugle and light a torch at the tower that would be visible by all the other three towers to indicate that the area was safe.  The gardens were also a strategic point where the Mysore army was stationed during the Mysore War III.  Even today a walk along the lush green gardens is a treat for it is an important lung space of the city. Bugle rock park Bugle rock park Centre for Education Basavanagudi has always been known for being a centre of education with some of the oldest colleges in the locality.  This includes the famous National college that is more than a century old as well as the Acharaya Patashala group of institutions.  The Indian Institute of World Culture, the Gokhale Institute of Public Affairs, Theosophical Society and the BMS college of engineering are other renowned institutions in the area.   It is no wonder that Basavanagudi has been home to some of the state’s most famous academicians, poets, educationists, artists and sports persons including D. V. Gundappa, Hosur Narasimhaiah, Masti Venkatesha Iyengar, P Lankesh and Anil Kumble. Shop and Eat Basavanagudi is a favourite with many when comes to shopping with DVG road and Gandhi Bazaar being the nerve centres.  Right from traditional puja articles to flowers to apparel, Basavanagudi has it all.  In fact, the area is a riot of colours during festivals and the fervour of the people is hard to miss.  And, if you want to experience a unique gastronomical journey head to some of the most well-known eateries in the area. Butter biscuits at Iyengar bakery Get a taste of Bengaluru’s famous buns, cakes and khara biscuits at the city’s famous Iyengar bakeries like Srinivasa Brahmin’s bakery and VB bakery located here.  Sample the city’s best idlis and masala dosa at the inimitable Brahmin’s coffee bar and Vidyarthi Bhavan respectively.  If you are in a mood to experiment more with food, try the rava dosa at NMH (New Modern Hotel) as well as the traditional South Indian meal at Udupi Shri Krishna Bhavan. Dosa at Vidyarthi Bhavan To more about the iconic places in Bangalore, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Download our magazine Spunky Indian for exclusive stories.