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How
did Bangalore get its name?
Bangalore City is fondly called by many names, viz., Garden
City, Pensioners' Paradise and Silicon city. However, the name
Bangalore itself has an
interesting story behind it. Tradition associates the
name's origin to the Hoysala King Vira Ballala.
Vira Ballala, during one of his hunting expeditions near Yelahanka
region, lost his way. After wandering for a few hours, he reached
the hut of an old woman. The humble woman offered the hungry
King some cooked beans and a glass of water. The King gladly
accepted the same. Happy with the hospitality of the old woman
he named the place Benda Kaal Ooru (Town of Boiled Beans).
Though this story is popular and credible, it lacks tangible
historical evidence.
The name "Bengaluru" has appeared much earlier
than the Hoysalas. The earliest reference to the name is seen
in a ninth century Ganga inscription, on a hero-stone (viragal)
found in Begur village, about 14 kms South West of Bangalore.
This inscription clearly mentions the name "Bengaluru", referring
to a battle that was fought at that place. In his Mysore Archaeological
Report (1914-15), Rao Bahadur R. Narasimhachar dates this inscription
to the 9th century A. D.
The place which probably lent Bangalore its name, was a tiny
hamlet called
"Hale Bengaluru" or Old Bengaluru, where the present
Kodigehalli village is located, near the Hebbal Tank. Kempegowda-I,
on building his new town in 1537, called it by this name, as
his mother and wife were believed to have
belonged to this place. According to another speculation, the
presence
of vast stretches of the trees called "Benga" or "Venga"
("raktha honne"
in Kannada, Petrocarpus marsupium, the Indian Kino) lent their
name to
this place.Vengaluru (the place of Venga) became Bengaluru when
"Ve"
replaced "Be". Yet another theory says that there was a big
forest in this area and Kmpegowda 1, before building the town
is believed to have burnt the forest. So the town built on Benda
Kadu (burnt forest) "Benda kaduru", later got transformed
to Bengaduru and finally Bengaluru. These are some of the theories
about the origin of the name Bangalore. The inscription in Begur,
unlike the others is well supported by proper evidence. The
name used now "Bangalore" is the anglicized form of the "Bengaluru".
