Discover the incredible facts about Bangalore. The city that never sleeps, the city that was once known as a “Pensioner’s Paradise,” owing to its salubrious climate and laidback lifestyles. Things have undergone a sea change over the years, as the city has grown in leaps and bounds. The city of gardens has transformed itself into a city of IT parks and heritage temples have been dwarfed by glitzy malls. But the city retains at its core the same old-world charm which was once its trademark. How much do you know about Bangalore or Bengaluru, Karnataka’s capital city? Check out these Bangalore trivia, and see which of these interesting facts about Bangalore you did not know.

How Much Do You Know About Bangalore?

Bangalore is the capital of the state of Karnataka in Southern India. It has emerged as the Silicon Valley of India and is home to many of the IT majors today including Infosys and Wipro. With a population of over 13 million, the City of Bangalore is a burgeoning metropolis which is literally a melting pot of cultures and cuisines. In spite of this, the city still remains true to its roots and vintage Bangalore surfaces in many areas.

20 Facts About Bangalore | Things You Did Not Know About Bangalore

Read below some interesting facts about Bangalore, a city known for its vibrant tech industry and rich cultural heritage. Discover fascinating tidbits about Bangalore, the “Silicon Valley of India,” and its captivating blend of technological advancements and historical landmarks, as you continue reading. Check out which of the things you did not know about Bangalore.

1. Carnatic Music is Bangalore’s Soul

People generally think about Chennai and places like Madurai, when it comes to Carnatic Music. However, the City of Bangalore is also a hub of Carnatic music in its own right. It is home to one of the oldest institutions of its kind in the country and was founded to popularize Indian classical music. The Gayana Samaja was founded in 1905 and is active in nurturing the musical heritage of India.

2. Bangalore Is Home To India’s Only Dance Gurukul

Nrityagram is another one of its kind institution located in Bangalore. It is a dance gurukul with a mission to nurture dance professionals through the ancient gurukul system so that they perform on a global stage. Nrityagram is the labour of love late Ms Protima Bedi.

3. Bangalore Has Nurtured Many Cricket Legends

The city of Bangalore has given many a cricket legend to India. In fact, much before the advent of the glitzy IPL and the Royal Challengers Bangalore, there were times when half the Indian test cricket team would be from Bangalore. Some of the cricket greats from Bangalore are, G.R.Vishwanath, B.S. Chandrashekhar, E.A.S. Prasanna, Syed Kirmani, Roger Binny, Anil Kumble, Javagal Srinath, Rahul Dravid, among others. If you are familiar with Bangalore, then you would know about the underpass named after Gundappa Vishwanath and the circle named after Anil Kumble.

4. Bangalore Had A Large Number of Movie Theatres

At one time the City of Bangalore had more than 149 theatres, and Kempe Gowda Road was choc-a-bloc with theatres. The earliest theatre built in Bangalore was Elgin, in the year 1886. Of course, Elgin theatre passed into the realms of history in the year 2012. Did you know that Kapali Theatre was the first theatre in Asia to have a 70 mm screen? Kapali theatre was India’s first Cinerama theatre. The iconic theatre did its last show in the year 2018.

5. One Of Its Kind Music Museum In Bangalore

The City of Bangalore takes its love of music seriously, and proof of this is the Indian Music Experience Museum. It is an interactive museum that is dedicated to Indian music and the musical greats of India. The museum is modelled along the lines of the Museum of Pop Culture, Seattle, USA.

6. The Fascinating History Of Bangalore’s Kempegowda Bus Station

How many times have you caught a bus from the Kempegowda Bus Station in Bangalore to travel on holiday or work? But did you know, that the massive bus terminus stands where once was a lake?  The Dharmambudhi Lake was once the major water source for the city and the lake stood exactly opposite the city Railway Station.

The lake was at the centre of many sacred festivals including the famous Karaga festival. When the lake overflowed during the rains, a celebration called Theppotsava was held, in which oil lamps were set afloat in the lake, making for a beautiful spectacle.

In the early 20th century, the lake was drained, and it became a ground which was the venue for circuses and also for the legendary theatre company, Hirannayya Mitra Mandali. Exhibitions and public meetings used to be held here, and once India’s then-Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru had addressed a public meeting here.

9. The Oldest Running Train In India Originates From Bangalore

Did you know that the oldest running train in India originates from the City of Bangalore? The train is Bangalore Mail and it did its maiden run from Cantonment station in Bangalore in the year 1864.

10. Bangalore Was The First City In Asia To Get Electric Street Lights

Bangalore which has pioneered the IT industry, among others and also is a good incubation centre for the startups of today, was at the forefront even a century back. It was the first city in Asia to get streetlights electrified. The electric street lights replaced the earlier practice of manually lighting paraffin or kerosene lamps. Electric lights started glowing in the City of Bangalore in the year 1905. The electricity was drawn from the Shivanasamudra Hydroelectric Power Plant.

11. How Did Bangalore or Bengaluru Get Its Name?

There are many myths about how the city got its name. One of the popular ones is that it got its name from, an incident in the life of the Hoysala king Veera Ballala II. The legend goes that once Veera Ballala strayed from his entourage while on an expedition and reached a dilapidated shack in which lived an old woman.

Taking pity on the weary king, she offered him a bowl of boiled beans, “Benda Kalu”, in Kannada. The king was touched by the woman’s gesture and warm hospitality. He called the place, “Bendakaluru,” or the town of boiled beans. In the course of time, the name metamorphosed into Bengaluru and during colonial rule was anglicized to Bangalore.

However, historically it is more likely that the name of the city is derived from, “Begur,” the name of the area near Hosur, which is today in the centre of the IT hub. According to inscriptions dating back to the 9th century, the village of Begur was the scene of a battle. It was an important centre of the Western Ganga Dynasty and the Chola Kingdom. It is believed that Begur became Behuru, and later transformed into Bengaluru.

12. An Explosive Named After Bangalore

In the year 1912, Captain R.L.McClinttock of the Corps of Royal Engineers of the British Army was stationed in Bangalore and attached to the Madras Sappers and Miners Unit of the Indian Army. It was then, that he invented an explosive that could clear obstacles including barricades, mines, and booby traps. The advantage was that this could be done without a Sapper having to approach closer than 10 metres. The explosive was named Bangalore Torpedo, after the city in which it was invented.

13. Bangalore Is A Hill Station

Located at an altitude of about 920 MSL, Bangalore is no less than a hill station. Some years before the rapid urbanization, the city comprised many hillocks and lakes and lush vegetation. The famed Bangalore weather too was owing to its altitude. Today the weather is not what it was a few decades back, but is comparatively cooler than the sizzling plains, especially during the summers.

14. Bangalore – A City of Lakes

The city of Udaipur is famous as the city of lakes, however, did you know that the City of Bangalore was home to more than 1,000 lakes? Today the number has come down to less than about 100, with about 15 or so major lakes including Ulsoor Lake, Sankey Tank, Nagwara Lake, Agara Lake, Hebbal Lake, Madiwala Lake, and Hesarghatta Lake.

15. Bangalore Is Home To Some Of The Oldest Rock Formations

If you have spent a cool evening in the green environs of the iconic Lalbagh or at Bugle Rock, you will surely know about the rocks in both these lung spaces of Bangalore. The Bugle Rock and the Lalbagh rock are believed to be over 3,000 Million years old!

16. Bangalore Localities Inspired R.K.Narayan’s Malgui Days

R.K. Narayan’s evergreen classic, Malgudi Days, set in the fictional town of Malgudi remains fresh and relevant even today. It is believed that the Bangalore localities of Basavanagudi and Malleshwaram inspired the creation of the fictional Malgudi which was a blend of the vibes of these areas of Bangalore. Even today, both Basavanagudi and Malleshwaram retain a semblance of the old-world charm brought alive by R.K. Narayan in his Malgudi.

17. Winston Churchill In Bangalore

Winston Churchill, former Prime Minister of Britain, stayed in Bangalore during his tenure in India as part of the 4th Queen’s Own Hussars, a cavalry regiment of the British Army. What is interesting to note is that Winston Churchill was a member of the iconic Bangalore Club, for 3 years. The Bangalore Club was established in 1868. Records at the Bangalore Club show that Churchill had a debt of Rs. 13 towards the club which was never paid. Bangalore Club wrote the amount off in 1899.

Winston Churchill during his Bangalore stint also fell prey to the charms of a beautiful Bangalore-based English girl named Pamela Plowdern, however, the romance was short-lived and ended with Pamela tying the knot with someone else in England.

18. Rava Idli, Bangalore’s Gift To The World

The City of Bangalore is known for its iconic eateries, some of which have been in business for more than a century. One of the iconic restaurants in Bangalore is MTR (Mavalli Tiffin Room). The Rava Idli is believed to have been invented by MTR during World War II when there was a shortage of rice. They experimented with a substitute ingredient, Semolina, and thus was born the Rava Idli.

19. Bangalore Palace, A Mark Of Royalty

When you think of palaces, you normally think of Mysore, however, the City of Bangalore too has a beautiful palace known simply as Bangalore Palace. This beautiful structure is designed on the lines of Windsor Palace in England. The Bangalore Palace was built in 1878.

20. Bangalore, A City Of Unique Festivals

Bangalore is a city of celebrations, of unique festivals, that are deep-rooted in its culture. Two of these fascinating festivals are, Kadalekai Parishe (Groundnut Festival), and the Karaga Festival. The Kadalekai Parishe is a two-day fair that takes place near the iconic Dodda Ganesha temple in the Basavanagudi area. The first crop of groundnut is offered to the Nandi at the Bull Temple by the farmers.

The other festival is the Bengaluru Karaga which is a 9-day event and is celebrated by the Thigalar community. A spectacular procession is the highlight of the festival, and it is interesting to note that though this is a Hindu festival, one of the highlights is the visit of the procession to the tomb of an 18th-century Muslim saint.

Hope you liked reading about these interesting facts about Bangalore. Which are the things you did not know about Bangalore from those listed here? Do you have any interesting Bangalore trivia that you would like to share? Please let us know and we shall give you a shout-out on our social media channels.

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Sandy & Vyjay quit their successful corporate careers to pursue their passion for travel and writing full-time. Their dedication has earned them the “Best Travel Writer” award and numerous accolades on both national and international stages. Focusing on India’s destinations, heritage, and culture, they are passionate advocates for nature and the environment. Through their content, they promote ecotourism and sustainable travel, inspiring others to explore and preserve the beauty of India.