Bangalore Multipli City By Dr A Ravindra, 2012 Coffee Table Book

Title – Bangalore Multipli City

Author – Dr A Ravindra

Publishers – Gangarams Gallery, Bangalore

Year – 2012

This book, Bangalore Multipli City by Dr A Ravindra is about the heartwarming story of a beautiful city, which has come a long way from a small town ‘Peaceful Pensioners Paradise’ to a bustling global technological hub. The author starts the book by remarking that there is a special gift of nature that makes Bangalore (now Bengaluru) uniquely distinct from other large cities. Bangalore: Multiplicity explores the city of Bangalore through multiple lenses.

It seems to present various facets of the city’s identity, historical layers, urban landscapes, architecture, and the mix of old and new. The term “Multiplicity” suggests the idea that Bangalore is not just one thing — it has many faces, stories, built environments, and tensions between heritage and development.

Before the British entered the scene, the original Bangalore was founded by Kempegowda I, a feudal chieftain under the Vijayanagar Empire, around 1537 CE. He built a mud fort, market streets (pete), and temples — today’s Chickpete, Avenue Road, and Balepet still follow his early grid. This formed what became known later as the “Native City” or “Old Bangalore.”

The British East India Company entered Bangalore after defeating Tipu Sultan in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War in 1799. After Tipu’s death, they restored the Wodeyar dynasty but kept Bangalore Cantonment under direct British control. This was the key turning point — they created a twin city: The Native Bangalore (Pete area) – under the Mysore king, and the Cantonment Bangalore – under British military control.