Bengaluru:
Every time you strolled past KR Market or Avenue Road, did you pause to look at Bengaluru’s historical buildings? Did you hear the stories they tell? Did you even know how close you were to these iconic structures? Probably not. To give these heritage sites their due recognition, a group of architects has come up with a novel project.
It has drawn a blueprint for a heritage walk between Tipu Sultan’s Palace in south Bengaluru and Bangalore Palace (owned by the Mysore royal family) near Vasanth Nagar. Called Palace to Palace, the project urges the government to name the 4.7km stretch Swarna Marg and declare it a heritage zone. It aims to give visitors a peek into the history of a bygone era through seamless travel between the historical monuments. The walk will also cover areas in the vicinity of the two palaces.
“An ideal city tour should include such walks. While earmarking the historic sites, I have walked on the stretch many a times. The idea was conceived in 2013 and now we’re ready with a blueprint. I am willing to explain the modalities of the project and reason behind choosing these places to any government officer who has time and interest to implement it. Not just the stretch, but the entire zone surrounding it has been highlighted,” said Naresh V Narasimhan, city-based architect and urban strategist who has designed the project.
Though Bengaluru is dotted with such monuments, the heritage zone has been proposed for only one particular stretch. The idea being that heritage is not just historical significance. Some buildings may not be significant in themselves but attain heritage value due to the people associated with them. Vidyarthi Bhavan, a well known south Indian restaurant near Basavanagudi, comes to mind.
SIGHTS TO SEE ON SWARNA MARG
K R Market; North Gate of Old Bangalore fort near Victoria hospital, Tipu Sultan’s Palace, Bangalore Medical College; Fort High School, Bangalore city institute; Carlton House, Secretariat KPSC; Maharani College; SJI Polytechnic; Freedom Park; Bangalore University; Law College; State Bank of Mysore; Historic centre of Bangalore (near Avenue Road); Rice Memorial Church, Bangalore Palace; Mt Carmel College; Niton House; Manikyavelu mansion or the present National Gallery of Modern Art; Balabrooie guest house; Water reservoir; Golf Club and Raj Bhavan.
BLACK SPOTS
Lack of awareness has been a major hindrance to conservation of some of these structures. For example, of the four pillars erected on Avenue Road, only two remain. Most of the listed places on the heritage walk route house government offices built during the pre-independence era, like the Central College campus of Bangalore University, KR Market, SJI Polytechnic and Law College.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Bengaluru / by Sunitha Rao / March 18th, 2015