Jayanagar: The pride of Bangalore

The pride of Bangalore
Deccan Herald

Jayanagar of Bangalore South is known as one of the most beautiful extensions of Asia since the layout came on the drawing board of the erstwhile City Improvement Trust Board in the year 1948.

Jayanagar of Bangalore South is known as one of the most beautiful extensions of Asia since the layout came on the drawing board of the erstwhile City Improvement Trust Board in the year 1948.

At that time, Bangalore was known as the pensioners' paradise by Bombayites who came to relax here. Some of them even called it as a big village. Except for Basavanagudi and Malleshwaram, which were planned with straight-line roads, the rest of the city was built in a haphazard-way according to the convenience of the builders who were the owners themselves.

Fast growing

After Jayanagar came into being, Bangalore shot into headlines as one of the fastest growing cities of India along with New Delhi.

It was in 1948 August 20, that Jayanagar was formally inaugurated by the first Indian Governor-General of India C Rajagopalachari.

The Ashoka Pillar

Rajaji, as he was popularly known, unveiled the Ashoka Pillar in the first block of Jayanagar, to mark the eighth year of the rule of Sri Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar, who was the Maharaja at that time. The extension was also named after the Maharaja.

Ground reality

The blue print had all the facilities like wide roads with footpaths and all civic amenities like parks, hospitals and markets.

However, the ground reality was that the layout was a few roads in raw form with thorny Lantana bushes and Parthenium grass growing in the whole area.

Snakes were rampant in the area and there were no takers for the sites for a long time to come, though sites were offered at five hundred rupees per plot of 200 feet by 120 feet.

At that time South End Road was the end of Bangalore. Basavanagudi and Mohammedan Block were inside this boundary and beyond this were villages like Doresanipalya, Thayappanahalli, Byrasandra and Yediyuru.

On the other side, East End Road, (RV Road today) was the boundary for Mohammedan Block. Beyond this was Siddapura with its nursery storehouses which combined together were as big as Lalbagh in terms of the area.

During 1950-53 some of the high ranking officers of the Mysore Government dared to buy huge plots in and around Ashoka Pillar.

The first block was filled up by the year 1960. The second and third blocks with sites of 60 x 40 and 30 x 40 for middle classes with prices of Rs 1000 to 500 took their own time to fill up. Then came 4th east, 4th west, 4th T, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, JP Nagar and Banashankari stages which were all in the comprehensive plan of early Jayanagar.

Shopping needs

For a long time people of Jayanagar had to go to Chikpet or MG Road for shopping. In 1970, Bangalore City Corporation built the Jayanagar Shopping Complex, which was described as a white elephant then.

Today this is one of the best shopping complexes of Bangalore. The vegetable market here is comparable to any of the best in the country.

It was "no takers" for the sites when the price was one thousand rupees for a 60x40 site, but today when the price has sky rocketed to Rs one and a half crores there are "no sellers".