Tale of Towers

Tale of Towers
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: With the look alike of Kempegowda watch towers, which is being constructed at the Hudson Circle, all set to complete, many might wonder what this watch tower is all about.

This tower will not only uphold City’s aesthetic importance, but will also enlighten the present generation about the glorious past of this City, when similar towers were constructed.

The Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) had taken up the project of constructing Kempegowda Watch Tower in 2004. The new tower is a replica of watch towers built by Kempegowda.

Placed on a 60-feet-tall concrete structure, 30 mts in diametre, the tower is being constructed out of Sagarahalli granite. Similar stone has been used to build Vidhana Saudha.

“It is evident from the copper plate inscription dated 1597 AD, found from Kempapura Agrahara in City, that Kempegwoda II, the second son of Kempegowda, who built Bengaluru fort, constructed these watch towers. He constructed similar towers wherever he lived,” Arun Prasad, research head, Discover Bengalur, told this website's newspaper.

Prasad claims that the age old opinion of the four towers as cardinal points of City is not authentic, as the City houses more than eight such watch towers. Apart from four major towers at Lalbagh, Ulsoor lake, Kempambudi lake and Mekhri Circle; Basavangdui area alone has four such watch towers. Similar towers exist in Magadi, Devanahalli and Kolar.

”These were not the towers to mark the boundary of Bangalore, but were built to keep a vigil on enemy attacks. A common feature in all these towers is that they are built in the hillocks, from where visibility was more. Bugles were placed inside the tower, to alarm the fellow soldiers and it was also called as ‘bugle watch tower’,” he said.

”These towers were modelled on Vijayanagara architectural style with ashta dikpalakas sculptures (Gods of directions) placed in four corners with statues of four Gods between them. The tower has an attractive cupola and an ornamental top,” Prasad added.

”The new tower which is coming up, surely reminds every Bangalorean of the City’s glorious past and the Kempegowda regime. It restores cultural heritage of Bangalore, with the touch of modernity,” he added.