With Prime Minister Narendra Modi all set to unveil an enormous 108ft-bronze statue of Kempegowda I, the founding father of Bengaluru, on the metropolis airport on November 11, it’s price remembering that the landmarks established by the Kempegowdas are nonetheless cherished by the residents of Bengaluru.
The 4 Kempegowda towers within the metropolis are one of many earliest markers that also outline the township of Bengaluru. Nevertheless, historians are fast to level out that the Kempegowda towers weren’t constructed by Kempegowda I however by his son Immadi Kempegowda, or Kempegowda II.
Bengaluru-based historian Arun Prasad explains that the towers have been constructed not simply to mark the boundaries of the town but additionally for different causes. (Categorical photograph by Jithendra M)
Though Kempegowda I based Bengaluru by erecting the mud fort within the coronary heart of the town and by establishing a number of water our bodies, his son carried his legacy ahead by constructing extra forts, lakes, and temples that laid the groundwork for creating an environment friendly township.
Among the many notable contributions of Kempegowda II, the 4 towers positioned in Mekhri circle, Lalbagh, Gavipuram, and Ulsoor, are nonetheless thought-about as constructions that mark the boundaries of Bengaluru. The towers are believed to have been erected within the sixteenth century.
Bengaluru-based historian Arun Prasad explains that the towers have been constructed not simply to mark the boundaries of the town but additionally for different causes.
He says, “Though many imagine that the towers have been constructed to mark the boundaries of Bengaluru, they have been truly constructed extra from a navy standpoint. It was a strategic transfer by Kempegowda II to erect these towers… and to protect the brand new township (Bengaluru) from any invasion. Guards have been deployed on these towers to watch enemy actions and to stop any type of assault on the town. Not simply the 4 towers, Kempegowda II additionally constructed many towers in different places like Magadi, Shivagange, and Kolar which nonetheless exist.”
Aside from the towers, Kempegowda II can also be credited with constructing many lakes, and water tanks to cater to the ingesting and agricultural wants of the town. (Categorical Photograph by Jithendra M)
Prasad additionally factors out that the towers have been intentionally constructed on elevated land, particularly on hillocks. “The towers have been often constructed on hillocks or at elevated factors, in order that the guards may get a hen’s eye view of the attainable intrusion by enemies. Apparently, a lot of the towers have been constructed near water our bodies. The Mekhri circle tower is near Sankey tank, the Lalbagh tower is near the Lalbagh lake, the Ulsoor tower is near the Ulsoor lake, and the Gavipuram tower near the Kempambudhi lake,” says Prasad.
Apparently, the British additionally found that the hillock on which the Lalbagh tower has been erected, is about 3,000 million years previous, nearly going again to the time of the formation of the earth.
Prasad states that the Mekhri circle tower and the Lalbagh tower have been a number of of the factors from the place the British carried out the ‘Nice Trigonometric Survey’ that decided the peak of Mt Everest, amongst others. Additionally, the design of the towers was principally borrowed from the architectural fashion of the Vijayanagara empire. Aside from the towers, Kempegowda II can also be credited with constructing many lakes, and water tanks to cater to the ingesting and agricultural wants of the town.