Ask three different residents of Bengaluru where the true heart of the city lies, and you’ll get three different answers. A resident of the Pete area, an IT professional, and someone living in the British-built sections of Bengaluru will each have unique perspectives on the city’s essence. However, for those considering the cantonment area — centered around the British administration from the mid-1800s — M G Road is a definitive answer.
To an “old Bangalorean,” the earliest maps of the cantonment from the 1850s might seem both familiar and alien. Some landmarks, like M G Road (formerly South Parade Road), Church Street, and St Marks Road, remain recognizable from J B Pharaoh’s 1854 map. However, the surroundings have transformed drastically. South of today’s Shoolay Circle lay the once expansive Brigade Ground, now built up. The “Shoolay Tank” has vanished, like many of Bengaluru’s water bodies.
Yet, some landmarks endure. St Marks Church (1808) and Holy Trinity Church (1851) stood then as they do now, serving British soldiers stationed in the city. Interestingly, the Pharaoh map refers to the Holy Trinity Church as the “New Church,” reflecting its recent construction at the time.
Walking down M G Road in 1854, many of today’s iconic landmarks were yet to be built. Mayo Hall, a memorial for Viceroy Richard Southwell Bourke, was still 20 years away. Higginbothams bookstore opened its Bangalore outlet in 1905, the LIC building at Kumble Circle in 1926, and the Bangalore Agency, an auctioneering firm by Arcot Narayanaswamy Mudaliar, eventually gave way to the Plaza Theatre and later the M G Road Metro Station.
The area’s historical significance is echoed in its name changes and landmarks. The South Parade ground, a constant presence, lent its name to establishments like Koshy’s Parade Cafe, founded in 1952. On February 26, 1948, The Indian Express reported, “The South Parade, the main business road in Bangalore Cantonment, will be named after Mahatma Gandhi.” Thus, M G Road’s evolution reflects the dynamic history and enduring spirit of Bengaluru.