Nellore
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For the district with the same name, see Nellore district.
?Nellore
Andhra Pradesh • India
Nellore
Coordinates: 14°26′N 79°58′E / 14.43, 79.97
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
Area
• Elevation
• 19 m (62 ft)
District(s) Nellore
Population 378,947 (2001)
Coordinates: 14°26′N 79°58′E / 14.43, 79.97
Nellore(Telugu:నెల్లురు) is a city located in Andhra Pradesh, India. It is also the headquarters of Nellore district. It is of strategic commercial importance as it lies between the cities of Vijayawada and Chennai. It is located on the banks of Pennar river.
Nellore is an important telugu city from the time of Tikkana, famous telugu poet to present day politics. The city setup the stage for formation of the Andhra Pradesh state. It is famous for its rice breed and its cuisine.
Contents [hide]
1 Etymology
2 History
3 Geography
3.1 Climate
4 Economy
5 Government and Politics
6 Transport
7 Demographics
8 Industrial Development
9 Projects in progress
10 Culture
11 Places of worship
12 Education
13 Media
14 Sports
15 Trivia
16 Mandals
17 References
[edit] Etymology
As Nellore famous for its high [paddy] yields, it was named after the word 'nelli', which in [Tamil language|Tamil] means paddy. The city was then known as Vikrama Simhapuri and was the capital of Manumasiddhi of Nellore Cholas. There are many beaches around Nellore.
[edit] History
Nellore was part of the composite Madras state until October 1, 1953. On November 1, 1956, when the states were reorganized on a linguistic basis, the district was transferred to Andhra Pradesh. Potti Sriramulu, a Telugu patriot and activist from Nellore fasted to death for formation of the Andhra Pradesh state.
Nellore was a historically an important Telugu city. It was under the Pallavas, Cholas, Chalukyas, Kakatitayas and Vijayanagara empire in its history. The city was most famous in 13th century, when Tikkana Somayaji translated Mahabharat into Telugu. The city was then known as Vikrama Simhapuri and was the capital of Manumasiddhi of Nellore Cholas. Tikkana, also a minister in the court of the king ManumaSiddhi, developed friendly relations with mighty Kakatiya kings with his poetry and was instrumental in getting military support from Warangal for his king. Molla, the second Telugu poetess had also written Telugu Ramayan here.Later it became part of the nawabs of Arcot who ruled from Vellore and was known as part of circars. Till 1911 it was part of Guntur district which later became Nellore. Venkatgiri has several old temples and a hilltop fortress with a grand view.
[edit] Geography
Nellore city is located at 14°25′N, 79°58′E.[1] It has an average elevation of 18 metres (62 feet).
It is frequently affected by cyclones. In summer, water is extremely scarce. Its surrounding districts are Ongole,Cuddapah,Chittoor andVellore.
It has the Bay of Bengal coast along its eastern periphery, Ongole to the north, Cuddappah to the west and Chittoor to its southern direction.
Along the western edge of the district are hills of the Eastern Ghats, bordering the Cudappah district. The Red Sanders tree is found in this region
[edit] Climate
Winter: January and February
Summer: March to May
South West Monsoons - June to September
North East Monsoons - October to December
The Maximum temperature is 36-46c during summer and the minimum temperature is 23-25c during winter. The rainfall ranges from 700-1000 during monsoons. the town is notorious for humid climate.It sweats continously and outsiders get exasperated with the situation.The rainy season and winter start late than the rest of the state.
[edit] Economy
The city is the main shopping centre for cloths, furniture,electronics, health needs, jewels etc. The Main assets of Nellore are its Businessmen, Nellore(during 1950s to 1990s) once was the best exporting capital of Mica to countries such as UK as well. Most of the wealthy people settled in other states like Tamilnadu, Karnataka and even the Andhra pradesh's capital Hyderabad are from Nellore. India's best contractors have their roots in Nellore.The city makes revenue mainly from cloth emporiums, movie theatres, nellore cuisine restaurants and hotels, hospitals and educational coaching centres.
Nellore has very less number of industries biggest being a small(Nippo )Batteries factory, Apache(recently started leather shoes factory) and Thermal power plant.(Thermal power Plant is now closed for ever) Nellore district is called the "Shrimp capital of India" due to is high production of cultured shrimp.
[edit] Government and Politics
Nellore is the head quarters of the district. It contributes to one seat is state legislature and one Indian Parliament seat.
Amarajeevi Potti Sriramulu undertook a fast-unto-death for achieving the state of Andhra and losing his life in the process is from Nellore.The city of Nellore attained the status of a Municipal corporation in 2004.Nellore is politically active in modern Andhra history.
Nedurumalli Janardhana Reddy Ex CM(1991-93) hails from Venkatagiri of Nellore District.
Nellore is currently represented in AP State Legislative Assembly by Anam Vivekananda Reddy.
Nellore is currently represented in Indian Parliament(Lok Sabha) by Panabaka Lakshmi.
Previous MLA's who represented Nellore in chronological order.
Name Party Term
Khandavalli Krishna Rao and Swarna Vemaiah Independents & Double representation 1952 - 55
Anam Chenchu Subba Reddy Congress 1955 - 62
G.C. Kondaiah Congress 1962 - 67
Annadata Madhava Rao Jan Sangh 1967 - 72
Anam Venkata Reddy Congress(I) 1972 - 77
K.V. Subba Reddy Congress(I) 1978 - 83
Anam Ramanarayana Reddy TDP 1983 - 85
K.V. Subba Reddy Congress(I) 1985 - 89
Jakka Kodandarami Reddy Independent 1989 - 94
Tallapaka Ramesh Reddy TDP 1994 - 99
Anam Vivekananda Reddy Congress(I) 1999 - 2004
Anam Vivekananda Reddy Congress(I) 2004 - Running
[edit] Transport
A main national railway line passes through Nellore. The National Highway 5 passes through Nellore. The nearest international airport is about 170 km south in Chennai. The city can be reached from all major south Indian cities like Hyderabad, Chennai or Bangalore by bus or train. Nellore has more than 140 mini buses serving the people for their daily needs.originally it was part of MSM railway which later became part of southern railway and is now part of south central railway.
[edit] Demographics
As of the 2001 Indian census,[2] Nellore has a population of 378,947 (agglomeration 554,922). Both males and females constitute 50% of the population. Nellore has an average literacy rate of 72%, 76% for males and 68% for females, higher than the national average of 59.5%. 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.
[edit] Industrial Development
The handloom sector is a small scale industry and next to agriculture by the number of people depend on it. Venkatagiri and Patur are important handloom centres in the district noted for their traditional handcrafted fine cotton and silk sarees embrodied with pure zari.
The following are major industries located in [Nellore] District
SDSC-SHAR (Satish Dhawan Space Center - SriHarikota High Altitude Range) located in SriHarikota, Nellore Dt.
Kovur Thermal Power Plant (defunct)
Nellore Nippo Batteries factory
Acqua and fisheries throughout the district
Mica Mines in Gudur and Sydapuram mandals
Adidas Apache in Tada Nellore dt.
work in progressKRISHNAPATNAM THERMAL POWER PLANT(AP GENCO)-1600mw
work in progressULTRA MEGA THERMAL POWER PLANT(CENTRAL GOVT)-4000mw
work in progressKRISHNAPATNAM PORT TRUST
Krishnapatnam is a major port and market center situated at a distance of 20 km from Nellore City. The port is hoped to become a world-class deep water port. Iron ore and granite are being exported from KrishnaPatnam to other countries like China. One Railway line links it with Venkatachalam on main railway line. Tada is at a distance of 80 km from Nellore with new industrial ventures like the Adidas factory and Tata's Leather park.
[edit] Projects in progress
An International Leather park will start working soon at Krishnapatnam. A railway line is being constructed from Krishnapattanam to Obulavari palle to link up this port with Mumbai Railway line. Construction of one Ultra Mega Power Projects with the capacity of 4000 MW each at Krishnapatnam is going on. Recently Central government gave clearance to IFFCO fertilizer factory at Regadi Chelika near Nellore. Central government is also planning to setup a 'Petro Chemical Terminal' at Krishnapatnam. Air Deccan is going to setup an airport near Nellore city. Construction work of two textile parks at Menakur near Venkatagiri/Nayudupet will start soon.
[edit] Culture
Telugu is the most spoken language while rice and seafood are the most consumed food in Nellore. Nellore is practically divided into two halves by the railway lines which are interconnected through under bridges. These are completely blocked during heavy rains, causing problems.
Nellore hosts a bunch of three star hotels including the oldest one, Simhapuri. Cinemas (Movie theatres) in Nellore are popular in the state to have better quality. Nellore is known for having the high density of health care providers. People's Polyclinic, previous known as Ramachandrareddy Hospital and Jayabharath Hospital serve poor people. Most notable hospitals are St. John's Hospital, Bollineni Super Speciality HospitalBollineni Eye Hospital and ABM Hospital (American Baptist Hospital).
[edit] Places of worship
Ranganadha Swamy Temple in Nellore-More than 600 years old, this temple is situated on the banks of the river Pennar and is marked by a huge 29 m tall Galigopuram with seven gold kalasams and its architectural splendour. The annual Rath Yathra of the God is a much awaited ritual in Nellore.
Jonnavada Kamakshamma temple Situated 8 KM from nellore, this temple is a famous siva temple with kamakshamma and vinayaka and subrahmanyeswar swamy.there are only two kamakshamma`s temples in world and this is one. corerct place to mention" nepal`s royal family are devotees of kamakshamma Godess and there is no kamakshamma`s temple in nepal"
Narasimha Swami Temple situated 13kms from nellore, is situated on top of the Narasimha Konda. It is also called Veda Giri. It is believed that the Lord Venkateshwara had set his holy feet on top of the hill. It is also believed that great Saints performed Yagas and other spirutual rituals on top of the hill.
Sri Raja Rajeshwari Ammavari Devasthanam, Nellore- Sri Arul Jyoti Nataraja Murthy Swamy of Sri Arul Jyoti Nataraja Murthy Swamy Ashram Pitadhipathi wished to have a temple for Sri Devi. In 1968 Sri Ratna Swamy Mudiliar built this temple. Every year, the Dussehra festival is celebrated with great pomposity.
Sri Venugopala Swamy Devasthanam, Moolapet, Nellore-Built in 1883. The presiding deity of the temple is Sri Rukmini Satyabhama Sametha Sri Venugopala Swamy. The idols are in black ...
Sivalayam, Moolapet, Nellore is also one of the Oldest temple in Nellore. The Shivrathri celebrations in the temple are worth mentioning. The huge Ganesha idol in front of the temple is probably the biggest in the region.
The Irukalala Parameswari Temple is located just after moolapet on the way to Jonnavada. This Goddess is the Gramadevatha of Nellore. Special rituals are performed here on every Friday and Sunday.
Krishna Mandir, Kondayapalem Gate, Vedayapalem Road, Nellore. Consecrated by Sri Ganapathi Sachchidananda Swamiji, Mysore in 1994. The central and main shrine of Lord Krishna is flanked on the right by Ganapathy Shrine and to the left by Dattatreya Shrine. Sri Swamiji had named the Datta as NAM Dattanatha Temple. In January 2003, Sri Swamiji also consecrated Karya Siddhi Hanuman and Ashtha Lakshmi Shrines. Every Friday Ashtha Lakshmi is decorated with golden saree.
Bhagavan Sree Sree Sree Venkayya Swamy Temple (Golagamudi) located at less than 20km from Nellore town is very famous one.
Someswara Temple and Dam, Somasila located around 80kms from Nellore town. The temple is very famous and ancient one built during the times of Sri Krishna Devaraya ( around 400 yrs old ). Somasila Dam is the biggest in Nellore Dist built across river Penna providing Water for agriculture and driniking purposes to the District. This place is one of the best picnic spots in Nellore Dist with a beautiful reservoir, hydraulic power generators and an ancient temple.
PenchalaKona Narasimha Swamy Temple is also very famous which usually visited by more number of people.
Udayagiri Fort Located 96 km from Nellore, is the site of a mighty fortress built by the Vijayanagar Kings in the 14th century. A towering peak can be seen here.
Venkatagiri Fort Located 70 km from Nellore, is a fortress built by the Venkatagiri Rajas
Rahmatabad is one of the most visited place in nellore. It has the Tombs of some famous spiritual personalities like Nayab-e-Rasool (sarkar, ACA:'Babajaan') and his wife Maa Habiba (ACA:'Ammajaan'). Thousands of believers visit the place each year during the months of June-July the time when celebrations take place. Believers see miracles happen to them. This is also one of the places (like in jonnawada mentioned above) where the spiritual personalities exorcise people possessed with demons.
Muthayalamma Devasthanam,It is in East kanupur and it is 40 km from nellore. It is most popular in Nellore and also in A.P. Its very Traditional & its very powerful goddess "muthyalamma".in that village one festival is there named "MUTHYALAMMA JATHARA"Its very popular in A.P.And also its very famous for chennai people. Every year its coming in the month of March. In that time R.T.C will arrange special buses for that festival.if u see the festival in that time its very traditional & they will do in different way its very good
Gaalipalem is also famous for Venkaiah swamy near to Yeturu
"Saibaba Mandir" - A recent addition to the highlights of Nellore is the Saibaba Mandir at Saraswathi Nagar (off Balaji Nagar, close to the National Highway). The speciality of this mandir is the Sri Shirdi Saibaba idol, which shows infinite number of images in the parallel glass structures.
Sri Vengamamba Perantalu Devastanam Sri Vengamamba Perantalu Devastanam is more than 300 years old temple, this temple is situated in the village of Narrawada, dutttalur mandalam in nellore district and famous as a wish-satisfier goddess in the surrounding areas. The festival conducted in the months of June and July is very famous and visited by more than 5 lakhs Pilgrims from all over Andhra right from Srikakulam to Cuddapah. The festival celebrated in the month of June and July is called as Sri Vengamamba Tirunala. Pilgrims has a strong belief that Goddess Sri Vengamamba as their wish-satisfier.this temple is very famous in ANDHRA PRADESH - INDIA.
Simhapuri Dharmika Trust is an organization sprouted from the seed of the Hindu Culture and Indianism. This proves it self in the last five year course of action that it could serve the nellorians to recall in the religious pool and pious thinking of Indian literature and culture. This Organisation started few years back, but registered in the year 2006 intending to perform the Vedic ritualistic activities and conducting Vedantic Discourses as well as the social service among the poor and needful people without any difference of cast and creed.
LEF Church, founded by Late Mr. N.Daniel now headed by his son Dr. Joshua Daniel was established in Nellore in the year 1971.The church is near the A.C.Stadium.
[edit] Education
Venkatagiri Raja College,(Accredited by national assesment and acreditation councel NAAC- with B++ grade very recently indicating the value based education it is imparting)ST joseph eng med school, Veda and Sanskrit College, C.A.M High School,P.N.M High School, ABM High School and RSR Municipal High School are the oldest educational institutions in Nellore. They were originally affiliated with either Madras University or Andhra University. The colleges are now part of S.V. University. Another college located in Nellore is Sarvodaya College. There are now hundreds of schools and colleges.
Nellore has been famous in the state since 1985 for its abundance of coaching centers to various streams like engineering, medical and IIT, at the level of plus 2 (popularly known as intermediate education). Pioneers among the private educational institutes are Ratnam, KORA and Narayana. KORA had been acquired by Ratnam. Ratnam has been acquired by Narayana.Narayana group of institution[www.narayanamedicalcollege.com/]include Narayana medical college, college of pharmacy, college of nursing and super speciality hospital, Narayana Engineering college, narayana intermediate colleges and narayana concept schools. And also kutty college is famous for B.ed coaching people from different districts join in this coaching center
[edit] Media
It has a list of local newspapers such as Zaminryot, Lawyer, Nellore News and Nagarabheri. Though most of them were swept away by the main state newspapers like Vaartha, Eenadu and Andhrajyothy, only Zamin Ryot and Lawyer still remain popular.
It is one of the few districts in Andhra Pradesh to have a fully updated and functional website www.nellore.co.nr
Nellore has its own share of web like nelloretown.com, nellore.com as nelloreans are becoming tech savy more and more websites are coming each day to provide information on this southern district of andhra pradesh.
[edit] Sports
Cricket is the most played and well watched sport. Badminton and Volleyball are also played in schools. Indoor sports like chess and carroms are also played. All the sports events are held at A.C.Stadium
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Chennai , India
Chennai
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Madras)• Have questions? Find out how to ask questions and get answers. •Jump to: navigation, search
?Chennai
Tamil Nadu • India
The landmark Chennai Central Station
Chennai
Coordinates: 13°05′N 80°16′E / 13.09, 80.27
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
Area
• Metro
• Elevation 181.06 km² (70 sq mi)[1]
• 1,180 km² (456 sq mi)
• 6 m (20 ft)
District(s) • Chennai
• Kanchipuram
• Tiruvallur
Population
• Density
• Metro 4.34 million (5th) (2001)
• 24,418/km² (63,242/sq mi)
• 7.5 million (4th) (2007)
Mayor M. Subramaniam
Commissioner Rajesh Lakhoni
Codes
• Pincode
• Telephone
• UN/LOCODE
• Vehicle
• 600 xxx
• +91 44
• INMAA
• TN-01, 02, 04, 05, 07, 09, 10
Website: www.chennaicorporation.com
Coordinates: 13°05′N 80°16′E / 13.09, 80.27
"Madras" redirects here. For other uses, see Madras (disambiguation).
Chennai (Tamil: சென்னை), formerly known as Madras (help·info), is the capital of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and is on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. With an estimated population of 7.5 million (2007), it is the fourth largest metropolitan city in India and one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world.[2][3][4]
The city was established in the seventeenth century by the British, who developed it into a major urban center and naval base. By the twentieth century, it had become an important administrative center, as the capital of the Madras Presidency.
Chennai's economy has a broad industrial base in the automobile, technology, hardware manufacturing, and healthcare industries. The city is home to much of India's automobile industry and is the country's second-largest exporter of information technology (IT) and information-technology-enabled services (ITES), behind Bangalore.[5][6] The city is served by an international airport and two major ports; it is connected to the rest of the country by five national highways and two railway terminals. Thirty-five countries have consulates in Chennai.[7]
Chennai hosts a large cultural event, the annual Madras Music Season, which includes performances by hundreds of artists. The city has a vibrant theatre scene and is an important center for the Bharatanatyam, a classical dance form. The Tamil movie industry, known as Kollywood, is based in the city; the soundtracks of the movies dominate its music scene. Chennai is known for its sport venues and hosts an Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) event, the Chennai Open. The city faces problems of water shortages, traffic congestion and air pollution. The state and local governments have undertaken initiatives such as the Veeranam project and the construction of mini-flyovers to address these problems.
Contents [hide]
1 Names
2 History
3 Geography and climate
4 Administration and utility services
5 Economy
6 Demographics
7 Culture
8 Transport
9 Media
10 Education
11 Sports
12 Sister cities
13 Notes
14 External links
[edit] Names
The name Chennai is an eponym, etymologically derived from Chennapatnam, the name of the town that grew up around Fort St George, built by the British in 1640. The town was most likely named after Damarla Chennappa Nayak, father of the ruling chieftain of the area, Venkatapathy Nayak,[8] although some believe Chennapatnam was named after the Chenna Kesava Perumal temple, as the word Chenni in Tamil means face, and the temple was thought of as the face of the city.[9]
The former name, Madras, is derived from Madraspatnam, a fishing village that lay to the north of Fort St. George. The origin of the name Madraspatnam is a subject of disagreement. One theory holds that the Portuguese, who arrived in the area in the sixteenth century, may have named the village Madre de Deus.[10] However, historian S. Muthiah believes that the village's name came from the once prominent Madeiros family (variously known as Madera or Madra in succeeding years), who had consecrated the Madre de Deus church in Santhome in 1575 (demolished in 1997). Another theory says that the village was named after a Mohammadan college (a madrasa) which was located in the area. After the British gained possession of the area in the seventeenth century, the two towns, Madraspatnam and Chennapatnam, eventually merged. The British referred to the united town as Madraspatnam, while the locals preferred to call it Chennapatnam.[11]
The city was officially renamed Chennai in 1996, about the same time that many Indian cities were undergoing name changes. Madras was seen as a Portuguese name.[12]
[edit] History
Main article: History of Chennai
The Kapaleeshwarar temple in Mylapore is one of the oldest temples in Chennai.The region around Chennai has served as an important administrative, military, and economic centre since the first century.[8] It has been ruled by various South Indian dynasties, notably the Pallava, the Chola, the Pandya, and Vijaynagar.[8] The town of Mylapore, now part of Chennai, was once a major Pallavan port. The Portuguese arrived in 1522 and built a port called São Tomé after the Christian apostle, St Thomas,[11] who is said to have preached in the area between 52 and 70 CE. In 1612, the Dutch established themselves near Pulicat, just north of the city.
On 22 August 1639, Francis Day of the British East India Company bought a small strip of land on the Coromandel Coast from the Vijayanagara King, Peda Venkata Raya in Chandragiri. The region was ruled by Damerla Venkatapathy, the Nayak of Vandavasi.[8] He granted the British permission to build a factory and warehouse for their trading enterprises. A year later, the British built Fort St George, which became the nucleus of the growing colonial city.[8] In 1746, Fort St George and Madras were captured by the French under General La Bourdonnais, the Governor of Mauritius, who plundered the town and its outlying villages.[11] The British regained control in 1749 through the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle and fortified the town's fortress wall to withstand further attacks from the French and another looming threat, Hyder Ali, the Sultan of Mysore. By the late eighteenth century, the British had conquered most of the region around Tamil Nadu and the northern modern-day states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, establishing the Madras Presidency with Madras as the capital.[13] Under British rule, the city grew into a major urban centre and naval base.
An 18th century painting of Fort St. GeorgeWith the advent of railways in India in the late nineteenth century, the thriving urban centre was connected to other important cities such as Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay) and Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), promoting increased communication and trade with the hinterland.
Chennai was the only Indian city to be attacked by the Central Powers during World War I, when an oil depot was shelled by the German light cruiser SMS Emden on September 22, 1914, as it raided shipping lanes in the Indian Ocean, causing disruption to shipping.[14] After India gained its independence in 1947, the city became the capital of Madras State, renamed the state of Tamil Nadu in 1969. The violent agitations of 1965 against the imposition of Hindi as the national language, marked a major shift in the political dynamics of the city and the whole state.[15]
In 2004, an Indian Ocean tsunami lashed the shores of Chennai, killing many and permanently altering the coastline.[16]
[edit] Geography and climate
Main article: Geography of Chennai
See also: List of neighbourhoods in Chennai and Flora and fauna of Chennai
Chennai is on a flat coastal plain, as shown on this Landsat 7 map.Chennai is on the southeast coast of India in the northeast of Tamil Nadu on a flat coastal plain known as the Eastern Coastal Plains. Its average elevation is around 6.7 metres (20 ft),[17] and its highest point is 60 m (200 ft).[18] Two rivers meander through Chennai, the Cooum River (or Koovam) through the centre and the Adyar River to the south. Both rivers are heavily polluted with effluents and waste from domestic and commercial sources. The state government periodically removes silt and pollution from the Adyar, which is much less polluted than the Cooum. A protected estuary on the Adyar forms a natural habitat for several species of birds and animals.[19][20] The Buckingham Canal, 4 km (3 miles) inland, runs parallel to the coast, linking the two rivers. The Otteri Nullah, an east-west stream, runs through north Chennai and meets the Buckingham Canal at Basin Bridge. Several lakes of varying size are located on the western fringes of the city. Red Hills, Sholavaram and Chembarambakkam Lake supply Chennai with potable water. Groundwater sources are becoming brackish.[21]
Chennai's soil is mostly clay, shale and sandstone.[22] Sandy areas are found along the river banks and coasts, such as Tiruvanmiyur, Adyar, Kottivakkam, Santhome, George Town, Tondiarpet and the rest of coastal Chennai. Here rainwater runoff percolates quickly through the soil. Clay underlies most of the city including T. Nagar, West Mambalam, Anna Nagar, Perambur and Virugambakkam. Areas of hard rock include Guindy, Velachery, Adambakkam and a part of Saidapet.[23]
An aerial view of the Adyar Estuary and the gardens of the Theosophical Society on its southern banksChennai is divided into four parts: North, Central, South and West. North Chennai is primarily an industrial area. Central Chennai is the commercial heart of the city and includes an important business district, Parry's Corner. South Chennai and West Chennai, previously mostly residential, are fast becoming commercial, home to a growing number of information technology firms, financial companies and call centres. The city is expanding quickly along the Old Mahabalipuram Road and the Grand Southern Trunk Road (GST Road) in the south and towards Ambattur, Koyambedu and Sriperumbdur in the west.[24] Chennai is one of the few cities in the world that accommodates a national park, the Guindy National Park, within its limits.[25]
Chennai lies on the thermal equator and is also coastal, which prevents extreme variation in seasonal temperature. For most of the year, the weather is hot and humid. The hottest part of the year is late May and early June, known locally as Agni Nakshatram ("fire star") or as Kathiri Veyyil,[26] with maximum temperatures around 38–42 °C (100–107 °F). The coolest part of the year is January, with minimum temperatures around 19–20 °C (66–68 °F). The lowest temperature recorded is 15.8 °C (60.44 °F) and highest 45 °C (113 °F).[27][28] The average annual rainfall is about 1,300 mm (51 inches). The city gets most of its seasonal rainfall from the north-east monsoon winds, from mid-September to mid-December. Cyclones in the Bay of Bengal sometimes hit the city. Highest annual rainfall recorded is 2,570 mm (101 in) in 2005.[29] The most prevailing winds in Chennai are the Southwesterly between May and September and the Northeasterly during the rest of the year.
[edit] Administration and utility services
City officials, as of September 2007[30][31]
Mayor Ma. Subramanian
Deputy Mayor R. Sathya Bama
Corporation Commissioner Rajesh Lakhoni
Commissioner of Police G. Nanjil Kumaran
Main article: Administration of Chennai
See also: Chennai architecture and Subdivisions of India
Chennai city is governed by the Corporation of Chennai, consisting of 155 councillors who represent 155 wards and are directly elected by the city's residents. From among themselves, the councillors elect a mayor and a deputy mayor who preside over about six standing committees.[32] Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu state, houses the state executive and legislative headquarters primarily in the Secretariat Buildings on the Fort St George campus but also in many other buildings scattered around the city. The Madras High Court, whose jurisdiction extends across Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, is the highest judicial authority in the state and is also in the city. Chennai has three parliamentary constituencies—Chennai North, Chennai Central and Chennai South—and elects 18 Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) to the state legislature.
Chennai city police carThe metropolitan region of Chennai covers many suburbs that are part of Kanchipuram and Thiruvallur districts. The larger suburbs are governed by town municipalities, and the smaller ones are governed by town councils called panchayats. While the city covers an area of 174 km² (67 mi²),[33] the metropolitan area is spread over 1,189 km² (458 mi²).[34] The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) has drafted a Second Master Plan that aims to develop satellite townships around the city. Contiguous satellite towns include Mahabalipuram to the south, Chengalpattu and Maraimalai Nagar to the southwest, and Kanchipuram town, Sriperumpudur, Tiruvallur and Arakkonam to the west.
The Greater Chennai Police department, a division of the Tamil Nadu Police, is the law enforcement agency in the city. The city police force is headed by a commissioner of police, and administrative control rests with the Tamil Nadu Home Ministry. The department consists of 36 subdivisions with a total of 121 police stations, of which 15 are ISO 9001:2000 certified.[35] The city's traffic is managed by the Chennai City Traffic Police (CCTP). The Metropolitan suburbs are policed by the Chennai Metropolitan Police, and outer district areas are policed by the Kanchipuram and Thiruvallur police departments.
Ripon Building, which houses the Chennai Corporation, was completed 1913. It is named after former viceroy Lord Ripon.The Corporation of Chennai and municipalities of the suburbs provide civic services. Garbage in most zones is handled by JBM Fanalca Environment Management, a private company, and by the Chennai Corporation in the other zones. Water supply and sewage treatment are handled by the Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewage Board, popularly referred to as Metro Water. Electricity is supplied by the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board.[36] The city's telephone service is provided by six mobile phone companies and four landline companies,[37][38] which also provide broadband Internet access, along with Sify and Hathway.
Historically, Chennai has relied on annual monsoon rains to replenish water reservoirs, as no major rivers flow through the area. Steadily growing in population, the city has faced water supply shortages, and its ground water levels have been depleted. An earlier Veeranam Lake project failed to solve the city's water problems, but the New Veeranam project, which became operational in September 2004, has greatly reduced dependency on distant sources.[39] In recent years, heavy and consistent monsoon rains and rainwater harvesting (RWH) by Chennai Metrowater at its Anna Nagar Rain Centre have significantly reduced water shortages.[40] Moreover, newer projects like the Telugu Ganga project that bring water from water-surplus rivers like the Krishna River in Andhra Pradesh have eased water shortages. The city is constructing sea water desalination plants to further increase the water supply.[41][42]
[edit] Economy
Main article: Economy of Chennai
See also: List of IT companies in Chennai and List of Tech Parks in Chennai
Parry's Corner, one of the older business districts in ChennaiChennai has a diversified economic base anchored by the automobile, software services, hardware manufacturing, healthcare and financial services industries.[43] As of 2000, the city's total personal income was Rs. 12,488.83 crores, making up 10.9% of the total income of Tamil Nadu.[44] In 2001, the total workforce in Chennai was about 1.5 million, which was 31.79% of its population. According to the 1991 census, most of the city's workforce was involved in trade (25.65%), manufacturing (23.52%), transportation (10.72%), construction (6.3%) and other services (31.8%). Chennai metropolitan area accounts for over 75% of the sales tax revenue in the state.[45]
The city is base to around 30% of India's automobile industry[46] and 35% of its auto components industry.[47] A large number of automotive companies including Hyundai, Ford, BMW, Mitsubishi, TVS Motors (TVS), Ashok Leyland and Madras Rubber Factory (MRF), have manufacturing plants in and around Chennai. The Heavy Vehicles Factory at Avadi produces military vehicles, including India's main battle tank: Arjun MBT. The Integral Coach Factory manufactures railway coaches and other rolling stock for Indian Railways.[48] The Ambattur-Padi industrial zone houses many textile manufacturers, and an SEZ for apparel and footwear manufacture has been set up in the southern suburbs of the city.[49] Chennai contributes more than 50% of India's leather exports.[50]
Tidel Park is one of the largest software parks in India.The city is an electronics manufacturing hub where multinational corporations like Dell, Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, Flextronics and Foxconn have set up electronics and hardware manufacturing plants, mainly in the Sriperumbudur Special Economic Zone (SEZ). Many software and software services companies have development centres in Chennai, which contributed 14% of India's total software exports of Rs.144,214 crores during 2006–07, making it the second-largest exporter of software in the country, behind Bangalore.[6] Prominent financial institutions, including the World Bank, have back office operations in the city.[51] Chennai is home to three large national level commercial banks[52][53][54] and many state level co-operative banks, finance and insurance companies. Some of India's well-known healthcare institutions such as Apollo Hospitals (the largest private healthcare provider in Asia),[55] Sankara Nethralaya and Sri Ramachandra Medical Center are based in the city, making it one of the preferred destinations for medical tourists from across the globe.[56] Telecom giants Ericsson and Alcatel-Lucent, pharmaceuticals giant Pfizer and chemicals giant Dow Chemicals have research and development facilities in Chennai. TICEL bio-tech park[57] and Golden Jubilee bio-tech park[58] at Siruseri house biotechnology companies and laboratories. Chennai has a fully computerised stock exchange called the Madras Stock Exchange.
[edit] Demographics
Ranganathan Street in T.Nagar is usually packed with pedestrian shoppers.Residents of Chennai are called Chennaiites. As of 2001, Chennai city had a population of 4.34 million, while the total metropolitan population was 7.04 million.[59] The estimated metropolitan population in 2006 is 7.5 million.[2] In 2001, the population density in the city was 24,682 per km² (9,534 per mi²), while the population density of the metropolitan area was 5,922 per km² (2,287 mi²), making it one of the most densely populated cities in the world.[59][60] The sex ratio is 951 females for every 1,000 males,[61] slightly higher than the national average of 934.[62] The average literacy rate is 80.14%,[63] much higher than the national average of 64.5%. The city has the fourth highest population of slum dwellers among major cities in India, with about 820,000 people (18.6% of its population) living in slum conditions.[64] This number represents about 5% of the total slum population of India. In 2005, the crime rate in the city was 313.3 per 100,000 people, accounting for 6.2% of all crimes reported in major cities in India.[65] The number of crimes in the city showed a significant increase of 61.8% from 2004.[66]
According to the 2001 census, Hindus constitute about 82.27% of the city's population, and Muslims (8.37%), Christians (7.63%) and Jains (1.05%) are other major religious groups.[67] The majority of the residents of Chennai are Tamils and speak Tamil. English is also widely spoken, especially in business, education and white collar professions. Sizeable Telugu and Malayalee communities live in the city.[68] Chennai also has a large migrant population, who come from other parts of Tamil Nadu and the rest of the country. As of 2001, out of the 937,000 migrants (21.57% of its population) in the city, 74.5% were from other parts of the state, 23.8% were from rest of India and 1.7% were from outside the country.[69]
[edit] Culture
A traditional Bharata natyam performanceMain articles: Culture of Chennai and Cuisine of Chennai
See also: Tamil cuisine
Chennai's culture reflects its diverse population. The city is known for its classical dance shows and Hindu temples. Every December, Chennai holds a five-week long Music Season celebrating the 1927 opening of the Madras Music Academy.[70] It features performances (kutcheries) of traditional Carnatic music by hundreds of artists in and around the city. Chennai is also known for Bharatanatyam, a classical dance form that originated in Tamil Nadu. An important cultural centre for Bharatanatyam is Kalakshetra, on the beach in the south of the city.[71]
Chennai is the base for the large Tamil movie industry, dubbed Kollywood after Kodambakkam, home to most of the movie studios.[72] The industry makes more than 150 Tamil movies a year,[73] and its soundtracks dominate the city's music. Chennai's theatres stage many Tamil plays; political satire, slapstick comedy, history, mythology and drama are among the popular genres.[74][75][76] English plays are also staged in the city.
Among Chennai's festivals, Pongal, celebrated over five days in January, is the most important. Tamil New Year's Day, signifying the beginning of the Tamil year, usually falls on April 14. Almost all major religious festivals such as Deepavali, Eid and Christmas are celebrated in Chennai. Tamil cuisine in Chennai includes vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. Many of the city's restaurants offer light meals or tiffin, which usually include rice-based dishes like pongal, dosai, idli and vadai, served with steaming hot filter coffee.
[edit] Transport
Main article: Transport in Chennai
An MTC bus and an auto rickshaw, two of the most common modes of public transport in ChennaiThe Chennai International Airport, comprising the Anna International Airport and the Kamaraj Domestic Airport, handles domestic as well as international flights and is the third busiest airport in India.[77][78] The city is connected to major hubs in South Asia, South East Asia, the Middle East, Europe and North America through more than 30 national and international carriers. The airport is the second busiest cargo terminus in the country. The existing airport is undergoing further modernisation and expansion, and a new Greenfield Airport, with four runways, is to be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 2,000 crore in Sriperumbudur.[79]
The city is served by two major ports, Chennai Port, one of the largest artificial ports, and Ennore Port. The Chennai port is India's second busiest container hub, handling automobiles and general industrial cargo. The Ennore port handles cargo such as coal, ore and other bulk products.[80] A smaller harbour at Royapuram is used by local fishing boats and trawlers.
Chennai is well connected to other parts of India by road and rail. Five major national highways radiate outward towards Mumbai, Kolkata, Trichy, Tiruvallur and Pondicherry.[81] The Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus (CMBT), the terminus for all intercity buses from Chennai, is the largest bus station in Asia.[82] Seven government-owned transport corporations operate inter-city and inter-state bus services. Many private inter-city and inter-state bus companies also operate services to and from Chennai.
MRTS Train station in ChennaiThe city has two main railway terminals. Chennai Central station, the city's largest, provides access to trains to major cities like Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Delhi, Hyderabad, and Coimbatore as well as to smaller towns across India.[83] Chennai Egmore is a stop for trains traveling primarily within Tamil Nadu; it also handles a few inter-state trains.[84]
Buses, trains, and auto rickshaws are the most popular form of public transport within the city. The Chennai suburban railway network consists of four broad gauge rail sectors, three of which are Chennai Central–Arakkonam, Chennai Central–Sullurpeta and Chennai Beach–Chengalpattu. The fourth sector is an elevated Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) which links Chennai Beach to Thiruvanmiyur and is interlinked with the remaining rail network. The city has plans for an underground Metro.[85] The Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) runs an extensive city bus system consisting of 2,815 buses on 551 routes and transports an estimated 3.85 million passengers daily.[86] Vans, popularly known as Maxi Cabs, ply many routes in the city and provide an alternative to bus. Metered call taxis, tourist taxis and auto rickshaws are also available on hire. Chennai's transportation infrastructure provides coverage and connectivity, but growing use has caused traffic congestion and pollution. The government has tried to address these problems by constructing flyovers at major intersections, starting with the Gemini flyover, built in 1973 over the most important arterial road, Anna Salai.[87][88]
[edit] Media
Main article: Media in Chennai
See also: List of Tamil language television channels
Newspaper publishing started in Chennai with the launch of a weekly, The Madras Courier, in 1785.[89] It was followed by the weeklies The Madras Gazzette and The Government Gazzette in 1795. The Spectator, founded in 1836, was the first English newspaper in Chennai to be owned by an Indian and became the city's first daily newspaper in 1853.[90] The first Tamil newspaper, Swadesamitran, was launched in 1899.[89]
The major English dailies published in Chennai are The Hindu, The New Indian Express, The Deccan Chronicle and evening dailies, The Trinity Mirror and The News Today. As of 2004, The Hindu was the city's most read English newspaper, with a daily circulation of 267,349.[91] The major business dailies published from the city are The Economic Times, The Hindu Business Line, Business Standard, and The Financial Express. The major Tamil dailies include the Dina Thanthi, Dinakaran, Dina Mani, Dina Malar, Tamil Murasu, Makkal Kural and Malai Malar.[92] Neighbourhood newspapers such as The Annanagar Times and The Adyar Times cater to particular localities. Magazines published from Chennai include Ananda Vikatan, Kumudam, Kalki, Kungumam, Swathi (Telugu magazine), Frontline and Sportstar.
Doordarshan runs two terrestrial television channels and two satellite television channels from its Chennai centre, which was set up in 1974. Private Tamil satellite television networks like Sun TV, Raj TV, Star Vijay, Jaya TV, Makkal TV and Kalaignar TV broadcast out of Chennai. The Sun Network, a Rs. 4,395 crore public firm, is based in the city and is the country's second-largest broadcasting company in viewership share.[93][94] The group owns 19 TV channels in all major South Indian languages, FM radio stations in eleven cities and a few Tamil magazines and newspapers.[95][96][94] While SCV and Hathway are the major cable TV service providers, Direct-to-home (DTH) is available via DD Direct Plus, Dish TV and Tata Sky.[97][98] Chennai is the first city in India to have implemented the Conditional Access System for cable television.[99] Radio broadcasting started from the radio station at the Rippon Buildings complex, founded in 1930 and was then shifted to All India Radio in 1938.[89] The city has two AM and ten FM radio stations, operated by Anna University, All India Radio and private broadcasters.[100]
[edit] Education
Main article: Education in Chennai
See also: Schools in Chennai and Education in India
The main entrance to the Anna UniversitySchools in Chennai are either run publicly by the Tamil Nadu government or privately, some with financial aid from the government.[101] The medium of education is either English or Tamil. Most schools are affiliated with the Tamil Nadu State Board, the Matriculation Board or the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).[102] A few schools are affiliated with the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) board, Anglo-Indian board or the Montessori system. Schooling begins at the age of three with two years of kindergarten followed by ten years of primary and secondary education. Students then need to complete two years of higher secondary education in either science or commerce before being eligible for college education in a general or professional field of study.[103][104] There are 1,389 schools in the city, out of which 731 are primary, 232 are secondary and 426 are higher secondary schools.[105]
The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) and Anna University are two well known centers for engineering education in the city; most city colleges that offer engineering programs are affiliated with Anna University. Madras Medical College (MMC), Stanley Medical College (SMC), Kilpauk Medical College and Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute (SRMC) are the notable medical colleges in Chennai.
Colleges for science, arts and commerce degrees are typically affiliated with the University of Madras, which has three campuses in the city; some colleges such as Loyola College are autonomous. Research institutions like the Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI), the Central Electronics Engineering Research Institute (CEERI) and the Institute for Financial Management and Research (IFMR) are in the city. The Connemara Public Library is one of four National Depository Centres in India that receive a copy of all newspapers and books published in India.[106] It has been declared a UNESCO information centre.[107]
[edit] Sports
Main article: Sport in Chennai
The M.A. Chidambaram Cricket StadiumCricket is the most popular sport in Chennai.[108] The M.A. Chidambaram Stadium (MAC) in Chepauk is one of the oldest cricket stadiums in India.[109] The Chemplast Cricket Ground on the IIT Madras campus is another important venue hosting first class matches. Prominent cricketers from the city include former Test-captains S. Venkataraghavan and Kris Srikkanth.[110][111] A cricket fast bowling academy, the MRF Pace Foundation, whose coaches include Dennis Lillee, is based in Chennai.[112][113]
Chennai has produced popular tennis players[114][115][116] and is host to an Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) event, the Chennai Open.[117] The city is home to a Premiere Hockey League (PHL) team, the Chennai Veerans, and has hosted many hockey tournaments such as the Champions Trophy.[118] Football and athletic competitions are held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, which also houses a multi-purpose indoor complex for competition in volleyball, basketball and table tennis. Water sports are played in the Velachery Aquatic Complex. Chennai was the venue of the South Asian Games (SAF Games) in 1995.[119]
Auto racing in India has been closely connected with Chennai since its beginnings shortly after independence. Motor racing events are held on a special purpose track in Irungattukottai, Sriperumbudur,[120] which has also been the venue for several international competitions.[121] Horse racing is held at the Guindy Race Course, while rowing competitions are hosted at the Madras Boat Club. The city has two 18-hole golf courses, the Cosmopolitan Club and the Gymkhana Club, both established in the late nineteenth century. Viswanathan Anand, the chess World champion and the world's top ranked chess player as of October 2007, grew up in Chennai.[122] [123] [124]
Other athletes of repute from Chennai include table tennis players Sharath Kamal[125] and two-time world carrom champion, Maria Irudayam.[126] The city has a rugby team called the Chennai Cheetahs.[127]
[edit] Sister cities
Denver, Colorado, United States[128]
Volgograd, Russia[129]
Frankfurt, Germany
In April 2007, San Antonio, Texas, United States, expressed interest in a partnership.[130
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Madras)• Have questions? Find out how to ask questions and get answers. •Jump to: navigation, search
?Chennai
Tamil Nadu • India
The landmark Chennai Central Station
Chennai
Coordinates: 13°05′N 80°16′E / 13.09, 80.27
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
Area
• Metro
• Elevation 181.06 km² (70 sq mi)[1]
• 1,180 km² (456 sq mi)
• 6 m (20 ft)
District(s) • Chennai
• Kanchipuram
• Tiruvallur
Population
• Density
• Metro 4.34 million (5th) (2001)
• 24,418/km² (63,242/sq mi)
• 7.5 million (4th) (2007)
Mayor M. Subramaniam
Commissioner Rajesh Lakhoni
Codes
• Pincode
• Telephone
• UN/LOCODE
• Vehicle
• 600 xxx
• +91 44
• INMAA
• TN-01, 02, 04, 05, 07, 09, 10
Website: www.chennaicorporation.com
Coordinates: 13°05′N 80°16′E / 13.09, 80.27
"Madras" redirects here. For other uses, see Madras (disambiguation).
Chennai (Tamil: சென்னை), formerly known as Madras (help·info), is the capital of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and is on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. With an estimated population of 7.5 million (2007), it is the fourth largest metropolitan city in India and one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world.[2][3][4]
The city was established in the seventeenth century by the British, who developed it into a major urban center and naval base. By the twentieth century, it had become an important administrative center, as the capital of the Madras Presidency.
Chennai's economy has a broad industrial base in the automobile, technology, hardware manufacturing, and healthcare industries. The city is home to much of India's automobile industry and is the country's second-largest exporter of information technology (IT) and information-technology-enabled services (ITES), behind Bangalore.[5][6] The city is served by an international airport and two major ports; it is connected to the rest of the country by five national highways and two railway terminals. Thirty-five countries have consulates in Chennai.[7]
Chennai hosts a large cultural event, the annual Madras Music Season, which includes performances by hundreds of artists. The city has a vibrant theatre scene and is an important center for the Bharatanatyam, a classical dance form. The Tamil movie industry, known as Kollywood, is based in the city; the soundtracks of the movies dominate its music scene. Chennai is known for its sport venues and hosts an Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) event, the Chennai Open. The city faces problems of water shortages, traffic congestion and air pollution. The state and local governments have undertaken initiatives such as the Veeranam project and the construction of mini-flyovers to address these problems.
Contents [hide]
1 Names
2 History
3 Geography and climate
4 Administration and utility services
5 Economy
6 Demographics
7 Culture
8 Transport
9 Media
10 Education
11 Sports
12 Sister cities
13 Notes
14 External links
[edit] Names
The name Chennai is an eponym, etymologically derived from Chennapatnam, the name of the town that grew up around Fort St George, built by the British in 1640. The town was most likely named after Damarla Chennappa Nayak, father of the ruling chieftain of the area, Venkatapathy Nayak,[8] although some believe Chennapatnam was named after the Chenna Kesava Perumal temple, as the word Chenni in Tamil means face, and the temple was thought of as the face of the city.[9]
The former name, Madras, is derived from Madraspatnam, a fishing village that lay to the north of Fort St. George. The origin of the name Madraspatnam is a subject of disagreement. One theory holds that the Portuguese, who arrived in the area in the sixteenth century, may have named the village Madre de Deus.[10] However, historian S. Muthiah believes that the village's name came from the once prominent Madeiros family (variously known as Madera or Madra in succeeding years), who had consecrated the Madre de Deus church in Santhome in 1575 (demolished in 1997). Another theory says that the village was named after a Mohammadan college (a madrasa) which was located in the area. After the British gained possession of the area in the seventeenth century, the two towns, Madraspatnam and Chennapatnam, eventually merged. The British referred to the united town as Madraspatnam, while the locals preferred to call it Chennapatnam.[11]
The city was officially renamed Chennai in 1996, about the same time that many Indian cities were undergoing name changes. Madras was seen as a Portuguese name.[12]
[edit] History
Main article: History of Chennai
The Kapaleeshwarar temple in Mylapore is one of the oldest temples in Chennai.The region around Chennai has served as an important administrative, military, and economic centre since the first century.[8] It has been ruled by various South Indian dynasties, notably the Pallava, the Chola, the Pandya, and Vijaynagar.[8] The town of Mylapore, now part of Chennai, was once a major Pallavan port. The Portuguese arrived in 1522 and built a port called São Tomé after the Christian apostle, St Thomas,[11] who is said to have preached in the area between 52 and 70 CE. In 1612, the Dutch established themselves near Pulicat, just north of the city.
On 22 August 1639, Francis Day of the British East India Company bought a small strip of land on the Coromandel Coast from the Vijayanagara King, Peda Venkata Raya in Chandragiri. The region was ruled by Damerla Venkatapathy, the Nayak of Vandavasi.[8] He granted the British permission to build a factory and warehouse for their trading enterprises. A year later, the British built Fort St George, which became the nucleus of the growing colonial city.[8] In 1746, Fort St George and Madras were captured by the French under General La Bourdonnais, the Governor of Mauritius, who plundered the town and its outlying villages.[11] The British regained control in 1749 through the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle and fortified the town's fortress wall to withstand further attacks from the French and another looming threat, Hyder Ali, the Sultan of Mysore. By the late eighteenth century, the British had conquered most of the region around Tamil Nadu and the northern modern-day states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, establishing the Madras Presidency with Madras as the capital.[13] Under British rule, the city grew into a major urban centre and naval base.
An 18th century painting of Fort St. GeorgeWith the advent of railways in India in the late nineteenth century, the thriving urban centre was connected to other important cities such as Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay) and Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), promoting increased communication and trade with the hinterland.
Chennai was the only Indian city to be attacked by the Central Powers during World War I, when an oil depot was shelled by the German light cruiser SMS Emden on September 22, 1914, as it raided shipping lanes in the Indian Ocean, causing disruption to shipping.[14] After India gained its independence in 1947, the city became the capital of Madras State, renamed the state of Tamil Nadu in 1969. The violent agitations of 1965 against the imposition of Hindi as the national language, marked a major shift in the political dynamics of the city and the whole state.[15]
In 2004, an Indian Ocean tsunami lashed the shores of Chennai, killing many and permanently altering the coastline.[16]
[edit] Geography and climate
Main article: Geography of Chennai
See also: List of neighbourhoods in Chennai and Flora and fauna of Chennai
Chennai is on a flat coastal plain, as shown on this Landsat 7 map.Chennai is on the southeast coast of India in the northeast of Tamil Nadu on a flat coastal plain known as the Eastern Coastal Plains. Its average elevation is around 6.7 metres (20 ft),[17] and its highest point is 60 m (200 ft).[18] Two rivers meander through Chennai, the Cooum River (or Koovam) through the centre and the Adyar River to the south. Both rivers are heavily polluted with effluents and waste from domestic and commercial sources. The state government periodically removes silt and pollution from the Adyar, which is much less polluted than the Cooum. A protected estuary on the Adyar forms a natural habitat for several species of birds and animals.[19][20] The Buckingham Canal, 4 km (3 miles) inland, runs parallel to the coast, linking the two rivers. The Otteri Nullah, an east-west stream, runs through north Chennai and meets the Buckingham Canal at Basin Bridge. Several lakes of varying size are located on the western fringes of the city. Red Hills, Sholavaram and Chembarambakkam Lake supply Chennai with potable water. Groundwater sources are becoming brackish.[21]
Chennai's soil is mostly clay, shale and sandstone.[22] Sandy areas are found along the river banks and coasts, such as Tiruvanmiyur, Adyar, Kottivakkam, Santhome, George Town, Tondiarpet and the rest of coastal Chennai. Here rainwater runoff percolates quickly through the soil. Clay underlies most of the city including T. Nagar, West Mambalam, Anna Nagar, Perambur and Virugambakkam. Areas of hard rock include Guindy, Velachery, Adambakkam and a part of Saidapet.[23]
An aerial view of the Adyar Estuary and the gardens of the Theosophical Society on its southern banksChennai is divided into four parts: North, Central, South and West. North Chennai is primarily an industrial area. Central Chennai is the commercial heart of the city and includes an important business district, Parry's Corner. South Chennai and West Chennai, previously mostly residential, are fast becoming commercial, home to a growing number of information technology firms, financial companies and call centres. The city is expanding quickly along the Old Mahabalipuram Road and the Grand Southern Trunk Road (GST Road) in the south and towards Ambattur, Koyambedu and Sriperumbdur in the west.[24] Chennai is one of the few cities in the world that accommodates a national park, the Guindy National Park, within its limits.[25]
Chennai lies on the thermal equator and is also coastal, which prevents extreme variation in seasonal temperature. For most of the year, the weather is hot and humid. The hottest part of the year is late May and early June, known locally as Agni Nakshatram ("fire star") or as Kathiri Veyyil,[26] with maximum temperatures around 38–42 °C (100–107 °F). The coolest part of the year is January, with minimum temperatures around 19–20 °C (66–68 °F). The lowest temperature recorded is 15.8 °C (60.44 °F) and highest 45 °C (113 °F).[27][28] The average annual rainfall is about 1,300 mm (51 inches). The city gets most of its seasonal rainfall from the north-east monsoon winds, from mid-September to mid-December. Cyclones in the Bay of Bengal sometimes hit the city. Highest annual rainfall recorded is 2,570 mm (101 in) in 2005.[29] The most prevailing winds in Chennai are the Southwesterly between May and September and the Northeasterly during the rest of the year.
[edit] Administration and utility services
City officials, as of September 2007[30][31]
Mayor Ma. Subramanian
Deputy Mayor R. Sathya Bama
Corporation Commissioner Rajesh Lakhoni
Commissioner of Police G. Nanjil Kumaran
Main article: Administration of Chennai
See also: Chennai architecture and Subdivisions of India
Chennai city is governed by the Corporation of Chennai, consisting of 155 councillors who represent 155 wards and are directly elected by the city's residents. From among themselves, the councillors elect a mayor and a deputy mayor who preside over about six standing committees.[32] Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu state, houses the state executive and legislative headquarters primarily in the Secretariat Buildings on the Fort St George campus but also in many other buildings scattered around the city. The Madras High Court, whose jurisdiction extends across Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, is the highest judicial authority in the state and is also in the city. Chennai has three parliamentary constituencies—Chennai North, Chennai Central and Chennai South—and elects 18 Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) to the state legislature.
Chennai city police carThe metropolitan region of Chennai covers many suburbs that are part of Kanchipuram and Thiruvallur districts. The larger suburbs are governed by town municipalities, and the smaller ones are governed by town councils called panchayats. While the city covers an area of 174 km² (67 mi²),[33] the metropolitan area is spread over 1,189 km² (458 mi²).[34] The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) has drafted a Second Master Plan that aims to develop satellite townships around the city. Contiguous satellite towns include Mahabalipuram to the south, Chengalpattu and Maraimalai Nagar to the southwest, and Kanchipuram town, Sriperumpudur, Tiruvallur and Arakkonam to the west.
The Greater Chennai Police department, a division of the Tamil Nadu Police, is the law enforcement agency in the city. The city police force is headed by a commissioner of police, and administrative control rests with the Tamil Nadu Home Ministry. The department consists of 36 subdivisions with a total of 121 police stations, of which 15 are ISO 9001:2000 certified.[35] The city's traffic is managed by the Chennai City Traffic Police (CCTP). The Metropolitan suburbs are policed by the Chennai Metropolitan Police, and outer district areas are policed by the Kanchipuram and Thiruvallur police departments.
Ripon Building, which houses the Chennai Corporation, was completed 1913. It is named after former viceroy Lord Ripon.The Corporation of Chennai and municipalities of the suburbs provide civic services. Garbage in most zones is handled by JBM Fanalca Environment Management, a private company, and by the Chennai Corporation in the other zones. Water supply and sewage treatment are handled by the Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewage Board, popularly referred to as Metro Water. Electricity is supplied by the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board.[36] The city's telephone service is provided by six mobile phone companies and four landline companies,[37][38] which also provide broadband Internet access, along with Sify and Hathway.
Historically, Chennai has relied on annual monsoon rains to replenish water reservoirs, as no major rivers flow through the area. Steadily growing in population, the city has faced water supply shortages, and its ground water levels have been depleted. An earlier Veeranam Lake project failed to solve the city's water problems, but the New Veeranam project, which became operational in September 2004, has greatly reduced dependency on distant sources.[39] In recent years, heavy and consistent monsoon rains and rainwater harvesting (RWH) by Chennai Metrowater at its Anna Nagar Rain Centre have significantly reduced water shortages.[40] Moreover, newer projects like the Telugu Ganga project that bring water from water-surplus rivers like the Krishna River in Andhra Pradesh have eased water shortages. The city is constructing sea water desalination plants to further increase the water supply.[41][42]
[edit] Economy
Main article: Economy of Chennai
See also: List of IT companies in Chennai and List of Tech Parks in Chennai
Parry's Corner, one of the older business districts in ChennaiChennai has a diversified economic base anchored by the automobile, software services, hardware manufacturing, healthcare and financial services industries.[43] As of 2000, the city's total personal income was Rs. 12,488.83 crores, making up 10.9% of the total income of Tamil Nadu.[44] In 2001, the total workforce in Chennai was about 1.5 million, which was 31.79% of its population. According to the 1991 census, most of the city's workforce was involved in trade (25.65%), manufacturing (23.52%), transportation (10.72%), construction (6.3%) and other services (31.8%). Chennai metropolitan area accounts for over 75% of the sales tax revenue in the state.[45]
The city is base to around 30% of India's automobile industry[46] and 35% of its auto components industry.[47] A large number of automotive companies including Hyundai, Ford, BMW, Mitsubishi, TVS Motors (TVS), Ashok Leyland and Madras Rubber Factory (MRF), have manufacturing plants in and around Chennai. The Heavy Vehicles Factory at Avadi produces military vehicles, including India's main battle tank: Arjun MBT. The Integral Coach Factory manufactures railway coaches and other rolling stock for Indian Railways.[48] The Ambattur-Padi industrial zone houses many textile manufacturers, and an SEZ for apparel and footwear manufacture has been set up in the southern suburbs of the city.[49] Chennai contributes more than 50% of India's leather exports.[50]
Tidel Park is one of the largest software parks in India.The city is an electronics manufacturing hub where multinational corporations like Dell, Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, Flextronics and Foxconn have set up electronics and hardware manufacturing plants, mainly in the Sriperumbudur Special Economic Zone (SEZ). Many software and software services companies have development centres in Chennai, which contributed 14% of India's total software exports of Rs.144,214 crores during 2006–07, making it the second-largest exporter of software in the country, behind Bangalore.[6] Prominent financial institutions, including the World Bank, have back office operations in the city.[51] Chennai is home to three large national level commercial banks[52][53][54] and many state level co-operative banks, finance and insurance companies. Some of India's well-known healthcare institutions such as Apollo Hospitals (the largest private healthcare provider in Asia),[55] Sankara Nethralaya and Sri Ramachandra Medical Center are based in the city, making it one of the preferred destinations for medical tourists from across the globe.[56] Telecom giants Ericsson and Alcatel-Lucent, pharmaceuticals giant Pfizer and chemicals giant Dow Chemicals have research and development facilities in Chennai. TICEL bio-tech park[57] and Golden Jubilee bio-tech park[58] at Siruseri house biotechnology companies and laboratories. Chennai has a fully computerised stock exchange called the Madras Stock Exchange.
[edit] Demographics
Ranganathan Street in T.Nagar is usually packed with pedestrian shoppers.Residents of Chennai are called Chennaiites. As of 2001, Chennai city had a population of 4.34 million, while the total metropolitan population was 7.04 million.[59] The estimated metropolitan population in 2006 is 7.5 million.[2] In 2001, the population density in the city was 24,682 per km² (9,534 per mi²), while the population density of the metropolitan area was 5,922 per km² (2,287 mi²), making it one of the most densely populated cities in the world.[59][60] The sex ratio is 951 females for every 1,000 males,[61] slightly higher than the national average of 934.[62] The average literacy rate is 80.14%,[63] much higher than the national average of 64.5%. The city has the fourth highest population of slum dwellers among major cities in India, with about 820,000 people (18.6% of its population) living in slum conditions.[64] This number represents about 5% of the total slum population of India. In 2005, the crime rate in the city was 313.3 per 100,000 people, accounting for 6.2% of all crimes reported in major cities in India.[65] The number of crimes in the city showed a significant increase of 61.8% from 2004.[66]
According to the 2001 census, Hindus constitute about 82.27% of the city's population, and Muslims (8.37%), Christians (7.63%) and Jains (1.05%) are other major religious groups.[67] The majority of the residents of Chennai are Tamils and speak Tamil. English is also widely spoken, especially in business, education and white collar professions. Sizeable Telugu and Malayalee communities live in the city.[68] Chennai also has a large migrant population, who come from other parts of Tamil Nadu and the rest of the country. As of 2001, out of the 937,000 migrants (21.57% of its population) in the city, 74.5% were from other parts of the state, 23.8% were from rest of India and 1.7% were from outside the country.[69]
[edit] Culture
A traditional Bharata natyam performanceMain articles: Culture of Chennai and Cuisine of Chennai
See also: Tamil cuisine
Chennai's culture reflects its diverse population. The city is known for its classical dance shows and Hindu temples. Every December, Chennai holds a five-week long Music Season celebrating the 1927 opening of the Madras Music Academy.[70] It features performances (kutcheries) of traditional Carnatic music by hundreds of artists in and around the city. Chennai is also known for Bharatanatyam, a classical dance form that originated in Tamil Nadu. An important cultural centre for Bharatanatyam is Kalakshetra, on the beach in the south of the city.[71]
Chennai is the base for the large Tamil movie industry, dubbed Kollywood after Kodambakkam, home to most of the movie studios.[72] The industry makes more than 150 Tamil movies a year,[73] and its soundtracks dominate the city's music. Chennai's theatres stage many Tamil plays; political satire, slapstick comedy, history, mythology and drama are among the popular genres.[74][75][76] English plays are also staged in the city.
Among Chennai's festivals, Pongal, celebrated over five days in January, is the most important. Tamil New Year's Day, signifying the beginning of the Tamil year, usually falls on April 14. Almost all major religious festivals such as Deepavali, Eid and Christmas are celebrated in Chennai. Tamil cuisine in Chennai includes vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. Many of the city's restaurants offer light meals or tiffin, which usually include rice-based dishes like pongal, dosai, idli and vadai, served with steaming hot filter coffee.
[edit] Transport
Main article: Transport in Chennai
An MTC bus and an auto rickshaw, two of the most common modes of public transport in ChennaiThe Chennai International Airport, comprising the Anna International Airport and the Kamaraj Domestic Airport, handles domestic as well as international flights and is the third busiest airport in India.[77][78] The city is connected to major hubs in South Asia, South East Asia, the Middle East, Europe and North America through more than 30 national and international carriers. The airport is the second busiest cargo terminus in the country. The existing airport is undergoing further modernisation and expansion, and a new Greenfield Airport, with four runways, is to be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 2,000 crore in Sriperumbudur.[79]
The city is served by two major ports, Chennai Port, one of the largest artificial ports, and Ennore Port. The Chennai port is India's second busiest container hub, handling automobiles and general industrial cargo. The Ennore port handles cargo such as coal, ore and other bulk products.[80] A smaller harbour at Royapuram is used by local fishing boats and trawlers.
Chennai is well connected to other parts of India by road and rail. Five major national highways radiate outward towards Mumbai, Kolkata, Trichy, Tiruvallur and Pondicherry.[81] The Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus (CMBT), the terminus for all intercity buses from Chennai, is the largest bus station in Asia.[82] Seven government-owned transport corporations operate inter-city and inter-state bus services. Many private inter-city and inter-state bus companies also operate services to and from Chennai.
MRTS Train station in ChennaiThe city has two main railway terminals. Chennai Central station, the city's largest, provides access to trains to major cities like Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Delhi, Hyderabad, and Coimbatore as well as to smaller towns across India.[83] Chennai Egmore is a stop for trains traveling primarily within Tamil Nadu; it also handles a few inter-state trains.[84]
Buses, trains, and auto rickshaws are the most popular form of public transport within the city. The Chennai suburban railway network consists of four broad gauge rail sectors, three of which are Chennai Central–Arakkonam, Chennai Central–Sullurpeta and Chennai Beach–Chengalpattu. The fourth sector is an elevated Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) which links Chennai Beach to Thiruvanmiyur and is interlinked with the remaining rail network. The city has plans for an underground Metro.[85] The Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) runs an extensive city bus system consisting of 2,815 buses on 551 routes and transports an estimated 3.85 million passengers daily.[86] Vans, popularly known as Maxi Cabs, ply many routes in the city and provide an alternative to bus. Metered call taxis, tourist taxis and auto rickshaws are also available on hire. Chennai's transportation infrastructure provides coverage and connectivity, but growing use has caused traffic congestion and pollution. The government has tried to address these problems by constructing flyovers at major intersections, starting with the Gemini flyover, built in 1973 over the most important arterial road, Anna Salai.[87][88]
[edit] Media
Main article: Media in Chennai
See also: List of Tamil language television channels
Newspaper publishing started in Chennai with the launch of a weekly, The Madras Courier, in 1785.[89] It was followed by the weeklies The Madras Gazzette and The Government Gazzette in 1795. The Spectator, founded in 1836, was the first English newspaper in Chennai to be owned by an Indian and became the city's first daily newspaper in 1853.[90] The first Tamil newspaper, Swadesamitran, was launched in 1899.[89]
The major English dailies published in Chennai are The Hindu, The New Indian Express, The Deccan Chronicle and evening dailies, The Trinity Mirror and The News Today. As of 2004, The Hindu was the city's most read English newspaper, with a daily circulation of 267,349.[91] The major business dailies published from the city are The Economic Times, The Hindu Business Line, Business Standard, and The Financial Express. The major Tamil dailies include the Dina Thanthi, Dinakaran, Dina Mani, Dina Malar, Tamil Murasu, Makkal Kural and Malai Malar.[92] Neighbourhood newspapers such as The Annanagar Times and The Adyar Times cater to particular localities. Magazines published from Chennai include Ananda Vikatan, Kumudam, Kalki, Kungumam, Swathi (Telugu magazine), Frontline and Sportstar.
Doordarshan runs two terrestrial television channels and two satellite television channels from its Chennai centre, which was set up in 1974. Private Tamil satellite television networks like Sun TV, Raj TV, Star Vijay, Jaya TV, Makkal TV and Kalaignar TV broadcast out of Chennai. The Sun Network, a Rs. 4,395 crore public firm, is based in the city and is the country's second-largest broadcasting company in viewership share.[93][94] The group owns 19 TV channels in all major South Indian languages, FM radio stations in eleven cities and a few Tamil magazines and newspapers.[95][96][94] While SCV and Hathway are the major cable TV service providers, Direct-to-home (DTH) is available via DD Direct Plus, Dish TV and Tata Sky.[97][98] Chennai is the first city in India to have implemented the Conditional Access System for cable television.[99] Radio broadcasting started from the radio station at the Rippon Buildings complex, founded in 1930 and was then shifted to All India Radio in 1938.[89] The city has two AM and ten FM radio stations, operated by Anna University, All India Radio and private broadcasters.[100]
[edit] Education
Main article: Education in Chennai
See also: Schools in Chennai and Education in India
The main entrance to the Anna UniversitySchools in Chennai are either run publicly by the Tamil Nadu government or privately, some with financial aid from the government.[101] The medium of education is either English or Tamil. Most schools are affiliated with the Tamil Nadu State Board, the Matriculation Board or the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).[102] A few schools are affiliated with the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) board, Anglo-Indian board or the Montessori system. Schooling begins at the age of three with two years of kindergarten followed by ten years of primary and secondary education. Students then need to complete two years of higher secondary education in either science or commerce before being eligible for college education in a general or professional field of study.[103][104] There are 1,389 schools in the city, out of which 731 are primary, 232 are secondary and 426 are higher secondary schools.[105]
The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) and Anna University are two well known centers for engineering education in the city; most city colleges that offer engineering programs are affiliated with Anna University. Madras Medical College (MMC), Stanley Medical College (SMC), Kilpauk Medical College and Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute (SRMC) are the notable medical colleges in Chennai.
Colleges for science, arts and commerce degrees are typically affiliated with the University of Madras, which has three campuses in the city; some colleges such as Loyola College are autonomous. Research institutions like the Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI), the Central Electronics Engineering Research Institute (CEERI) and the Institute for Financial Management and Research (IFMR) are in the city. The Connemara Public Library is one of four National Depository Centres in India that receive a copy of all newspapers and books published in India.[106] It has been declared a UNESCO information centre.[107]
[edit] Sports
Main article: Sport in Chennai
The M.A. Chidambaram Cricket StadiumCricket is the most popular sport in Chennai.[108] The M.A. Chidambaram Stadium (MAC) in Chepauk is one of the oldest cricket stadiums in India.[109] The Chemplast Cricket Ground on the IIT Madras campus is another important venue hosting first class matches. Prominent cricketers from the city include former Test-captains S. Venkataraghavan and Kris Srikkanth.[110][111] A cricket fast bowling academy, the MRF Pace Foundation, whose coaches include Dennis Lillee, is based in Chennai.[112][113]
Chennai has produced popular tennis players[114][115][116] and is host to an Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) event, the Chennai Open.[117] The city is home to a Premiere Hockey League (PHL) team, the Chennai Veerans, and has hosted many hockey tournaments such as the Champions Trophy.[118] Football and athletic competitions are held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, which also houses a multi-purpose indoor complex for competition in volleyball, basketball and table tennis. Water sports are played in the Velachery Aquatic Complex. Chennai was the venue of the South Asian Games (SAF Games) in 1995.[119]
Auto racing in India has been closely connected with Chennai since its beginnings shortly after independence. Motor racing events are held on a special purpose track in Irungattukottai, Sriperumbudur,[120] which has also been the venue for several international competitions.[121] Horse racing is held at the Guindy Race Course, while rowing competitions are hosted at the Madras Boat Club. The city has two 18-hole golf courses, the Cosmopolitan Club and the Gymkhana Club, both established in the late nineteenth century. Viswanathan Anand, the chess World champion and the world's top ranked chess player as of October 2007, grew up in Chennai.[122] [123] [124]
Other athletes of repute from Chennai include table tennis players Sharath Kamal[125] and two-time world carrom champion, Maria Irudayam.[126] The city has a rugby team called the Chennai Cheetahs.[127]
[edit] Sister cities
Denver, Colorado, United States[128]
Volgograd, Russia[129]
Frankfurt, Germany
In April 2007, San Antonio, Texas, United States, expressed interest in a partnership.[130
Bangolore , India
Bangalore
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Ten things you may not know about Wikipedia •Jump to: navigation, search
For other uses, see Bangalore (disambiguation).
?Bangalore
Bengalūru
Karnataka • India
Vidhana Soudha
Bengalūru
Coordinates: 12°58′13″N 77°33′37″E / 12.970214, 77.56029
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
Area
• Elevation 741 km² (286 sq mi)[1]
• 920 m (3,018 ft)
Region Bayaluseeme
District(s) Bangalore Urban
Population
• Density 5,280,000 (3rd) (2007)
• 7,126/km² (18,456/sq mi)
Commissioner Dr.S. Subramanya
Codes
• Pincode
• Telephone
• UN/LOCODE
• Vehicle
• 560 xxx
• +91-(0)80
• IN BLR
• KA 01, KA 02, KA 03, KA 04, KA 05, KA 41, KA 50, KA 51, KA 53
Coordinates: 12°58′13″N 77°33′37″E / 12.970214, 77.56029 Bangalore (Indian English: [ˈbæŋgəloːɾ] (help·info)), officially Bengaluru (Kannada: ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು, ['beŋgəɭuːru] (help·info)), is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore has an estimated metropolitan population of 65 lakh (6.5 million), making it India's third-most populous city and fifth-largest metropolitan area. Though historically attested at least since 900 CE, recorded history of the city starts from 1537, when Kempe Gowda I, widely regarded as the founder of modern Bangalore, built a mud fort and established it as a province of the Vijayanagara Empire.
During the British Raj, Bangalore developed as a centre for colonial rule in South India. The establishment of the Bangalore Cantonment brought in large numbers of migrants from other parts of the country. Since independence in 1947, Bangalore has developed into one of India's major economic hubs and is today counted among the best places in the world to do business.[2]. It is home to several public sector heavy industries, software companies, aerospace, telecommunications, machine tools, heavy equipment, and defence establishments. Known for a long time as the 'Pensioner's paradise', Bangalore today is commonly referred to as the Silicon valley of India due to its pre-eminent position as India's technology capital.[3][4] Home to prestigious colleges and research institutions, the city has the second-highest literacy rate among the metropolitan cities in the nation. However, as a large and growing metropolis in the developing world, Bangalore continues to struggle with problems such as air pollution, traffic congestion, and crime.
Contents [hide]
1 Name
2 History
3 Geography
4 Civic Administration
5 Economy
6 Transport
7 Demographics
8 Culture
9 Education
10 Media
11 References
12 External links
[edit] Name
The name Bangalore is an anglicised version of the city's name in the Kannada language, Bengalūru. The earliest reference to the name "Bengaluru" was found in a 9th century Western Ganga Dynasty stone inscription on a "vīra kallu" (literally, "hero stone", a rock edict extolling the virtues of a warrior). In this inscription found in Begur, "Bengaluru" is referred to as a place in which a battle was fought in 890. It states that the place was part of the Ganga kingdom until 1004 and was known as "Bengaval-uru", the "City of Guards" in Old Kannada.[5] An article, published in The Hindu, states:[6]
An inscription, dating back to 890 CE, shows Bengaluru is over 1,000 years old. But it stands neglected at the Parvathi Nageshwara Temple in Begur near the city...written in Hale Kannada (Old Kannada) of the 9th century CE, the epigraph refers to a Bengaluru war in 890 in which Buttanachetty, a servant of Nagatta, died. Though this has been recorded by historian R. Narasimhachar in his Epigraphia of Carnatica (Vol. 10 supplementary), no efforts have been made to preserve it.
A popular anecdote (although one contradicted by historical evidence) recounts that the 11th-century Hoysala king Veera Ballala II, while on a hunting expedition, lost his way in the forest. Tired and hungry, he came across a poor old woman who served him boiled beans. The grateful king named the place "benda kaal-ooru" (Kannada: ಬೆಂದಕಾಳೂರು) (literally, "town of boiled beans"), which was eventually colloquialised to "Bengalūru".[7][8] There are also theories that the name has a floral origin and is derived from the tree Benga or "Ven-kai", also known as the Indian Kino Tree (Pterocarpus marsupium).[9]
On December 11, 2005, the Government of Karnataka announced that it had accepted a proposal by Jnanpith Award winner U. R. Ananthamurthy to rename Bangalore to Bengaluru, which is its name in Kannada.[10] On September 27, 2006, the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) passed a resolution to implement the proposed name change,[11] which was accepted by the Government of Karnataka and it was decided to officially implement the name change from November 1, 2006.[12] However, this process has been currently stalled due to delays in getting clearances from the Union Home Ministry.[13]
[edit] History
The Bugle Rock - one of Kempe Gowda II's four watch towers also served as the site of a military camp for the Mysore army during the third Anglo-Mysore war.
South Parade (now Mahatma Gandhi Road) during colonial times.Main article: History of Bangalore
After centuries of the rule of the Western Gangas, Bangalore was captured by the Cholas in 1024 which later passed on to the Chalukya-cholas in 1070. In 1116 the Hoysala Empire, overthrew the Cholas and extended its rule over Bangalore. Modern Bangalore was founded by a vassal of the Vijayanagara Empire, Kempe Gowda I, who built a mud fort and a Nandi Temple in the proximity of modern Bangalore in 1537. Kempe Gowda referred to the new town as his "gandu bhoomi" or "Land of Heroes".[8]
Within the fort, the town was divided into smaller divisions called petes (IPA: [peɪteɪ]). The town had two main streets: Chickkapete Street, which ran east-west, and Doddapete Street, which ran north-south. Their intersection formed the Doddapete Square — the heart of Bangalore. Kempe Gowda's successor, Kempe Gowda II, built four famous towers that marked Bangalore's boundary.[14] During the Vijayanagara rule, Bangalore was also referred to as "Devarāyanagara" and "Kalyānapura" ("Auspicious City"). After the fall of the Vijayanagara Empire, Bangalore's rule changed hands several times. In 1638, a large Bijapur army led by Ranadulla Khan and accompanied by Shahji Bhonsle defeated Kempe Gowda III and Bangalore was given to Shahji as a jagir. In 1687, the Mughal general Kasim Khan defeated Ekoji, son of Shahji, and then sold Bangalore to Chikkadevaraja Wodeyar (1673–1704) of Mysore for 300,000 rupees.[15][16] After the death of Krishnaraja Wodeyar II in 1759, Hyder Ali, Commander-in-Chief of the Mysore Army, proclaimed himself the de facto ruler of Mysore. The kingdom later passed to Hyder Ali's son Tippu Sultan, known as the Tiger of Mysore. Bangalore was eventually incorporated into the British East Indian Empire after Tippu Sultan was defeated and killed in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War (1799). The British returned administrative control of the Bangalore "pete" to the Maharaja of Mysore, choosing only to retain the Cantonment under their jurisdiction. The 'Residency' of Mysore State was first established at Mysore in 1799 and later shifted to Bangalore in the year 1804. It was abolished in the year 1843 only to be revived in 1881 at Bangalore and finally to be closed down in 1947 with the departure of the British. The British, found it easier to recruit employees in the Madras Presidency and relocate them to cantonment area during this period. The Kingdom of Mysore relocated its capital from Mysore city to Bangalore in 1831.[17] Two important developments during this period contributed to the rapid growth of the city: the introduction of telegraph connections and a rail connection to Madras in 1864.
In the 19th century, Bangalore essentially became a twin city, with the "pete", whose residents were predominantly Kannadigas, and the "cantonment" created by the British, whose residents were predominantly Tamils. [18] Bangalore was hit by a plague epidemic in 1898 that dramatically reduced its population. New extensions in Malleshwara and Basavanagudi were developed in the north and south of the pete. Telephone lines were laid to help co-ordinate anti-plague operations, and a health officer was appointed to the city in 1898. In 1906, Bangalore became the first city in India to have electricity, powered by the hydroelectric plant situated in Shivanasamudra. Bangalore's reputation as the Garden City of India began in 1927 with the Silver Jubilee celebrations of the rule of Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV. Several projects such as the construction of parks, public buildings and hospitals were instituted to beautify the city. After Indian independence in August 1947, Bangalore remained in the new Mysore State of which the Maharaja of Mysore was the Rajapramukh. Public sector employment and education provided opportunities for Kannadigas from the rest of the state to migrate to the city. Bangalore experienced rapid growth in the decades 1941–51 and 1971–81 , which saw the arrival of many immigrants from northern Karnataka. By 1961, Bangalore had become the sixth largest city in India, with a population of 1,207,000.[14] In the decades that followed, Bangalore's manufacturing base continued to expand with the establishment of private companies such as Motor Industries Company (MICO; a subsidiary of Robert Bosch GmbH), which set up its manufacturing plant in the city. Bangalore experienced a boom in its real estate market in the 1980s and 1990s, spurred by capital investors from other parts of the country who converted Bangalore's large plots and colonial bungalows to multi-storied apartments.[19] In 1985, Texas Instruments became the first multinational to set up base in Bangalore. Other Information Technology companies followed suit and by the end of the 20th century, Bangalore had firmly established itself as the Silicon Valley of India.
[edit] Geography
The Hesaraghatta Lake in BangaloreMain article: Bangalore Metropolitan Environment
Bangalore lies in the southeast of the South Indian state of Karnataka. It is in the heart of the Mysore Plateau (a region of the larger Precambrian Deccan Plateau) at an average elevation of 920 m (3,018 feet). It is positioned at 12.97° N 77.56° E and covers an area of 741 km² (286 mi²).[1] The majority of the city of Bangalore lies in the Bangalore Urban district of Karnataka and the surrounding rural areas are a part of the Bangalore Rural district. The Government of Karnataka has carved out the new district of Ramanagaram from the old Bangalore Rural district.
The topology of Bangalore is flat except for a central ridge running NNE-SSW. The highest point is Doddabettahalli, which is 962 m (3,156 ft) and lies on this ridge.[20] No major rivers run through the city, though the Arkavathi and South Pennar cross paths at the Nandi Hills, 60 km (37 mi.) to the north. River Vrishabhavathi, a minor tributary of the Arkavathi, arises within the city at Basavanagudi and flows through the city. The rivers Arkavathi and Vrishabhavathi together carry much of Bangalore's sewage. A sewerage system, constructed in 1922, covers 215 km² (133 mi²) of the city and connects with five sewage treatment centers located in the periphery of Bangalore.[21]
In the 16th century, Kempe Gowda I constructed many lakes to meet the town's water requirements. The Kempambudhi Kere, since overrun by modern development, was prominent among those lakes. In the earlier half of 20th century, the Nandi Hills waterworks was commissioned by Sir Mirza Ismail (Diwan of Mysore, 1926–41 CE) to provide a water supply to the city. Currently, the river Kaveri provides around 80% of the total water supply to the city with the remaining 20% being obtained from the Thippagondanahalli and Hesaraghatta reservoirs of the river Arkavathy.[22] Bangalore receives 800 million litres (211 million US gallons) of water a day, more than any other Indian city.[23] However, Bangalore sometimes does face water shortages, especially during the summer season in the years of low rainfall. A random sampling study of the Air Quality Index (AQI) of twenty stations within the city indicated scores that ranged from 76 to 314, suggesting heavy to severe air pollution around areas of traffic concentration.[24]
Bangalore has a handful of freshwater lakes and water tanks, the largest of which are Madivala tank, Hebbal lake, Ulsoor lake and Sankey Tank. Groundwater occurs in silty to sandy layers of the alluvial sediments. The Peninsular Gneissic Complex (PGC) is the most dominant rock unit in the area and includes granites, gneisses and migmatites, while the soils of Bangalore consist of red laterite and red, fine loamy to clayey soils.[24] Vegetation in the city is primarily in the form of large deciduous canopy and minority coconut trees. Though Bangalore has been classified as a part of the seismic zone II (a stable zone), it has experienced quakes of magnitude as high as 4.5.[25]
Due to its high elevation, Bangalore usually enjoys salubrious climate throughout the year, although freak heat waves can make things very uncomfortable in the summer.[26] A common refrain among Bangaloreans is that summer has gotten progressively hotter over the years. This could be due to the loss of green cover in the city, increased urbanization and the resulting urban heat island effect, as well as possibly climate change. The coolest month is January with an average low temperature of 15.1 °C and the hottest month is April with an average high temperature of 33.6 °C.[27] The highest temperature ever recorded in Bangalore is 41 °C and the lowest ever is 7.8 °C.[citation needed] Winter temperatures rarely drop below 12 °C (54 °F), and summer temperatures seldom exceed 36–37 °C (100 °F). Bangalore receives rainfall from both the northeast and the southwest monsoons and the wettest months are September, October and August, in that order.[27] The summer heat is moderated by fairly frequent thunderstorms, which occasionally cause power outages and local flooding. The heaviest rainfall recorded in a 24-hour period is 180 mm (7 in) recorded on 1 October 1997.
[edit] Civic Administration
See also: Infrastructure in Bangalore
Bangalore City officials
Administrator S. Dilip Rau
Municipal Commissioner Dr. S. Subramanya
Police Commissioner N. Achuta Rao
The Karnataka High Court is the supreme judicial body in Karnataka and is located in Bangalore.The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP, Greater Bangalore Municipal Corporation) is in charge of the civic administration of the city.[28] It was formed in 2007 by merging 100 wards of the erstwhile Bangalore Mahanagara Palike, with the neighbouring 7 City Municipal Councils (CMC), one Town Municipal Council and 110 villages around Bangalore.[28]
Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike is run by a city council. The city council comprises elected representatives, called "corporators", one from each of the wards (localities) of the city. Elections to the council are held once every 5 years, with results being decided by popular vote. A mayor and commissioner of the council are also elected through a quota system from a Scheduled Castes and Tribes candidate or to an Other Backward Class female candidate. Members contesting elections to the council represent one of more of the state's political parties. However, elections to the newly-created body are yet to be held, due to delays in delimitation of wards and finalising voter lists. There are expected to be about 150 wards, up from the 100 wards of the old Bangalore Mahanagara Palike. Elections are tentatively scheduled to be held in early 2008.
Bangalore's rapid growth has created several problems relating to traffic congestion and infrastructural obsolescence that the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike has found challenging to address. A 2003 Battelle Environmental Evaluation System (BEES) evaluation of Bangalore's physical, biological and socioeconomic parameters indicated that Bangalore's water quality and terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems were close to ideal, while the city's socioeconomic parameters (traffic, quality of life) scored poorly.[29] The BMP has been criticised by the Karnataka High Court, citizens and corporations for failing to effectively address the crumbling road and traffic infrastructure of Bangalore.[30] The unplanned nature of growth in the city resulted in massive traffic gridlocks that the municipality attempted to ease by constructing a flyover system and by imposing one-way traffic systems.
The Public Utility Building on MG Road.Some of the flyovers and one-ways mitigated the traffic situation moderately but were unable to adequately address the disproportionate growth of city traffic.[29] In 2005 both the Central Government and the State Government allocated considerable portions of their annual budgets to address Bangalore's infrastructure.[31] The Bangalore Mahanagara Palike works with the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) and the Bangalore Agenda Task Force (BATF) to design and implement civic projects. Bangalore generates about 3,000 tonnes of solid waste per day, of which about 1,139 tonnes are collected and sent to composting units such as the Karnataka Composting Development Corporation. The remaining solid waste collected by the municipality is dumped in open spaces or on roadsides outside the city.[32]
The Bangalore City Police (BCP) is headed by a Police Commissioner, who is an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer. The BCP has six geographic zones, includes the Traffic Police, the City Armed Reserve, the Central Crime Branch and the City Crime Record Bureau and runs 86 police stations, including two all-women police stations.[33] As capital of the state of Karnataka, Bangalore houses important state government facilities such as the Karnataka High Court, the Vidhana Soudha (the home of the Karnataka state legislature) and Raj Bhavan (the residence of the Governor of Karnataka). Bangalore contributes two members to India's lower house of parliament, the Lok Sabha, and 24 members to the Karnataka State Assembly.[34] In 2007, the Delimitation Commission of India reorganised the constituencies based on the 2001 census, and thus the number of Assembly and Parliamentary constituencies in Bangalore has been increased to 28 and 3 respectively.[35] These changes will take effect from the next elections. Electricity in Bangalore is regulated through the Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited (KPTCL). Like many cities in India, Bangalore experiences scheduled power cuts, especially over the summer, to allow electricity providers to meet the consumption demands of households as well as corporations.
[edit] Economy
Main article: Economy of Bangalore
See also: List of IT companies in Bangalore
Infosys headquartersBangalore's Rs. 260,260 crore (USD 60.5 billion) economy (2002–03 Net District Income) makes it a major economic centre in India.[36] Indeed, Bangalore is India's fourth largest[37] and fastest growing market.[38] Bangalore's per capita income of Rs. .49,000 (US$ 1,160) is the highest for any Indian city.[37] The city is the third-largest hub for high net worth individuals (HNWI / HNIs), after Mumbai and Delhi. Bangalore is home to over 10,000 individual dollar millionaires and around 60,000 super-rich people who have an investable surplus of Rs. 4.5 crore and Rs. 50 lakh respectively.[39] As of 2001, Bangalore's share of Rs. 1660 crore (US$ 3.7 billion) in Foreign Direct Investment was the third highest for an Indian city.[40] In the 1940s industrial visionaries such as Sir Mirza Ismail and Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya played an important role in the development of Bangalore's strong manufacturing and industrial base. Bangalore is headquarters to several public manufacturing heavy industries such as Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), Bharat Electronics Limited, Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) and Hindustan Machine Tools (HMT). In June 1972 the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) was established under the Department of Space and headquartered in the city. Bangalore is called the "Silicon Valley of India" because of the large number of Information Technology companies located in the city which contributed 33% of India's Rs. 144,214 crore (US$ 32 billion) IT exports in 2006-07.[41]
iFlex technology park in BangaloreBangalore's IT industry is divided into three main "clusters" — Software Technology Parks of India, Bangalore (STPI); International Technology Park Bangalore (ITPB), formerly International Technology Park Ltd. (ITPL); and Electronics City. Infosys and Wipro, India's second and third largest software companies, have their largest campus in Electronics City. As headquarters to many of the global SEI-CMM Level 5 Companies, Bangalore's place in the global IT map is prominent. The growth of Information Technology has presented the city with unique challenges. Ideological clashes sometimes occur between the city's IT moguls, who demand an improvement in the city's infrastructure and the state government, whose electoral base is primarily the people in rural Karnataka.[42] Bangalore is a hub for biotechnology related industry in India and in the year 2005, around 47% of the 265 biotechnology companies in India were located here; including Biocon, India's largest biotechnology company.[43][44]
[edit] Transport
Kingfisher Airlines which is based in Bangalore
Autorickshaws are a popular form of public transportBangalore's HAL Airport (IATA code: BLR) is India's fourth busiest[45][46] and functions as both domestic and international airport and is well connected to several destinations in the world. Unlike most airports in the country which are controlled by the Airports Authority of India, the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited owns and operates this airport, and also uses it to test and develop fighter aircraft for the Indian Air Force.[47] With the liberalisation of India's economic policies, many domestic carriers such as SpiceJet, Kingfisher Airlines, Jet Airways and Go Air have started servicing the city, which has led to congestion problems at this airport.[48] This situation is expected to be eased when the new Bangalore International Airport, which is being constructed in Devanahalli in the outskirts of Bangalore, becomes operational. Currently targeted to be inaugurated in April 2008, this airport will have two runways and is being built to handle 11 million passengers per year.[49] Air Deccan and Kingfisher Airlines have their headquarters in Bangalore.[50]
Bangalore is well connected to the rest of the country through the Indian Railways. The Rajdhani Express connects Bangalore to New Delhi, the capital of India. The city is also connected to Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, and Hyderabad, as well as other major cities in Karnataka.[51] An intra-city rapid rail transport system called the Namma Metro is being developed and is expected to be operational in 2011. Once completed, this will encompass a 33 km (20.5 mi) elevated and underground rail network, with 32 stations in Phase I and more being added in Phase II.[52]
Three-wheeled, black and yellow auto-rickshaws, referred to as autos, are a popular form of transport.[53] They are metered and can accommodate up to three passengers. Taxi service within Bangalore is provided by several operators commonly referred to as Citi taxis which can take in up to four passengers and are usually metered and more expensive than auto-rickshaws.[53]
Buses operated by Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) are the only means of public transport, available in the city.[54] While commuters can buy tickets on boarding these buses, BMTC also provides an option of a bus pass to frequent users. BMTC also runs air-conditioned red-coloured Volvo buses on major routes.[54]
[edit] Demographics
The Bull temple, one of Bangalore's oldest templesWith an estimated population of 5,281,927 in the year 2007, Bangalore is the third most populous city in India and the 27th most populous city in the world.[55] With a decadal growth rate of 38%, Bangalore was the fastest-growing Indian metropolis after New Delhi for the decade 1991–2001.[40] Residents of Bangalore are referred to as Bangaloreans in English or Bengaloorinavaru in Kannada. While Kannadigas are the majority of the population, the cosmopolitan nature of the city has caused people from other states of India to migrate to Bangalore and settle there.[56] Scheduled Castes and Tribes account for 14.3% of the city's population. Kannada, the official language of the state of Karnataka, is widely spoken in Bangalore.
According to the 2001 census of India, 79.37% of Bangalore's population is Hindu, roughly the same as the national average.[57] Muslims comprise 13.37% of the population, which again is roughly the same as the national average, while Christians and Jains account for 5.79% and 1.05% of the population, respectively, double that of their national averages. Women make up 47.5% of Bangalore's population. Bangalore has the second highest literacy rate (83%) for an Indian metropolis, after Mumbai. Roughly 10% of Bangalore's population lives in slums[58] — a relatively low proportion when compared to other cities in the developing world such as Mumbai (42%) and Nairobi (60%).[59] The 2004 National Crime Records Bureau statistics indicate that Bangalore accounts for 9.2% of the total crimes reported from 35 major cities in India. Delhi and Mumbai accounted for 15.7% and 9.5% respectively.[60]
[edit] Culture
Main article: Culture of Bangalore
The Lal Bagh Glass House, famous for its flower shows, is now a heritage monument
Brigade Road, a shoppers paradiseBangalore is known as the "Garden City of India" [61] because of its greenery and the presence of many public parks, including the Lal Bagh and Cubbon Park. Dasara, a traditional celebratory hallmark of the old Kingdom of Mysore, is the state festival and is celebrated with great vigour. Deepavali, the "Festival of Lights", transcends demographic and religious lines and is another important festival. Other traditional Indian festivals such as Ganesh Chaturthi, Ugadi, Sankranthi, Eid ul-Fitr, and Christmas are also celebrated. Bangalore is home to the Kannada film industry, which churns out about 90 Kannada movies each year.[citation needed]
The diversity of cuisine available is reflective of the social and economic diversity of Bangalore. Roadside vendors, tea stalls, and South Indian, North Indian, Chinese and Western fast food are all very popular in the city. Udupi restaurants are very popular and serve predominantly vegetarian, regional cuisine.
Bangalore is also a major center of Indian classical music and dance. Classical music and dance recitals are widely held throughout the year and particularly during the Ramanavami and Ganesha Chaturthi festivals. The Bengaluru Gayana Samaja has been at the forefront of promoting classical music and dance in the city. The city also has a vibrant Kannada theater scene with organisations like Ranga Shankara and Benaka leading the way. Some of India's biggest names in theater like the late B. V. Karanth, Girish Karnad and others are residents of the city.
Bangalore also is home to an active presence of Rock and other forms of western music. Bands like Iron Maiden, Aerosmith, Scorpions, Roger Waters, Uriah Heep, Jethro Tull, Joe Satriani, INXS, No Doubt, Safri Duo, Black Eyed Peas, Deep Purple, Mark Knopfler, The Rolling Stones, and Bryan Adams, among others, have performed in the city[citation needed]. Bangalore is sometimes referred to as the "Pub Capital of India".[62]
Cricket is one of the most popular sports in Bangalore. A significant number of national cricketers have come from Bangalore, including former Indian cricket team captain Rahul Dravid. Other cricketing greats from Bangalore are Gundappa Vishwanath, Anil Kumble, E.A.S. Prasanna, Venkatesh Prasad, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar, Syed Kirmani and Roger Binny. Many children play gully cricket on the roads and in the city's many public fields. Bangalore's main international cricket stadium is the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, which hosted its first match in 1974.[63] Bangalore has a number of elite clubs, like the Bangalore Golf Club, the Bowring Institute and the exclusive Bangalore Club, which counts among its previous members Winston Churchill and the Maharaja of Mysore.[64]
[edit] Education
See also: Education in India and List of Bangalore colleges
Indian Institute of Science - the premier institute of science in IndiaTill the early 19th century, education in Bangalore was mainly undertaken in schools that were run by religious leaders and restricted to pupils of that religion.[65] The western system of education came into vogue during the rule of Mummadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar when two schools were established in Bangalore. This was followed by a school established by the Wesleyan Mission in 1851 and the Bangalore High School which was started by the Government in 1858.[66]
In the present day, schools for young children in Bangalore are mainly based on the kindergarten form of education.[67] Primary and secondary education in Bangalore is offered by various schools which are affiliated to any one of the boards of education like the Karnataka state board, ICSE, CBSE, National Open School (NOS), IGCSE and IB.[68] There are three kinds of schools in Bangalore viz. government (run by the government), aided (financial aid is provided by the government) and un-aided private (no financial aid is provided).[69] After completing their secondary education, students typically enroll in Junior College (also known as Pre-University) in one of three streams — Arts, Commerce or Science.[70] Upon completing the required coursework, students enroll in general or professional degrees.
Bangalore is also the home of the Bangalore University which was established in 1964. Around 500 colleges, having a total student strength of 300 thousand are affiliated to this university. The university has two campuses within Bangalore; Jnanabharathi and Central College.[71]
Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore which was established in 1909 is the premier institute for scientific research and study in India.[72] Bangalore is also the home of colleges like the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) which is one of the most sought after law colleges in India and the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore which is one of the premier management schools in India.[72]
[edit] Media
Vijaya Karnataka, the largest circulating Kannada newspaper in BangaloreThe first printing-press was established in Bangalore in the year 1840.[73] In 1859, Bangalore Herald became the first English bi-weekly newspaper to be published in Bangalore[74] and in 1860, Mysore Vrittanta Bodhini became the first Kannada newspaper to be circulated in Bangalore.[73] Currently, Vijaya Karnataka and The Times of India are the most widely circulated Kannada and English newspapers in Bangalore respectively.[75][76]
Bangalore got its first radio station when All India Radio, the official broadcaster for the Indian Government, started broadcasting from it's Bangalore station on November 2, 1955.[77] The radio transmission was AM, till in 2001, Radio City became the first private channel in India to start transmitting FM radio from Bangalore.[78] In recent years, a number of FM channels have started broadcasting from Bangalore.[79] The city also has various clubs for HAM radio enthusiasts.[80]
Bangalore got its first look at television when Doordarshan established a relay centre here and started relaying programs from November 1, 1981.[81] A production center was established in the Doordarshan's Bangalore office in 1983, thereby allowing the introduction of a news program in Kannada on November 19, 1983.[81] Doordarshan also launched a Kannada satellite channel on August 15, 1991 which is now christened DD Chandana.[81] The advent of private satellite channels in Bangalore started in September 1991 when Star TV started to broadcast its channels.[82] Though the number of satellite TV channels available for viewing in Bangalore has grown over the years[83], the cable operators play a major role in the availability of these channels, which has led to occasional conflicts.[84] Direct To Home services are also available in Bangalore now.[85]
The first internet service provider in Bangalore was STPI, Bangalore which started offering internet services in early 1990s.[86] This internet service was however restricted to corporates, till VSNL started offering dial-up internet services to the general public at the end of 1995.[87] Currently, Bangalore has the largest number of broadband internet connections in India.[88
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Ten things you may not know about Wikipedia •Jump to: navigation, search
For other uses, see Bangalore (disambiguation).
?Bangalore
Bengalūru
Karnataka • India
Vidhana Soudha
Bengalūru
Coordinates: 12°58′13″N 77°33′37″E / 12.970214, 77.56029
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
Area
• Elevation 741 km² (286 sq mi)[1]
• 920 m (3,018 ft)
Region Bayaluseeme
District(s) Bangalore Urban
Population
• Density 5,280,000 (3rd) (2007)
• 7,126/km² (18,456/sq mi)
Commissioner Dr.S. Subramanya
Codes
• Pincode
• Telephone
• UN/LOCODE
• Vehicle
• 560 xxx
• +91-(0)80
• IN BLR
• KA 01, KA 02, KA 03, KA 04, KA 05, KA 41, KA 50, KA 51, KA 53
Coordinates: 12°58′13″N 77°33′37″E / 12.970214, 77.56029 Bangalore (Indian English: [ˈbæŋgəloːɾ] (help·info)), officially Bengaluru (Kannada: ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು, ['beŋgəɭuːru] (help·info)), is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore has an estimated metropolitan population of 65 lakh (6.5 million), making it India's third-most populous city and fifth-largest metropolitan area. Though historically attested at least since 900 CE, recorded history of the city starts from 1537, when Kempe Gowda I, widely regarded as the founder of modern Bangalore, built a mud fort and established it as a province of the Vijayanagara Empire.
During the British Raj, Bangalore developed as a centre for colonial rule in South India. The establishment of the Bangalore Cantonment brought in large numbers of migrants from other parts of the country. Since independence in 1947, Bangalore has developed into one of India's major economic hubs and is today counted among the best places in the world to do business.[2]. It is home to several public sector heavy industries, software companies, aerospace, telecommunications, machine tools, heavy equipment, and defence establishments. Known for a long time as the 'Pensioner's paradise', Bangalore today is commonly referred to as the Silicon valley of India due to its pre-eminent position as India's technology capital.[3][4] Home to prestigious colleges and research institutions, the city has the second-highest literacy rate among the metropolitan cities in the nation. However, as a large and growing metropolis in the developing world, Bangalore continues to struggle with problems such as air pollution, traffic congestion, and crime.
Contents [hide]
1 Name
2 History
3 Geography
4 Civic Administration
5 Economy
6 Transport
7 Demographics
8 Culture
9 Education
10 Media
11 References
12 External links
[edit] Name
The name Bangalore is an anglicised version of the city's name in the Kannada language, Bengalūru. The earliest reference to the name "Bengaluru" was found in a 9th century Western Ganga Dynasty stone inscription on a "vīra kallu" (literally, "hero stone", a rock edict extolling the virtues of a warrior). In this inscription found in Begur, "Bengaluru" is referred to as a place in which a battle was fought in 890. It states that the place was part of the Ganga kingdom until 1004 and was known as "Bengaval-uru", the "City of Guards" in Old Kannada.[5] An article, published in The Hindu, states:[6]
An inscription, dating back to 890 CE, shows Bengaluru is over 1,000 years old. But it stands neglected at the Parvathi Nageshwara Temple in Begur near the city...written in Hale Kannada (Old Kannada) of the 9th century CE, the epigraph refers to a Bengaluru war in 890 in which Buttanachetty, a servant of Nagatta, died. Though this has been recorded by historian R. Narasimhachar in his Epigraphia of Carnatica (Vol. 10 supplementary), no efforts have been made to preserve it.
A popular anecdote (although one contradicted by historical evidence) recounts that the 11th-century Hoysala king Veera Ballala II, while on a hunting expedition, lost his way in the forest. Tired and hungry, he came across a poor old woman who served him boiled beans. The grateful king named the place "benda kaal-ooru" (Kannada: ಬೆಂದಕಾಳೂರು) (literally, "town of boiled beans"), which was eventually colloquialised to "Bengalūru".[7][8] There are also theories that the name has a floral origin and is derived from the tree Benga or "Ven-kai", also known as the Indian Kino Tree (Pterocarpus marsupium).[9]
On December 11, 2005, the Government of Karnataka announced that it had accepted a proposal by Jnanpith Award winner U. R. Ananthamurthy to rename Bangalore to Bengaluru, which is its name in Kannada.[10] On September 27, 2006, the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) passed a resolution to implement the proposed name change,[11] which was accepted by the Government of Karnataka and it was decided to officially implement the name change from November 1, 2006.[12] However, this process has been currently stalled due to delays in getting clearances from the Union Home Ministry.[13]
[edit] History
The Bugle Rock - one of Kempe Gowda II's four watch towers also served as the site of a military camp for the Mysore army during the third Anglo-Mysore war.
South Parade (now Mahatma Gandhi Road) during colonial times.Main article: History of Bangalore
After centuries of the rule of the Western Gangas, Bangalore was captured by the Cholas in 1024 which later passed on to the Chalukya-cholas in 1070. In 1116 the Hoysala Empire, overthrew the Cholas and extended its rule over Bangalore. Modern Bangalore was founded by a vassal of the Vijayanagara Empire, Kempe Gowda I, who built a mud fort and a Nandi Temple in the proximity of modern Bangalore in 1537. Kempe Gowda referred to the new town as his "gandu bhoomi" or "Land of Heroes".[8]
Within the fort, the town was divided into smaller divisions called petes (IPA: [peɪteɪ]). The town had two main streets: Chickkapete Street, which ran east-west, and Doddapete Street, which ran north-south. Their intersection formed the Doddapete Square — the heart of Bangalore. Kempe Gowda's successor, Kempe Gowda II, built four famous towers that marked Bangalore's boundary.[14] During the Vijayanagara rule, Bangalore was also referred to as "Devarāyanagara" and "Kalyānapura" ("Auspicious City"). After the fall of the Vijayanagara Empire, Bangalore's rule changed hands several times. In 1638, a large Bijapur army led by Ranadulla Khan and accompanied by Shahji Bhonsle defeated Kempe Gowda III and Bangalore was given to Shahji as a jagir. In 1687, the Mughal general Kasim Khan defeated Ekoji, son of Shahji, and then sold Bangalore to Chikkadevaraja Wodeyar (1673–1704) of Mysore for 300,000 rupees.[15][16] After the death of Krishnaraja Wodeyar II in 1759, Hyder Ali, Commander-in-Chief of the Mysore Army, proclaimed himself the de facto ruler of Mysore. The kingdom later passed to Hyder Ali's son Tippu Sultan, known as the Tiger of Mysore. Bangalore was eventually incorporated into the British East Indian Empire after Tippu Sultan was defeated and killed in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War (1799). The British returned administrative control of the Bangalore "pete" to the Maharaja of Mysore, choosing only to retain the Cantonment under their jurisdiction. The 'Residency' of Mysore State was first established at Mysore in 1799 and later shifted to Bangalore in the year 1804. It was abolished in the year 1843 only to be revived in 1881 at Bangalore and finally to be closed down in 1947 with the departure of the British. The British, found it easier to recruit employees in the Madras Presidency and relocate them to cantonment area during this period. The Kingdom of Mysore relocated its capital from Mysore city to Bangalore in 1831.[17] Two important developments during this period contributed to the rapid growth of the city: the introduction of telegraph connections and a rail connection to Madras in 1864.
In the 19th century, Bangalore essentially became a twin city, with the "pete", whose residents were predominantly Kannadigas, and the "cantonment" created by the British, whose residents were predominantly Tamils. [18] Bangalore was hit by a plague epidemic in 1898 that dramatically reduced its population. New extensions in Malleshwara and Basavanagudi were developed in the north and south of the pete. Telephone lines were laid to help co-ordinate anti-plague operations, and a health officer was appointed to the city in 1898. In 1906, Bangalore became the first city in India to have electricity, powered by the hydroelectric plant situated in Shivanasamudra. Bangalore's reputation as the Garden City of India began in 1927 with the Silver Jubilee celebrations of the rule of Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV. Several projects such as the construction of parks, public buildings and hospitals were instituted to beautify the city. After Indian independence in August 1947, Bangalore remained in the new Mysore State of which the Maharaja of Mysore was the Rajapramukh. Public sector employment and education provided opportunities for Kannadigas from the rest of the state to migrate to the city. Bangalore experienced rapid growth in the decades 1941–51 and 1971–81 , which saw the arrival of many immigrants from northern Karnataka. By 1961, Bangalore had become the sixth largest city in India, with a population of 1,207,000.[14] In the decades that followed, Bangalore's manufacturing base continued to expand with the establishment of private companies such as Motor Industries Company (MICO; a subsidiary of Robert Bosch GmbH), which set up its manufacturing plant in the city. Bangalore experienced a boom in its real estate market in the 1980s and 1990s, spurred by capital investors from other parts of the country who converted Bangalore's large plots and colonial bungalows to multi-storied apartments.[19] In 1985, Texas Instruments became the first multinational to set up base in Bangalore. Other Information Technology companies followed suit and by the end of the 20th century, Bangalore had firmly established itself as the Silicon Valley of India.
[edit] Geography
The Hesaraghatta Lake in BangaloreMain article: Bangalore Metropolitan Environment
Bangalore lies in the southeast of the South Indian state of Karnataka. It is in the heart of the Mysore Plateau (a region of the larger Precambrian Deccan Plateau) at an average elevation of 920 m (3,018 feet). It is positioned at 12.97° N 77.56° E and covers an area of 741 km² (286 mi²).[1] The majority of the city of Bangalore lies in the Bangalore Urban district of Karnataka and the surrounding rural areas are a part of the Bangalore Rural district. The Government of Karnataka has carved out the new district of Ramanagaram from the old Bangalore Rural district.
The topology of Bangalore is flat except for a central ridge running NNE-SSW. The highest point is Doddabettahalli, which is 962 m (3,156 ft) and lies on this ridge.[20] No major rivers run through the city, though the Arkavathi and South Pennar cross paths at the Nandi Hills, 60 km (37 mi.) to the north. River Vrishabhavathi, a minor tributary of the Arkavathi, arises within the city at Basavanagudi and flows through the city. The rivers Arkavathi and Vrishabhavathi together carry much of Bangalore's sewage. A sewerage system, constructed in 1922, covers 215 km² (133 mi²) of the city and connects with five sewage treatment centers located in the periphery of Bangalore.[21]
In the 16th century, Kempe Gowda I constructed many lakes to meet the town's water requirements. The Kempambudhi Kere, since overrun by modern development, was prominent among those lakes. In the earlier half of 20th century, the Nandi Hills waterworks was commissioned by Sir Mirza Ismail (Diwan of Mysore, 1926–41 CE) to provide a water supply to the city. Currently, the river Kaveri provides around 80% of the total water supply to the city with the remaining 20% being obtained from the Thippagondanahalli and Hesaraghatta reservoirs of the river Arkavathy.[22] Bangalore receives 800 million litres (211 million US gallons) of water a day, more than any other Indian city.[23] However, Bangalore sometimes does face water shortages, especially during the summer season in the years of low rainfall. A random sampling study of the Air Quality Index (AQI) of twenty stations within the city indicated scores that ranged from 76 to 314, suggesting heavy to severe air pollution around areas of traffic concentration.[24]
Bangalore has a handful of freshwater lakes and water tanks, the largest of which are Madivala tank, Hebbal lake, Ulsoor lake and Sankey Tank. Groundwater occurs in silty to sandy layers of the alluvial sediments. The Peninsular Gneissic Complex (PGC) is the most dominant rock unit in the area and includes granites, gneisses and migmatites, while the soils of Bangalore consist of red laterite and red, fine loamy to clayey soils.[24] Vegetation in the city is primarily in the form of large deciduous canopy and minority coconut trees. Though Bangalore has been classified as a part of the seismic zone II (a stable zone), it has experienced quakes of magnitude as high as 4.5.[25]
Due to its high elevation, Bangalore usually enjoys salubrious climate throughout the year, although freak heat waves can make things very uncomfortable in the summer.[26] A common refrain among Bangaloreans is that summer has gotten progressively hotter over the years. This could be due to the loss of green cover in the city, increased urbanization and the resulting urban heat island effect, as well as possibly climate change. The coolest month is January with an average low temperature of 15.1 °C and the hottest month is April with an average high temperature of 33.6 °C.[27] The highest temperature ever recorded in Bangalore is 41 °C and the lowest ever is 7.8 °C.[citation needed] Winter temperatures rarely drop below 12 °C (54 °F), and summer temperatures seldom exceed 36–37 °C (100 °F). Bangalore receives rainfall from both the northeast and the southwest monsoons and the wettest months are September, October and August, in that order.[27] The summer heat is moderated by fairly frequent thunderstorms, which occasionally cause power outages and local flooding. The heaviest rainfall recorded in a 24-hour period is 180 mm (7 in) recorded on 1 October 1997.
[edit] Civic Administration
See also: Infrastructure in Bangalore
Bangalore City officials
Administrator S. Dilip Rau
Municipal Commissioner Dr. S. Subramanya
Police Commissioner N. Achuta Rao
The Karnataka High Court is the supreme judicial body in Karnataka and is located in Bangalore.The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP, Greater Bangalore Municipal Corporation) is in charge of the civic administration of the city.[28] It was formed in 2007 by merging 100 wards of the erstwhile Bangalore Mahanagara Palike, with the neighbouring 7 City Municipal Councils (CMC), one Town Municipal Council and 110 villages around Bangalore.[28]
Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike is run by a city council. The city council comprises elected representatives, called "corporators", one from each of the wards (localities) of the city. Elections to the council are held once every 5 years, with results being decided by popular vote. A mayor and commissioner of the council are also elected through a quota system from a Scheduled Castes and Tribes candidate or to an Other Backward Class female candidate. Members contesting elections to the council represent one of more of the state's political parties. However, elections to the newly-created body are yet to be held, due to delays in delimitation of wards and finalising voter lists. There are expected to be about 150 wards, up from the 100 wards of the old Bangalore Mahanagara Palike. Elections are tentatively scheduled to be held in early 2008.
Bangalore's rapid growth has created several problems relating to traffic congestion and infrastructural obsolescence that the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike has found challenging to address. A 2003 Battelle Environmental Evaluation System (BEES) evaluation of Bangalore's physical, biological and socioeconomic parameters indicated that Bangalore's water quality and terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems were close to ideal, while the city's socioeconomic parameters (traffic, quality of life) scored poorly.[29] The BMP has been criticised by the Karnataka High Court, citizens and corporations for failing to effectively address the crumbling road and traffic infrastructure of Bangalore.[30] The unplanned nature of growth in the city resulted in massive traffic gridlocks that the municipality attempted to ease by constructing a flyover system and by imposing one-way traffic systems.
The Public Utility Building on MG Road.Some of the flyovers and one-ways mitigated the traffic situation moderately but were unable to adequately address the disproportionate growth of city traffic.[29] In 2005 both the Central Government and the State Government allocated considerable portions of their annual budgets to address Bangalore's infrastructure.[31] The Bangalore Mahanagara Palike works with the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) and the Bangalore Agenda Task Force (BATF) to design and implement civic projects. Bangalore generates about 3,000 tonnes of solid waste per day, of which about 1,139 tonnes are collected and sent to composting units such as the Karnataka Composting Development Corporation. The remaining solid waste collected by the municipality is dumped in open spaces or on roadsides outside the city.[32]
The Bangalore City Police (BCP) is headed by a Police Commissioner, who is an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer. The BCP has six geographic zones, includes the Traffic Police, the City Armed Reserve, the Central Crime Branch and the City Crime Record Bureau and runs 86 police stations, including two all-women police stations.[33] As capital of the state of Karnataka, Bangalore houses important state government facilities such as the Karnataka High Court, the Vidhana Soudha (the home of the Karnataka state legislature) and Raj Bhavan (the residence of the Governor of Karnataka). Bangalore contributes two members to India's lower house of parliament, the Lok Sabha, and 24 members to the Karnataka State Assembly.[34] In 2007, the Delimitation Commission of India reorganised the constituencies based on the 2001 census, and thus the number of Assembly and Parliamentary constituencies in Bangalore has been increased to 28 and 3 respectively.[35] These changes will take effect from the next elections. Electricity in Bangalore is regulated through the Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited (KPTCL). Like many cities in India, Bangalore experiences scheduled power cuts, especially over the summer, to allow electricity providers to meet the consumption demands of households as well as corporations.
[edit] Economy
Main article: Economy of Bangalore
See also: List of IT companies in Bangalore
Infosys headquartersBangalore's Rs. 260,260 crore (USD 60.5 billion) economy (2002–03 Net District Income) makes it a major economic centre in India.[36] Indeed, Bangalore is India's fourth largest[37] and fastest growing market.[38] Bangalore's per capita income of Rs. .49,000 (US$ 1,160) is the highest for any Indian city.[37] The city is the third-largest hub for high net worth individuals (HNWI / HNIs), after Mumbai and Delhi. Bangalore is home to over 10,000 individual dollar millionaires and around 60,000 super-rich people who have an investable surplus of Rs. 4.5 crore and Rs. 50 lakh respectively.[39] As of 2001, Bangalore's share of Rs. 1660 crore (US$ 3.7 billion) in Foreign Direct Investment was the third highest for an Indian city.[40] In the 1940s industrial visionaries such as Sir Mirza Ismail and Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya played an important role in the development of Bangalore's strong manufacturing and industrial base. Bangalore is headquarters to several public manufacturing heavy industries such as Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), Bharat Electronics Limited, Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) and Hindustan Machine Tools (HMT). In June 1972 the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) was established under the Department of Space and headquartered in the city. Bangalore is called the "Silicon Valley of India" because of the large number of Information Technology companies located in the city which contributed 33% of India's Rs. 144,214 crore (US$ 32 billion) IT exports in 2006-07.[41]
iFlex technology park in BangaloreBangalore's IT industry is divided into three main "clusters" — Software Technology Parks of India, Bangalore (STPI); International Technology Park Bangalore (ITPB), formerly International Technology Park Ltd. (ITPL); and Electronics City. Infosys and Wipro, India's second and third largest software companies, have their largest campus in Electronics City. As headquarters to many of the global SEI-CMM Level 5 Companies, Bangalore's place in the global IT map is prominent. The growth of Information Technology has presented the city with unique challenges. Ideological clashes sometimes occur between the city's IT moguls, who demand an improvement in the city's infrastructure and the state government, whose electoral base is primarily the people in rural Karnataka.[42] Bangalore is a hub for biotechnology related industry in India and in the year 2005, around 47% of the 265 biotechnology companies in India were located here; including Biocon, India's largest biotechnology company.[43][44]
[edit] Transport
Kingfisher Airlines which is based in Bangalore
Autorickshaws are a popular form of public transportBangalore's HAL Airport (IATA code: BLR) is India's fourth busiest[45][46] and functions as both domestic and international airport and is well connected to several destinations in the world. Unlike most airports in the country which are controlled by the Airports Authority of India, the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited owns and operates this airport, and also uses it to test and develop fighter aircraft for the Indian Air Force.[47] With the liberalisation of India's economic policies, many domestic carriers such as SpiceJet, Kingfisher Airlines, Jet Airways and Go Air have started servicing the city, which has led to congestion problems at this airport.[48] This situation is expected to be eased when the new Bangalore International Airport, which is being constructed in Devanahalli in the outskirts of Bangalore, becomes operational. Currently targeted to be inaugurated in April 2008, this airport will have two runways and is being built to handle 11 million passengers per year.[49] Air Deccan and Kingfisher Airlines have their headquarters in Bangalore.[50]
Bangalore is well connected to the rest of the country through the Indian Railways. The Rajdhani Express connects Bangalore to New Delhi, the capital of India. The city is also connected to Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, and Hyderabad, as well as other major cities in Karnataka.[51] An intra-city rapid rail transport system called the Namma Metro is being developed and is expected to be operational in 2011. Once completed, this will encompass a 33 km (20.5 mi) elevated and underground rail network, with 32 stations in Phase I and more being added in Phase II.[52]
Three-wheeled, black and yellow auto-rickshaws, referred to as autos, are a popular form of transport.[53] They are metered and can accommodate up to three passengers. Taxi service within Bangalore is provided by several operators commonly referred to as Citi taxis which can take in up to four passengers and are usually metered and more expensive than auto-rickshaws.[53]
Buses operated by Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) are the only means of public transport, available in the city.[54] While commuters can buy tickets on boarding these buses, BMTC also provides an option of a bus pass to frequent users. BMTC also runs air-conditioned red-coloured Volvo buses on major routes.[54]
[edit] Demographics
The Bull temple, one of Bangalore's oldest templesWith an estimated population of 5,281,927 in the year 2007, Bangalore is the third most populous city in India and the 27th most populous city in the world.[55] With a decadal growth rate of 38%, Bangalore was the fastest-growing Indian metropolis after New Delhi for the decade 1991–2001.[40] Residents of Bangalore are referred to as Bangaloreans in English or Bengaloorinavaru in Kannada. While Kannadigas are the majority of the population, the cosmopolitan nature of the city has caused people from other states of India to migrate to Bangalore and settle there.[56] Scheduled Castes and Tribes account for 14.3% of the city's population. Kannada, the official language of the state of Karnataka, is widely spoken in Bangalore.
According to the 2001 census of India, 79.37% of Bangalore's population is Hindu, roughly the same as the national average.[57] Muslims comprise 13.37% of the population, which again is roughly the same as the national average, while Christians and Jains account for 5.79% and 1.05% of the population, respectively, double that of their national averages. Women make up 47.5% of Bangalore's population. Bangalore has the second highest literacy rate (83%) for an Indian metropolis, after Mumbai. Roughly 10% of Bangalore's population lives in slums[58] — a relatively low proportion when compared to other cities in the developing world such as Mumbai (42%) and Nairobi (60%).[59] The 2004 National Crime Records Bureau statistics indicate that Bangalore accounts for 9.2% of the total crimes reported from 35 major cities in India. Delhi and Mumbai accounted for 15.7% and 9.5% respectively.[60]
[edit] Culture
Main article: Culture of Bangalore
The Lal Bagh Glass House, famous for its flower shows, is now a heritage monument
Brigade Road, a shoppers paradiseBangalore is known as the "Garden City of India" [61] because of its greenery and the presence of many public parks, including the Lal Bagh and Cubbon Park. Dasara, a traditional celebratory hallmark of the old Kingdom of Mysore, is the state festival and is celebrated with great vigour. Deepavali, the "Festival of Lights", transcends demographic and religious lines and is another important festival. Other traditional Indian festivals such as Ganesh Chaturthi, Ugadi, Sankranthi, Eid ul-Fitr, and Christmas are also celebrated. Bangalore is home to the Kannada film industry, which churns out about 90 Kannada movies each year.[citation needed]
The diversity of cuisine available is reflective of the social and economic diversity of Bangalore. Roadside vendors, tea stalls, and South Indian, North Indian, Chinese and Western fast food are all very popular in the city. Udupi restaurants are very popular and serve predominantly vegetarian, regional cuisine.
Bangalore is also a major center of Indian classical music and dance. Classical music and dance recitals are widely held throughout the year and particularly during the Ramanavami and Ganesha Chaturthi festivals. The Bengaluru Gayana Samaja has been at the forefront of promoting classical music and dance in the city. The city also has a vibrant Kannada theater scene with organisations like Ranga Shankara and Benaka leading the way. Some of India's biggest names in theater like the late B. V. Karanth, Girish Karnad and others are residents of the city.
Bangalore also is home to an active presence of Rock and other forms of western music. Bands like Iron Maiden, Aerosmith, Scorpions, Roger Waters, Uriah Heep, Jethro Tull, Joe Satriani, INXS, No Doubt, Safri Duo, Black Eyed Peas, Deep Purple, Mark Knopfler, The Rolling Stones, and Bryan Adams, among others, have performed in the city[citation needed]. Bangalore is sometimes referred to as the "Pub Capital of India".[62]
Cricket is one of the most popular sports in Bangalore. A significant number of national cricketers have come from Bangalore, including former Indian cricket team captain Rahul Dravid. Other cricketing greats from Bangalore are Gundappa Vishwanath, Anil Kumble, E.A.S. Prasanna, Venkatesh Prasad, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar, Syed Kirmani and Roger Binny. Many children play gully cricket on the roads and in the city's many public fields. Bangalore's main international cricket stadium is the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, which hosted its first match in 1974.[63] Bangalore has a number of elite clubs, like the Bangalore Golf Club, the Bowring Institute and the exclusive Bangalore Club, which counts among its previous members Winston Churchill and the Maharaja of Mysore.[64]
[edit] Education
See also: Education in India and List of Bangalore colleges
Indian Institute of Science - the premier institute of science in IndiaTill the early 19th century, education in Bangalore was mainly undertaken in schools that were run by religious leaders and restricted to pupils of that religion.[65] The western system of education came into vogue during the rule of Mummadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar when two schools were established in Bangalore. This was followed by a school established by the Wesleyan Mission in 1851 and the Bangalore High School which was started by the Government in 1858.[66]
In the present day, schools for young children in Bangalore are mainly based on the kindergarten form of education.[67] Primary and secondary education in Bangalore is offered by various schools which are affiliated to any one of the boards of education like the Karnataka state board, ICSE, CBSE, National Open School (NOS), IGCSE and IB.[68] There are three kinds of schools in Bangalore viz. government (run by the government), aided (financial aid is provided by the government) and un-aided private (no financial aid is provided).[69] After completing their secondary education, students typically enroll in Junior College (also known as Pre-University) in one of three streams — Arts, Commerce or Science.[70] Upon completing the required coursework, students enroll in general or professional degrees.
Bangalore is also the home of the Bangalore University which was established in 1964. Around 500 colleges, having a total student strength of 300 thousand are affiliated to this university. The university has two campuses within Bangalore; Jnanabharathi and Central College.[71]
Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore which was established in 1909 is the premier institute for scientific research and study in India.[72] Bangalore is also the home of colleges like the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) which is one of the most sought after law colleges in India and the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore which is one of the premier management schools in India.[72]
[edit] Media
Vijaya Karnataka, the largest circulating Kannada newspaper in BangaloreThe first printing-press was established in Bangalore in the year 1840.[73] In 1859, Bangalore Herald became the first English bi-weekly newspaper to be published in Bangalore[74] and in 1860, Mysore Vrittanta Bodhini became the first Kannada newspaper to be circulated in Bangalore.[73] Currently, Vijaya Karnataka and The Times of India are the most widely circulated Kannada and English newspapers in Bangalore respectively.[75][76]
Bangalore got its first radio station when All India Radio, the official broadcaster for the Indian Government, started broadcasting from it's Bangalore station on November 2, 1955.[77] The radio transmission was AM, till in 2001, Radio City became the first private channel in India to start transmitting FM radio from Bangalore.[78] In recent years, a number of FM channels have started broadcasting from Bangalore.[79] The city also has various clubs for HAM radio enthusiasts.[80]
Bangalore got its first look at television when Doordarshan established a relay centre here and started relaying programs from November 1, 1981.[81] A production center was established in the Doordarshan's Bangalore office in 1983, thereby allowing the introduction of a news program in Kannada on November 19, 1983.[81] Doordarshan also launched a Kannada satellite channel on August 15, 1991 which is now christened DD Chandana.[81] The advent of private satellite channels in Bangalore started in September 1991 when Star TV started to broadcast its channels.[82] Though the number of satellite TV channels available for viewing in Bangalore has grown over the years[83], the cable operators play a major role in the availability of these channels, which has led to occasional conflicts.[84] Direct To Home services are also available in Bangalore now.[85]
The first internet service provider in Bangalore was STPI, Bangalore which started offering internet services in early 1990s.[86] This internet service was however restricted to corporates, till VSNL started offering dial-up internet services to the general public at the end of 1995.[87] Currently, Bangalore has the largest number of broadband internet connections in India.[88
Mangalore , India
Mangalore
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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?Mangalore
Karnataka • India
Sunset at Panambur beach in Mangalore
Mangalore
Coordinates: 12°51′00″N 74°49′59″E / 12.85, 74.833
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
Area
• Elevation 111.18 km² (43 sq mi)
• 45 m (148 ft)
District(s) Dakshina Kannada
Population
• Density 398,745 (2001)
• 3,586.5/km² (9,289/sq mi)
Mayor Vijaya Arun
Codes
• Pincode
• Telephone
• Vehicle
• 575001
• +0824
• KA-19
Website: www.mangalorecity.gov.in
Coordinates: 12°51′00″N 74°49′59″E / 12.85, 74.833
Mangalore (Kannada: ಮಂಗಳೂರು, Mangalooru; Tulu: ಕುಡ್ಲ, Kudla; Konkani: ಕೊಡಿಯಾಲ್, Kodial; Beary: ಮೈಕಾಲ, Maikala) pronunciation (help·info) is the chief port city of the state of Karnataka, India. It is situated on the west coast of the country on the Arabian Sea, with the Western Ghats to Mangalore's east.
Mangalore is the administrative headquarters of the Dakshina Kannada (South Canara) district in the southwestern corner of Karnataka, and developed as a port on the Arabian Sea - to this day it remains one of the major ports of India. Lying on the backwaters formed by the Netravati and Gurupura rivers, it has long been a roadstead along the Malabar Coast.
Mangalore is known for its beaches, temples and industries. There are several languages spoken there, including Tulu, Konkani, Kannada, and Beary.
The landscape is dominated by the characteristic coconut palms accompanying rolling hills and streams flowing into the sea. The landscape is dotted with tiled-roof buildings, topped with the famous Mangalore tiles made with the local hard red clay and typically walled with laterite blocks. Older houses are commonly found with elaborate wood-work.
Contents [hide]
1 Origin of the name
1.1 Other names
2 History
3 Geography
4 Civic Administration
5 Power & Water Supply
6 Demographics
6.1 Language and religion
7 Transport
7.1 Local public transport
7.2 Long Distance Bus Routes
7.3 Railways
7.4 Sea
7.5 Air
8 Industry
8.1 Modern industry
8.2 Banking and finance
8.3 Traditional Commerce and Industry
9 Education
10 Media
11 Culture
12 Cuisine
13 Meteorology
14 Notable people from Mangalore
15 References
16 External links
[edit] Origin of the name
The city Mangalore was named after the local Hindu deity Mangaladevi.[1] According to legend Matsyendranath, one of the important protagonist of the Nath cult had arrived at Mangalore with the princess of Kerala, Premaladevi. He converted the princess to his cult and named her Mangaladevi. It is believed that they could not proceed further as Mangaladevi died after a brief period of illness and a temple was consecrated in her name at Bolar. Later the Mangaladevi temple was renovated by the Alupa king Kundavarma in 968 AD.
One of the earliest references to this city name is made by Pandya King Chettian, who called the city as Managalapuram in 715 AD. Yet another historical reference is by the 11th century Arabian traveler Ibn Batuta, whose chronicles refer to Mangalore as Manjarur. This variation in spelling is attributed to the pronunciation gap between and Arabic and the local language. [2] Mangalore has been known as Mangaluru, Mangalapura, Mangaruth, Manjuran, Mandjaur, Mandegora, Corial, Codial Bunder, or Kuddala throughout the ages.
[edit] Other names
The cosmopolitan nature of Mangalore is centuries old. This is reflected in the names used by the various linguistic groups in this region. In the native Tulu language, the city is known as Kudla meaning ‘junction’ as the city is situated at the confluence of the two rivers – Nethravathi and Phalguni. Konkanis use the variant Kodial. The Bearys, a Muslim community who speak a dialect of their own, call it Maikala.
On the occasion of "Suvarna Karnataka" in 2006, the Karnataka state government stated that the city would be renamed Mangalooru in English. [3]
[edit] History
Town Hall, MangaloreThere are many historical references regarding to the town. Cosmas Indicopleustes referred to the port of Mangarouth [4]. Pliny, a Roman historian made references of a place called Nithrias [5], and Greek historian Ptolemy referred to Nitre. Both the references probably referred to River Netravathi.[citation needed] Roman writer Arien called Mangalore Mandegora.[citation needed] A copper inscription belonging to 7th century called Mangalore, Mangalapura.Template:Act This region, given away as a reward to sage Parashurama by Samudraraja, is well known for its Kadali fruits. It is the land of enchantment of Sahyadri mountains, where the great sages Kanva, Vysa, Vashista, Vishwamitra and other in the Loral past spent their days of meditation.
The ancient history proved Mangalore had been the capital of Alupa dynasty till 14th century[6], A traveler, Ibn Battuta who had visited the town in 1342 stated that he arrived at a place named Manjurun or Mandjaur situated on a large estuary. He had mentioned that the town was a trading centre and Fars (Persian) and Yemeni merchants disembarked at Mangalore [7]. In 1448, Abdul Razak, a Persian Ambassador passed via this route to Vijayanagar. He said that he had seen a glorious temple here. The inscriptions at Moodabidri stated a king Mangaras Odeya was the governor of Mangaluru Raajya during the reign of Vira Harihararaya II of Vijayanagar dynasty. Another inscription stated that Deeva Raaja Odeya ruled the Mangalura Raajya in 1429 during the reign of Vijayanagara King Veera Devaraya II.
Various powers have fought for control over Mangalore. The major dynasties that ruled the town till the arrival of Portuguese were Kadambas, the Western Chalukyas, Rastrakutas, Alupas and Hoysalas. In 1520 the Portuguese took control of the area from Vijayanagara rulers, but in 1695, the town was burned by the Arabs in retaliation for Portuguese restrictions on Arab trade. Mysore sultan ruler Hyder Ali (1722–1782) conquered Mangalore in 1763 [8], and it was under his administration till 1768, before being annexed by the British between 1768 and 1794. Later in 1794 Hyder Ali's son Tippu Sultan again took control of the area [9], but it was re-conquered by the British upon the fall of Srirangapatana in 1799. A part of the Madras Presidency up to Indian independence, Mangalore was merged into a unified Karnataka state in 1956.
[edit] Geography
Mangalore is located at 12.87° N 74.88° E[10]. It has an average elevation of 45 metres (147 feet). Mangalore forms a part of the konkan coast and is closely situated to Goa. Three National Highways pass through Mangalore connecting the city to the rest of the country. NH-17 (1567 km), which runs from Panvel (in Maharashtra) to Cranganur Junction (near Edapally in Kerala)(500 km), passes through Mangalore in a north-south direction, while NH-48 runs eastward to the state capital Bangalore. NH-13 runs north-east from Mangalore to Sholapur 676 km., and a state highway connects it to the city of Mysore(250 km) passing through the hill town of Madikeri. There are about 300 buses from Bangalore to Mangalore on daily basis.
The coastline of the city is dotted with several beaches like Mukka beach, Panambur beach, Tannirbavi beach, KREC beach and Someshwara beach. Vegetation is predominantly coconut trees, palm trees, Ashoka trees along with others. The city has still perserved much of its green cover compared to other Indian cities. Pilikula Nisargadhama, Kadri Park, Tagore Park and Corporation Bank Park are some of the green lungs sought by public for leisure.
[edit] Civic Administration
Front View of MCC Headquarters at LalbaghThe Mangalore City Corporation ('Mangalooru Mahanagarapalike' in Kannada) is the municipal corporation in charge of the civic and infrastructural assets of the city. The municipal limits start from Mukka in the North to Netravati river bridge in the south & western sea shore to Kudupu in the east.
The MCC council comprises 60 elected representatives, called "corporators", one from each of the 60 wards (localities) of the city. Elections to the council are held once every five years, with results being decided by popular vote. One of the corporators from the majority party is selected as a Mayor.
The headquarters of Mangalore City Corporation is located at Lalbagh. Its sub offices are located at Suratkal & Bikarnakatta.
Until the revision of Lok Sabha & legislative constituencies by the Delimitation Commission [11][12] Mangalore used to contribute two members to the Lok Sabha (India's lower house of parliament,) one for the southern part of the city fell under the Mangalore Lok Sabha Constituency and another for the northern part of the city fell under the Udupi Lok Sabha Constituency. Additionally Mangalore used to sends 3 members to the Karnataka State Legislative Assembly (with the Mangalore, Ullal & Suratkal legislative Constituencies). With the revision the entire Mangalore Taluk (including those that used to fall under the Udipi constituency) now falls under the Dakshina Kannada Lok Sabha constituency, resulting in Mangalore contributing to only one member of parliament. For the Legislative Assembly the Ullal and Suratkal Constituencies have been merged with Mangalore to comprise the following Legislative constituencies viz. Mangalore urban north (202), Mangalore urban south (203) and Mangalore (204).
[edit] Power & Water Supply
Electricity in Mangalore is regulated through the Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited (KPTCL) & distribution is through Mangalore Electricity Supply Company (MESCOM). Like many cities in India, Mangalore experiences scheduled and unscheduled power cuts, especially over the summer, to allow electricity providers to meet the consumption demands of households as well as corporations. Major industries like MRPL & MCF have set up their own captive power plants.
Potable water to the city is supplied by MCC. Almost all water is taken from the vented dam constructed across the Netravati River.
[edit] Demographics
As of 2001 India census[13], Mangalore had a population of 398,745. Males constitute 50% of the population and females 50%. Mangalore has an average literacy rate of 83%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 86%, and female literacy is 79%. In Mangalore, 9% of the population is under 6 years of age.
As of the same census, the urban area had a population of 538,560.
[edit] Language and religion
St Aloysius ChapelTulu, Konkani, Kannada, Beary bashe are the widely spoken languages that are understood among Mangaloreans along with English. The official language is the state language Kannada. Tulu is a local language in Mangalore.
Hinduism is followed by large number of the population. Among the indigenous Hindus,the Billavas, Bunts and Mogaveeras form the biggest groups. Kota brahmins, Shivalli Brahmins, Havyaka Brahmins and GSBs (Gowda Saraswat Brahmins) also form a considerable portion of the Hindu population. Besides the Hindu pantheon of gods, divine spirits are also worshipped here.
A significant part of the population of Mangalore consists of followers of Christianity; Konkani-speaking Catholics and Born Again Christians are the highest in number among the Christians, popularly known as Mangalorean Catholics. The Protestants (of various denominations) consist of an appreciable number of locals who speak Kannada, and Malayali. Muslims constitute minority of the population, among them Beary form the 80% of total Muslim population and speak their own dialect called Beary bashe. There is also sizeable group of people who were basically land owners, following Jainism. Some famous Jain centers of pilgrimage are located here like Gomateshwara Betta in Karkala and Dharmastala and some more Jain temples in Moodabidri. Buddhism also flourished here in the early centuries.
[edit] Transport
Mangalore's location makes it accessible by all forms of transport: road, rail, air and sea. It is notable here that a native of Mangalore U. Srinivas Mallya (a Member of the Indian Parliament) was instrumental in getting the National Highway system, the Mangalore Airport and the New Mangalore Port to Mangalore. In his tribute there is a statue of him along NH 17 near the Kadri Park, and another at the entrance of the New Mangalore Harbour.
[edit] Local public transport
Mangalore's city bus service is operated by private operators, with routes covering the full extent of the city and beyond. There are two distinct sets of routes for the buses, with the city routes being covered by city buses, and the intercity routes being covered by service and express buses. Service buses essentially touch all towns and villages on the intercity route, while express buses reach their destination with very limited or no stops in between.
Another mode for local transportation is the autorickshaw. The minimum cost charged by an autorickshaw up to 2 km is Rs 11. Meter is introduced in all autorickshaws plying inside the city and the suburbs and the customers are charged based on the exact cost displayed on the meter. However charges are 1.5 times the displayed reading between 9pm to 6am.
[edit] Long Distance Bus Routes
Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) runs the long distance bus services from Mangalore to other parts of the state. Mangalore-Bangalore route is the most lucrative route due to absence of passenger train and is equally served by public & private players.
The longest bus route served is the Mangalore - Ankola - Hubli-Belgaum - Pune - Mumbai bus route run by a number of private players and KSRTC. The journey is about 22 hours by normal buses & 16 hours by Volvo Buses.
[edit] Railways
The Mangalore Railway Station used to be the last station connecting Mangalore to the state of Kerala in the south and to the rest of the country. While the British had left behind an extensive railway network when they left India, the stretch between Mangalore - Mumbai, and Mangalore - Hassan had never been connected. There are many trains connecting Shoranur and Coimbatore.
A metre gauge railway track was built through the Western Ghats in the east, connecting Mangalore with Hassan. While this provided a very picturesque journey, it was not very successful, and the tracks were removed several years later to be replaced with a broad gauge line. However, the conversion project was halted for several years. It has since resumed and some sections of this track are now functional. The broad gauge track connecting Mangalore to Bangalore via Hassan is open for freight traffic since May 2006.[14] Movement of passenger traffic was supposed to start after December 2006. A certification on track safety is still awaited. As per news reports, passenger traffic will resume in May 2007
When India gained independence Mangalore was not connected to Mumbai by rail. The railway network established by the British terminated at Mangalore. Since independence there was a strong need to connect Mangalore to Mumbai and hence the Konkan Railway came into being. The project was completed in 1998 and since then the travel time to the north of the country have come down considerably.
[edit] Sea
Sea entrance to New Mangalore PortThe Mangalore Harbour provides a connection by sea to the rest of the world. Currently dry, bulk and fluid cargos are handled by the New Mangalore Port, providing an important gateway to the state of Karnataka. It is also the station for the Coast Guard. This modern artificial harbour 10 km north of the town, is now India's ninth largest cargo handling port.[15]
[edit] Air
Mangalore International Airport (IATA: IXE) is located near Bajpe, around 20 km north-east of the city centre.
Main article: Mangalore International Airport
[edit] Industry
Fishing in Mukka, near MangaloreMangalore's economy is dominated by agricultural processing and port-related activities. Imports include tropical timber from south-east Asia for furniture making, a necessity since India places major restrictions on its own teak felling. The port handles 75% of India’s coffee exports and the bulk of its cashew nuts. The latter are brought from many coastal areas (notably from Kerala); the National Cashew research centre is nearby at Puttur. Mangalore roof tiles are famous all over India. The roof tiles made from red clay and baked, is used as roof in many parts of the country. There is rapid decline in this industry due to use of RCC roofs.
Mangalore is home to the automobile leaf spring industry. In 1950 the Canara Workshops Ltd started production under the brand name Canara Springs, and in 1976 Lamina Suspension Products Ltd started production under the brand name Lamina. Thereafter various small scale manufacturers have put up shop in the industrial area at Baikampady to manufacture leaf springs. Over the period there has been a lot of consolidation because of some of the smaller units shutting down. Currently there are about six or seven units producing about one thousand metric tonnes of leaf springs per month. They cater almost entirely to the replacement or after market of South India. Beedi rolling industry is also famous in Mangalore.
The major industries in Mangalore are Mangalore Chemical and Fertilizers Ltd. (MCF), Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Ltd. (KIOCL), Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL), BASF, ELF GAS.
The boat building and fishing industry has been core business in Mangalore city for generations.
[edit] Modern industry
Major information technology and outsourcing companies have started locating their facilities in Mangalore. IT major Infosys was one of the first to move in and establish a large presence.Chennai based banking software major Lasersoft infosystems ltd has a software development unit in Mangalore. Wipro also plans to set-up its development facility soon in Mangalore. Outsourcing major MPhasis BPO was one of the first outsourcing companies to set up their facilities near the city. First Indian corporation,a wholly owned subsidiary of The First American Corporation has started operations in Mangalore from Manansa Towers, MG Road.
Three dedicated IT parks are currently under construction. Two such parks are under construction, one Export Promotion Industrial Park (EPIP) at Ganjimutt and a second IT SEZ near Mangalore University. A third IT SEZ is being proposed at Ganjimutt. Another IT SEZ of 2 million square feet (180,000 m²) is under construction at Thumbe by the BA group. This will include a business centre, convention centre, mall and helipad facility.[16]
The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation ONGC plans to invest over Rs. 35,000 crore in a new 15 million tonnes refinery, petrochemical plant and power and LNG plants at the Mangalore Special Economic Zone. This will be the first Petroleum, Chemicals, Petrochemicals Investment Region (PCPIR) of the country.[17]
In the year 2006 investors meet, held in Mangalore, received proposals worth more than 3,000 crores in the IT and Hospitality sectors. Companies such as TCS, Wipro, KEL and Infosys are expanding their workforce in Mangalore.
Thus, with rapid strides in the nearby future Mangalore is well on its course to be one of the most promising future Metropolis of India. Is expected to house a number of well known IT Companies in the nearby future, thereby providing a serious alternative to Bangalore for the aspiring IT professionals.
According to International edition of 'India Today' (November 28-December 4'th, 2006), Mangalore is the fastest growing non metro in the south followed by Kochi.
[edit] Banking and finance
Two of the nineteen nationalised banks were established in Mangalore during the first half of the 20th century. The two banks are:-
Canara Bank (founded in 1906 by Late Shri Ammembal Subba Rao Pai)
Vijaya Bank (founded in 1931 by Late Shri A B Shetty)
and one more which was not nationalised
Karnataka Bank, (founded in 1924 one of the larger private sector banks which escaped nationalisation)
In addition to these two there was two more which was established in nearby Udupi and Manipal. These two banks are:-
Corporation Bank (founded in 1906 by Late Khan Bahadur Haji Abdulla Haji Kasim Saheb Bahadur)
Syndicate Bank, (co-founded in 1924 by Dr. T M A Pai and Sri Upendra Ananth Pai in Manipal, along with a Mangalorean Sri V S Kudva.
These banks are considered quality institutions across the country - the national character taken on with nationalisation has been combined with the culture and quality of service inculcated by the founders. Prior to nationalisation, these banks were stewarded by very efficient and competent teams of managers, predominantly Mangaloreans. During this tremendous growth phase, these banks spawned a whole generation of bankers from Mangalore across these firms from the top to bottom. A large proportion of the Konkani, Bunt and brahmin community from Mangalore were at one point employed by these banks.
While Karnataka Bank and Corporation Bank are still head quartered in Mangalore, Vijaya Bank and Canara Bank are head quartered in Bangalore and Syndicate Bank is head quartered in Manipal. Even to date, a large proportion of employees at all levels in these banks are of Mangalorean origin.
[edit] Traditional Commerce and Industry
Mangalore developed as a fishing town and this has been maintained to this day, with the local diet maintaining a high proportion of fish. The fishing industry employs thousands of people, and their produce is exported from around the region.
The nationalisation of the banking sector was a big blow to the Mangalorean economy, but it has not affected the entrepreneurial spirit of the population. Mangalorean firms have had a major presence in the tile, beedi, coffee and cashewnut industry, although the tile industry has been in decline due to the predominance of concrete in the modern construction.
[edit] Education
National Institute of Technology, Karnataka, One of the premier institutes in MangaloreWith the growth of the banking institutions in the early 20th century, Mangalore had a large middle class and affluent population. Also, Mangaloreans have always placed high emphasis on education. The combination of the above two factors resulted in the establishment of some quality educational institutions, including:-
Main article: List of educational institutions in Mangalore
Since the 1980s, there have been a large number of professional institutions established in a variety of fields including engineering, medicine, dentistry,Business management and hotel management. These institutions attract students from all over the country due to the quality of their programs.
On 10 September 1980, the Mangalore University was established. It caters to the higher educational needs of Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Kodagu districts. The University Campus has become a major centre for advanced academic studies and research. Although Mangalore University is one of the youngest universities in the country, it has within its ambit some of the oldest and prestigious institutions of higher learning. Besides 26 post graduate departments offering different Post Graduate programmes on the Campus, the University has 118 affiliated colleges (including two constituent colleges) imparting education in the field of arts, commerce and management, science, law and education.
[edit] Media
Major national English newspapers like The Hindu, Deccan Herald, Times of India and Indian Express have Mangalore editions being published.
Among Kannada newspapers Udayavani, Vijaya Karnataka, Prajavani, Kannada Prabha and Varthabharathi are popular. There are evening newspapers like Karavali Ale, Mangalooru Mitra, Sanjevani and Jayakirana being published here. A lot of other periodicals are also being pulished from Mangalore. Rakno is one of the famous Konkani language weekly that goes around the world wherever Mangaloreans stay.
All India Radio (AIR) has a studio at Kadri which airs program for scheduled hours. The state run, nationally broadcast Doordarshan provides both national and localised television coverage. Cable Television providers air cable channels of independently owned private networks such as Star, ETV Kannada, Udaya TV, ZEE TV, ZEE Kannada, TV9, Asianet Suvarna etc. The local channels of cable operators association like the CCIndia, Namma TV, OCN, CAD TV, RequestTV, UCN, V4u, etc are also quite popular.
[edit] Culture
Typical Yakshagana ArtistMangalore is a multi-cultural and multi-lingual city that speaks four local languages Tulu, Kannada, Beary and Konkani apart from Hindi, Urdu and English. The communities include Tuluva (Bunts, Mogaveeras, Kulala, Billavas, Dalits etc), Konkani (Gaud Saraswat Brahmins, Saraswats, Roman Catholics), , Kannada speaking Brahmins, and Urdu and Beary speaking Muslims.
With several famous pilgrim centres, a trip to Mangalore is incomplete without watching the classic Yakshagana - an elaborate dance - drama performance unique to Karnataka. A night-long event, with people adorned vibrantly, and dancing to the beat of drums, Yakshagana performance attracts thousands of people.
Hulivesha (Tiger dance) is a unique form of folk dance in Dakshina Kannada that fascinates the young and the old alike. Since tiger is considered as the favored carrier of Goddess Sharada (the deity in whose honor Dussera is celebrated), this dance is performed during the Dussera celebration. It is also performed during other festivals like Krishna Janmasthami. Bhuta Kola or spirit worship is practised here. Bhuta kola is usually done at night. Kambala or buffalo race is also conducted in water filled paddy fields. Korikatta (Cockfight) is another favourite sport for village people.
Kodial Theru/Mangalore Rathotsava (Car Festival) is one of the major festivals for the Konkani community(GSB). The Car festival of the Sri Venkatramana Temple.
Mangalore has had a tradition for strength in education, and accordingly has become a focus for local media. Despite its relatively small size, it has its own versions of national English-language newspapers like the Deccan Herald, The Times of India, and The Hindu, as well as several local-language publications.
Annual festivals are promoted during summer every year. This has been used to promote commaraderie and has been called as Karavali Utsav, Kudlostava to promote the local cultural events.
[edit] Cuisine
Mangalorean cuisine is largely influenced by South Indian cuisine. Mangalorean curry uses a lot of coconut and curry leaves. Ginger, garlic and chilli is also used in curry. Mangalorean fish curry is known for its taste in the whole of coastal Karnataka.
Some of the famous dishes are: Kori Rotti, Bangude Pulimunchi, Beeja-Manoli Upkari, Boothai Gasi, Kadubu among others. The Konkani cummunity has its specialities that include Patrode, Daali thoy, beebe-upkari (cashew based), val val, avnas ambe sasam,Kadgi chakko
The vegetarian cuisine is same as Udupi cuisine.
[edit] Meteorology
A view of the Kadri ParkThe most pleasant months in Mangalore are from December to February - during which time the humidity and temperature are the lowest by Mangalore standards. Day time temperatures fall below 30°C and night time temperatures fall below 20°C.
This pleasant season is soon followed by a "hot" summer season from March to May, when temperatures rise as high as 38°C. However, a high relative humidity of more than 90% makes it feel above 40°C.
This is soon followed by the monsoon season. Mangalore receives very heavy rainfall compared with other urban centres in India. Rains measuring up to 4000 mm fall during the period from June to September. The rains finally subside in September, with the occasional rainfall catching people unaware in October.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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?Mangalore
Karnataka • India
Sunset at Panambur beach in Mangalore
Mangalore
Coordinates: 12°51′00″N 74°49′59″E / 12.85, 74.833
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
Area
• Elevation 111.18 km² (43 sq mi)
• 45 m (148 ft)
District(s) Dakshina Kannada
Population
• Density 398,745 (2001)
• 3,586.5/km² (9,289/sq mi)
Mayor Vijaya Arun
Codes
• Pincode
• Telephone
• Vehicle
• 575001
• +0824
• KA-19
Website: www.mangalorecity.gov.in
Coordinates: 12°51′00″N 74°49′59″E / 12.85, 74.833
Mangalore (Kannada: ಮಂಗಳೂರು, Mangalooru; Tulu: ಕುಡ್ಲ, Kudla; Konkani: ಕೊಡಿಯಾಲ್, Kodial; Beary: ಮೈಕಾಲ, Maikala) pronunciation (help·info) is the chief port city of the state of Karnataka, India. It is situated on the west coast of the country on the Arabian Sea, with the Western Ghats to Mangalore's east.
Mangalore is the administrative headquarters of the Dakshina Kannada (South Canara) district in the southwestern corner of Karnataka, and developed as a port on the Arabian Sea - to this day it remains one of the major ports of India. Lying on the backwaters formed by the Netravati and Gurupura rivers, it has long been a roadstead along the Malabar Coast.
Mangalore is known for its beaches, temples and industries. There are several languages spoken there, including Tulu, Konkani, Kannada, and Beary.
The landscape is dominated by the characteristic coconut palms accompanying rolling hills and streams flowing into the sea. The landscape is dotted with tiled-roof buildings, topped with the famous Mangalore tiles made with the local hard red clay and typically walled with laterite blocks. Older houses are commonly found with elaborate wood-work.
Contents [hide]
1 Origin of the name
1.1 Other names
2 History
3 Geography
4 Civic Administration
5 Power & Water Supply
6 Demographics
6.1 Language and religion
7 Transport
7.1 Local public transport
7.2 Long Distance Bus Routes
7.3 Railways
7.4 Sea
7.5 Air
8 Industry
8.1 Modern industry
8.2 Banking and finance
8.3 Traditional Commerce and Industry
9 Education
10 Media
11 Culture
12 Cuisine
13 Meteorology
14 Notable people from Mangalore
15 References
16 External links
[edit] Origin of the name
The city Mangalore was named after the local Hindu deity Mangaladevi.[1] According to legend Matsyendranath, one of the important protagonist of the Nath cult had arrived at Mangalore with the princess of Kerala, Premaladevi. He converted the princess to his cult and named her Mangaladevi. It is believed that they could not proceed further as Mangaladevi died after a brief period of illness and a temple was consecrated in her name at Bolar. Later the Mangaladevi temple was renovated by the Alupa king Kundavarma in 968 AD.
One of the earliest references to this city name is made by Pandya King Chettian, who called the city as Managalapuram in 715 AD. Yet another historical reference is by the 11th century Arabian traveler Ibn Batuta, whose chronicles refer to Mangalore as Manjarur. This variation in spelling is attributed to the pronunciation gap between and Arabic and the local language. [2] Mangalore has been known as Mangaluru, Mangalapura, Mangaruth, Manjuran, Mandjaur, Mandegora, Corial, Codial Bunder, or Kuddala throughout the ages.
[edit] Other names
The cosmopolitan nature of Mangalore is centuries old. This is reflected in the names used by the various linguistic groups in this region. In the native Tulu language, the city is known as Kudla meaning ‘junction’ as the city is situated at the confluence of the two rivers – Nethravathi and Phalguni. Konkanis use the variant Kodial. The Bearys, a Muslim community who speak a dialect of their own, call it Maikala.
On the occasion of "Suvarna Karnataka" in 2006, the Karnataka state government stated that the city would be renamed Mangalooru in English. [3]
[edit] History
Town Hall, MangaloreThere are many historical references regarding to the town. Cosmas Indicopleustes referred to the port of Mangarouth [4]. Pliny, a Roman historian made references of a place called Nithrias [5], and Greek historian Ptolemy referred to Nitre. Both the references probably referred to River Netravathi.[citation needed] Roman writer Arien called Mangalore Mandegora.[citation needed] A copper inscription belonging to 7th century called Mangalore, Mangalapura.Template:Act This region, given away as a reward to sage Parashurama by Samudraraja, is well known for its Kadali fruits. It is the land of enchantment of Sahyadri mountains, where the great sages Kanva, Vysa, Vashista, Vishwamitra and other in the Loral past spent their days of meditation.
The ancient history proved Mangalore had been the capital of Alupa dynasty till 14th century[6], A traveler, Ibn Battuta who had visited the town in 1342 stated that he arrived at a place named Manjurun or Mandjaur situated on a large estuary. He had mentioned that the town was a trading centre and Fars (Persian) and Yemeni merchants disembarked at Mangalore [7]. In 1448, Abdul Razak, a Persian Ambassador passed via this route to Vijayanagar. He said that he had seen a glorious temple here. The inscriptions at Moodabidri stated a king Mangaras Odeya was the governor of Mangaluru Raajya during the reign of Vira Harihararaya II of Vijayanagar dynasty. Another inscription stated that Deeva Raaja Odeya ruled the Mangalura Raajya in 1429 during the reign of Vijayanagara King Veera Devaraya II.
Various powers have fought for control over Mangalore. The major dynasties that ruled the town till the arrival of Portuguese were Kadambas, the Western Chalukyas, Rastrakutas, Alupas and Hoysalas. In 1520 the Portuguese took control of the area from Vijayanagara rulers, but in 1695, the town was burned by the Arabs in retaliation for Portuguese restrictions on Arab trade. Mysore sultan ruler Hyder Ali (1722–1782) conquered Mangalore in 1763 [8], and it was under his administration till 1768, before being annexed by the British between 1768 and 1794. Later in 1794 Hyder Ali's son Tippu Sultan again took control of the area [9], but it was re-conquered by the British upon the fall of Srirangapatana in 1799. A part of the Madras Presidency up to Indian independence, Mangalore was merged into a unified Karnataka state in 1956.
[edit] Geography
Mangalore is located at 12.87° N 74.88° E[10]. It has an average elevation of 45 metres (147 feet). Mangalore forms a part of the konkan coast and is closely situated to Goa. Three National Highways pass through Mangalore connecting the city to the rest of the country. NH-17 (1567 km), which runs from Panvel (in Maharashtra) to Cranganur Junction (near Edapally in Kerala)(500 km), passes through Mangalore in a north-south direction, while NH-48 runs eastward to the state capital Bangalore. NH-13 runs north-east from Mangalore to Sholapur 676 km., and a state highway connects it to the city of Mysore(250 km) passing through the hill town of Madikeri. There are about 300 buses from Bangalore to Mangalore on daily basis.
The coastline of the city is dotted with several beaches like Mukka beach, Panambur beach, Tannirbavi beach, KREC beach and Someshwara beach. Vegetation is predominantly coconut trees, palm trees, Ashoka trees along with others. The city has still perserved much of its green cover compared to other Indian cities. Pilikula Nisargadhama, Kadri Park, Tagore Park and Corporation Bank Park are some of the green lungs sought by public for leisure.
[edit] Civic Administration
Front View of MCC Headquarters at LalbaghThe Mangalore City Corporation ('Mangalooru Mahanagarapalike' in Kannada) is the municipal corporation in charge of the civic and infrastructural assets of the city. The municipal limits start from Mukka in the North to Netravati river bridge in the south & western sea shore to Kudupu in the east.
The MCC council comprises 60 elected representatives, called "corporators", one from each of the 60 wards (localities) of the city. Elections to the council are held once every five years, with results being decided by popular vote. One of the corporators from the majority party is selected as a Mayor.
The headquarters of Mangalore City Corporation is located at Lalbagh. Its sub offices are located at Suratkal & Bikarnakatta.
Until the revision of Lok Sabha & legislative constituencies by the Delimitation Commission [11][12] Mangalore used to contribute two members to the Lok Sabha (India's lower house of parliament,) one for the southern part of the city fell under the Mangalore Lok Sabha Constituency and another for the northern part of the city fell under the Udupi Lok Sabha Constituency. Additionally Mangalore used to sends 3 members to the Karnataka State Legislative Assembly (with the Mangalore, Ullal & Suratkal legislative Constituencies). With the revision the entire Mangalore Taluk (including those that used to fall under the Udipi constituency) now falls under the Dakshina Kannada Lok Sabha constituency, resulting in Mangalore contributing to only one member of parliament. For the Legislative Assembly the Ullal and Suratkal Constituencies have been merged with Mangalore to comprise the following Legislative constituencies viz. Mangalore urban north (202), Mangalore urban south (203) and Mangalore (204).
[edit] Power & Water Supply
Electricity in Mangalore is regulated through the Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited (KPTCL) & distribution is through Mangalore Electricity Supply Company (MESCOM). Like many cities in India, Mangalore experiences scheduled and unscheduled power cuts, especially over the summer, to allow electricity providers to meet the consumption demands of households as well as corporations. Major industries like MRPL & MCF have set up their own captive power plants.
Potable water to the city is supplied by MCC. Almost all water is taken from the vented dam constructed across the Netravati River.
[edit] Demographics
As of 2001 India census[13], Mangalore had a population of 398,745. Males constitute 50% of the population and females 50%. Mangalore has an average literacy rate of 83%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 86%, and female literacy is 79%. In Mangalore, 9% of the population is under 6 years of age.
As of the same census, the urban area had a population of 538,560.
[edit] Language and religion
St Aloysius ChapelTulu, Konkani, Kannada, Beary bashe are the widely spoken languages that are understood among Mangaloreans along with English. The official language is the state language Kannada. Tulu is a local language in Mangalore.
Hinduism is followed by large number of the population. Among the indigenous Hindus,the Billavas, Bunts and Mogaveeras form the biggest groups. Kota brahmins, Shivalli Brahmins, Havyaka Brahmins and GSBs (Gowda Saraswat Brahmins) also form a considerable portion of the Hindu population. Besides the Hindu pantheon of gods, divine spirits are also worshipped here.
A significant part of the population of Mangalore consists of followers of Christianity; Konkani-speaking Catholics and Born Again Christians are the highest in number among the Christians, popularly known as Mangalorean Catholics. The Protestants (of various denominations) consist of an appreciable number of locals who speak Kannada, and Malayali. Muslims constitute minority of the population, among them Beary form the 80% of total Muslim population and speak their own dialect called Beary bashe. There is also sizeable group of people who were basically land owners, following Jainism. Some famous Jain centers of pilgrimage are located here like Gomateshwara Betta in Karkala and Dharmastala and some more Jain temples in Moodabidri. Buddhism also flourished here in the early centuries.
[edit] Transport
Mangalore's location makes it accessible by all forms of transport: road, rail, air and sea. It is notable here that a native of Mangalore U. Srinivas Mallya (a Member of the Indian Parliament) was instrumental in getting the National Highway system, the Mangalore Airport and the New Mangalore Port to Mangalore. In his tribute there is a statue of him along NH 17 near the Kadri Park, and another at the entrance of the New Mangalore Harbour.
[edit] Local public transport
Mangalore's city bus service is operated by private operators, with routes covering the full extent of the city and beyond. There are two distinct sets of routes for the buses, with the city routes being covered by city buses, and the intercity routes being covered by service and express buses. Service buses essentially touch all towns and villages on the intercity route, while express buses reach their destination with very limited or no stops in between.
Another mode for local transportation is the autorickshaw. The minimum cost charged by an autorickshaw up to 2 km is Rs 11. Meter is introduced in all autorickshaws plying inside the city and the suburbs and the customers are charged based on the exact cost displayed on the meter. However charges are 1.5 times the displayed reading between 9pm to 6am.
[edit] Long Distance Bus Routes
Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) runs the long distance bus services from Mangalore to other parts of the state. Mangalore-Bangalore route is the most lucrative route due to absence of passenger train and is equally served by public & private players.
The longest bus route served is the Mangalore - Ankola - Hubli-Belgaum - Pune - Mumbai bus route run by a number of private players and KSRTC. The journey is about 22 hours by normal buses & 16 hours by Volvo Buses.
[edit] Railways
The Mangalore Railway Station used to be the last station connecting Mangalore to the state of Kerala in the south and to the rest of the country. While the British had left behind an extensive railway network when they left India, the stretch between Mangalore - Mumbai, and Mangalore - Hassan had never been connected. There are many trains connecting Shoranur and Coimbatore.
A metre gauge railway track was built through the Western Ghats in the east, connecting Mangalore with Hassan. While this provided a very picturesque journey, it was not very successful, and the tracks were removed several years later to be replaced with a broad gauge line. However, the conversion project was halted for several years. It has since resumed and some sections of this track are now functional. The broad gauge track connecting Mangalore to Bangalore via Hassan is open for freight traffic since May 2006.[14] Movement of passenger traffic was supposed to start after December 2006. A certification on track safety is still awaited. As per news reports, passenger traffic will resume in May 2007
When India gained independence Mangalore was not connected to Mumbai by rail. The railway network established by the British terminated at Mangalore. Since independence there was a strong need to connect Mangalore to Mumbai and hence the Konkan Railway came into being. The project was completed in 1998 and since then the travel time to the north of the country have come down considerably.
[edit] Sea
Sea entrance to New Mangalore PortThe Mangalore Harbour provides a connection by sea to the rest of the world. Currently dry, bulk and fluid cargos are handled by the New Mangalore Port, providing an important gateway to the state of Karnataka. It is also the station for the Coast Guard. This modern artificial harbour 10 km north of the town, is now India's ninth largest cargo handling port.[15]
[edit] Air
Mangalore International Airport (IATA: IXE) is located near Bajpe, around 20 km north-east of the city centre.
Main article: Mangalore International Airport
[edit] Industry
Fishing in Mukka, near MangaloreMangalore's economy is dominated by agricultural processing and port-related activities. Imports include tropical timber from south-east Asia for furniture making, a necessity since India places major restrictions on its own teak felling. The port handles 75% of India’s coffee exports and the bulk of its cashew nuts. The latter are brought from many coastal areas (notably from Kerala); the National Cashew research centre is nearby at Puttur. Mangalore roof tiles are famous all over India. The roof tiles made from red clay and baked, is used as roof in many parts of the country. There is rapid decline in this industry due to use of RCC roofs.
Mangalore is home to the automobile leaf spring industry. In 1950 the Canara Workshops Ltd started production under the brand name Canara Springs, and in 1976 Lamina Suspension Products Ltd started production under the brand name Lamina. Thereafter various small scale manufacturers have put up shop in the industrial area at Baikampady to manufacture leaf springs. Over the period there has been a lot of consolidation because of some of the smaller units shutting down. Currently there are about six or seven units producing about one thousand metric tonnes of leaf springs per month. They cater almost entirely to the replacement or after market of South India. Beedi rolling industry is also famous in Mangalore.
The major industries in Mangalore are Mangalore Chemical and Fertilizers Ltd. (MCF), Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Ltd. (KIOCL), Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL), BASF, ELF GAS.
The boat building and fishing industry has been core business in Mangalore city for generations.
[edit] Modern industry
Major information technology and outsourcing companies have started locating their facilities in Mangalore. IT major Infosys was one of the first to move in and establish a large presence.Chennai based banking software major Lasersoft infosystems ltd has a software development unit in Mangalore. Wipro also plans to set-up its development facility soon in Mangalore. Outsourcing major MPhasis BPO was one of the first outsourcing companies to set up their facilities near the city. First Indian corporation,a wholly owned subsidiary of The First American Corporation has started operations in Mangalore from Manansa Towers, MG Road.
Three dedicated IT parks are currently under construction. Two such parks are under construction, one Export Promotion Industrial Park (EPIP) at Ganjimutt and a second IT SEZ near Mangalore University. A third IT SEZ is being proposed at Ganjimutt. Another IT SEZ of 2 million square feet (180,000 m²) is under construction at Thumbe by the BA group. This will include a business centre, convention centre, mall and helipad facility.[16]
The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation ONGC plans to invest over Rs. 35,000 crore in a new 15 million tonnes refinery, petrochemical plant and power and LNG plants at the Mangalore Special Economic Zone. This will be the first Petroleum, Chemicals, Petrochemicals Investment Region (PCPIR) of the country.[17]
In the year 2006 investors meet, held in Mangalore, received proposals worth more than 3,000 crores in the IT and Hospitality sectors. Companies such as TCS, Wipro, KEL and Infosys are expanding their workforce in Mangalore.
Thus, with rapid strides in the nearby future Mangalore is well on its course to be one of the most promising future Metropolis of India. Is expected to house a number of well known IT Companies in the nearby future, thereby providing a serious alternative to Bangalore for the aspiring IT professionals.
According to International edition of 'India Today' (November 28-December 4'th, 2006), Mangalore is the fastest growing non metro in the south followed by Kochi.
[edit] Banking and finance
Two of the nineteen nationalised banks were established in Mangalore during the first half of the 20th century. The two banks are:-
Canara Bank (founded in 1906 by Late Shri Ammembal Subba Rao Pai)
Vijaya Bank (founded in 1931 by Late Shri A B Shetty)
and one more which was not nationalised
Karnataka Bank, (founded in 1924 one of the larger private sector banks which escaped nationalisation)
In addition to these two there was two more which was established in nearby Udupi and Manipal. These two banks are:-
Corporation Bank (founded in 1906 by Late Khan Bahadur Haji Abdulla Haji Kasim Saheb Bahadur)
Syndicate Bank, (co-founded in 1924 by Dr. T M A Pai and Sri Upendra Ananth Pai in Manipal, along with a Mangalorean Sri V S Kudva.
These banks are considered quality institutions across the country - the national character taken on with nationalisation has been combined with the culture and quality of service inculcated by the founders. Prior to nationalisation, these banks were stewarded by very efficient and competent teams of managers, predominantly Mangaloreans. During this tremendous growth phase, these banks spawned a whole generation of bankers from Mangalore across these firms from the top to bottom. A large proportion of the Konkani, Bunt and brahmin community from Mangalore were at one point employed by these banks.
While Karnataka Bank and Corporation Bank are still head quartered in Mangalore, Vijaya Bank and Canara Bank are head quartered in Bangalore and Syndicate Bank is head quartered in Manipal. Even to date, a large proportion of employees at all levels in these banks are of Mangalorean origin.
[edit] Traditional Commerce and Industry
Mangalore developed as a fishing town and this has been maintained to this day, with the local diet maintaining a high proportion of fish. The fishing industry employs thousands of people, and their produce is exported from around the region.
The nationalisation of the banking sector was a big blow to the Mangalorean economy, but it has not affected the entrepreneurial spirit of the population. Mangalorean firms have had a major presence in the tile, beedi, coffee and cashewnut industry, although the tile industry has been in decline due to the predominance of concrete in the modern construction.
[edit] Education
National Institute of Technology, Karnataka, One of the premier institutes in MangaloreWith the growth of the banking institutions in the early 20th century, Mangalore had a large middle class and affluent population. Also, Mangaloreans have always placed high emphasis on education. The combination of the above two factors resulted in the establishment of some quality educational institutions, including:-
Main article: List of educational institutions in Mangalore
Since the 1980s, there have been a large number of professional institutions established in a variety of fields including engineering, medicine, dentistry,Business management and hotel management. These institutions attract students from all over the country due to the quality of their programs.
On 10 September 1980, the Mangalore University was established. It caters to the higher educational needs of Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Kodagu districts. The University Campus has become a major centre for advanced academic studies and research. Although Mangalore University is one of the youngest universities in the country, it has within its ambit some of the oldest and prestigious institutions of higher learning. Besides 26 post graduate departments offering different Post Graduate programmes on the Campus, the University has 118 affiliated colleges (including two constituent colleges) imparting education in the field of arts, commerce and management, science, law and education.
[edit] Media
Major national English newspapers like The Hindu, Deccan Herald, Times of India and Indian Express have Mangalore editions being published.
Among Kannada newspapers Udayavani, Vijaya Karnataka, Prajavani, Kannada Prabha and Varthabharathi are popular. There are evening newspapers like Karavali Ale, Mangalooru Mitra, Sanjevani and Jayakirana being published here. A lot of other periodicals are also being pulished from Mangalore. Rakno is one of the famous Konkani language weekly that goes around the world wherever Mangaloreans stay.
All India Radio (AIR) has a studio at Kadri which airs program for scheduled hours. The state run, nationally broadcast Doordarshan provides both national and localised television coverage. Cable Television providers air cable channels of independently owned private networks such as Star, ETV Kannada, Udaya TV, ZEE TV, ZEE Kannada, TV9, Asianet Suvarna etc. The local channels of cable operators association like the CCIndia, Namma TV, OCN, CAD TV, RequestTV, UCN, V4u, etc are also quite popular.
[edit] Culture
Typical Yakshagana ArtistMangalore is a multi-cultural and multi-lingual city that speaks four local languages Tulu, Kannada, Beary and Konkani apart from Hindi, Urdu and English. The communities include Tuluva (Bunts, Mogaveeras, Kulala, Billavas, Dalits etc), Konkani (Gaud Saraswat Brahmins, Saraswats, Roman Catholics), , Kannada speaking Brahmins, and Urdu and Beary speaking Muslims.
With several famous pilgrim centres, a trip to Mangalore is incomplete without watching the classic Yakshagana - an elaborate dance - drama performance unique to Karnataka. A night-long event, with people adorned vibrantly, and dancing to the beat of drums, Yakshagana performance attracts thousands of people.
Hulivesha (Tiger dance) is a unique form of folk dance in Dakshina Kannada that fascinates the young and the old alike. Since tiger is considered as the favored carrier of Goddess Sharada (the deity in whose honor Dussera is celebrated), this dance is performed during the Dussera celebration. It is also performed during other festivals like Krishna Janmasthami. Bhuta Kola or spirit worship is practised here. Bhuta kola is usually done at night. Kambala or buffalo race is also conducted in water filled paddy fields. Korikatta (Cockfight) is another favourite sport for village people.
Kodial Theru/Mangalore Rathotsava (Car Festival) is one of the major festivals for the Konkani community(GSB). The Car festival of the Sri Venkatramana Temple.
Mangalore has had a tradition for strength in education, and accordingly has become a focus for local media. Despite its relatively small size, it has its own versions of national English-language newspapers like the Deccan Herald, The Times of India, and The Hindu, as well as several local-language publications.
Annual festivals are promoted during summer every year. This has been used to promote commaraderie and has been called as Karavali Utsav, Kudlostava to promote the local cultural events.
[edit] Cuisine
Mangalorean cuisine is largely influenced by South Indian cuisine. Mangalorean curry uses a lot of coconut and curry leaves. Ginger, garlic and chilli is also used in curry. Mangalorean fish curry is known for its taste in the whole of coastal Karnataka.
Some of the famous dishes are: Kori Rotti, Bangude Pulimunchi, Beeja-Manoli Upkari, Boothai Gasi, Kadubu among others. The Konkani cummunity has its specialities that include Patrode, Daali thoy, beebe-upkari (cashew based), val val, avnas ambe sasam,Kadgi chakko
The vegetarian cuisine is same as Udupi cuisine.
[edit] Meteorology
A view of the Kadri ParkThe most pleasant months in Mangalore are from December to February - during which time the humidity and temperature are the lowest by Mangalore standards. Day time temperatures fall below 30°C and night time temperatures fall below 20°C.
This pleasant season is soon followed by a "hot" summer season from March to May, when temperatures rise as high as 38°C. However, a high relative humidity of more than 90% makes it feel above 40°C.
This is soon followed by the monsoon season. Mangalore receives very heavy rainfall compared with other urban centres in India. Rains measuring up to 4000 mm fall during the period from June to September. The rains finally subside in September, with the occasional rainfall catching people unaware in October.
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