This month, each day, except the four Sundays, I will be blogging about interesting features associated with Bengaluru, formerly known as Bangalore, as part of the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge
I moved to Bengaluru in 1999 from Hyderabad. Before that, I had been to this city only a few times for job interviews and as a part of college outings.
Ulsoor was the first locality in this city I got familiar with because in its neighbourhood was a friend with whom I stayed initially. An uncle and family too lived nearby.
Right on the next day of my arrival, I went to the Ulsoor Post Office to send a letter to my parents back in Kerala. (Those days, I used to post letters, most often postcards, twice a week, usually Monday and Thursday or Tuesday and Friday, just to let them know I am doing well. My dad also used to write to me twice a week.)
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| Ulsoor Lake. Courtesy: The Hindu |
Ulsoor is also one of those very old areas of the city developed in the early 16th century during the rule of Kempegowda, the founder of the city. There is the Ulsoor Lake -- one of the largest in the city spanning over 120 acres -- built by his successor Kempegowda II. Nearby there is a park, a jogging track, a swimming pool and facilities for rowing.
This area abuts the Cantonment the British developed. Even now, there are many Indian Army establishments in Ulsoor and its neighbourhood. The Madras Sappers Museum and Archives at the MEG (Madras Engineering Group) Centre is a rich treasure house of history going back to nearly two centuries.
There is a typical old-style market where one can get anything from clothes to books to provisions to household articles, especially traditional ones.
There are many cultural associations and Ulsoor is a hub of different religious festivities. On the banks of the Ulsoor Lake is the magnificent Sri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara.
The area underwent considerable change in its topography when the metro rail came up. There is a metro station at Ulsoor on the Pink Line that runs from the east to the west of the city.
(On Monday, it's about one of the most celebrated engineers of Karnataka.)
Ulsoor looks lovely. Your letter writing memory made me smile.
ReplyDeleteI hope I can visit Ulsoor when I visit BLR. The Gurudwara at the banks--eating langar and kada prasad there would make the visit extra special.
After reading your description I want to visit Ulsoor on my next trip to India.
ReplyDeleteHari OM
ReplyDeletethat looks - and sounds - most attractive. Ah,,, the art of letter/card writing. My sister and I used to do same. Email now rules... YAM xx
You must have great memories of the place.
ReplyDeleteI remember the days of mailing letters and postcards!
ReplyDeleteLove the lake. It looks calm and peaceful.
Hi Pradeep - Fascinating ... I see it's retained its connections with the Madras to Mangalore survey of India back in the early 1800s.
ReplyDeleteYes writing and keeping in touch was the thing to do ... my mother had cards and letters from South Africa ... and I still write out, not so much, but still make that plan.
It sounds a very dynamic city and the Ulsoor area must hold lots of memories for you ... Hilary
It's hard to wrap my head around such ancient history. ~grin~ Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteA good description. It is about eight years since I visited. Must have developed with high rise buildings with Metro to boot.
ReplyDelete