Bangalore Roads with military connections

Cantonment area of Bengaluru

Bangalore was one of the civil and military cantonments (a permanent military station) from 1881 made by the British Rulers. Therefore there are several localities, roads and streets named after the defense terminologies. We can find names commemorating wars, implements, type of defense forces in those days. The whole area known as the cantonment area was under the administration of a Resident (British) and his house was consequently called the Residency and the Road where it was situate is known as the Residency Road.

Roads named after battles

There are two roads in Bangalore named after wars. One was the battle between the British East India Company army and the combined army of Daulat Scindia and the Raja of Berar. On the East India Company side the force was lead by the Major General Arthur Wellesley. This was the first major victory for the Major General according to him. Later he was made the Duke of Wellington. This was a turning point for the British in the sense they could establish their hegemony of over the Central India after this was. The two roads from different destinations meet near the Ulsoor Lake. One of the two roads starts from near to the junction of the Buddha Vihar Road, Robertson Road and the Wheeler Road joins at Cox Town. This road is named as the Assaye Road. This name Assaye was given in memory of the war at a village by the same name on 23-9-1803. The war was between the combined forces of the Raja of Berar and Daulat Scindia on the one side and the Army of the East India Company on the other.

The other road named Meanee Road after another war at the place called Meanee (Maini) fought on 17-2-1843 between the British and the Talpur Amirs of the Sindh province now the Sindh state under the Pakistan. The Muslim army was defeated by the British forces under Sir Charles Napier.

Relations of Bangalore and the battles

Both the war on the face of it had no apparent relation to Bangalore. So for those looking superficially it may look strange to name the roads which were held far away from Bangalore. Both were comparatively smaller battles for the British Side as they had other major battles elsewhere. But the reason for naming the roads after the wars was for the fact that the Madras Engineering Group (MEG - also known as the Madras Sappers) headquartered near to these roads junction near the Ulsoor Lake, were directly involved from the British side. As a mark of the association of the MEG or the Madras Sappers with the Assaye war the MEG soldiers carry the badge of Assaye with the elephant symbolizing the war. The MEG force was more like an engineering group to assist the Army in building bridges, making roads and trenches – more or less and auxiliary group. Now this area has Bengalee settlements, the Sindhi refugee's colony. There is a building complex of the Sree Narayana Samithi formed in 1976 in memory of Sree Narayana Guru the Spiritual Leader from Kerala who preached the theory of oneness of mankind. The Guru has stayed during his visit to Bangalore as a guest of one of his disciples. During his stay he used to have walks in the area and used to rest at a spot near to the Lake. The building is built on the same spot where he used to rest during the walk.

Apart from the above war memorial roads there are other roads with names from the military connections. They are the Cavalry Road (now Kamaraj Road), Infantry Road, South Parade Road (now known as the M G Road), Brigade Road, Commissariat Road and the Artillery Road.

The above is an account of the Bangalore connection to some of the British battles.

Bangalore Roads with military connections

Cantonment area of Bengaluru

Roads named after battles

Relations of Bangalore and the battles

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