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UnboxingBlrHabba with Blushing Bangalore Tree Walk

#UnboxingBlrHabba with The City Beautiful Series by #HeritageBeku flagged off the events today.. #HeritageBeku's focus on natural heritage and personal experiences to enhance individual ownership and focus was the driver in this concept and series . Please follow their Lalbagh Walk, the Postal heritage trail, the Doggone Park Walk and the Kadalekai Parishe over the next ten days .

Off to a rocking start today with Blushing Bangalore Tree Walk Saturday 2 Dec at 730 am. We wound up way after 10 am. The shy pink tabebuia decided to come out of it’s determined hiding since I specifically requested them. Ok, I admit it - I begged!


We met the Mysore Fig, a silk floss tree, and a Banyan that just gazed down at us ants so wisely, so majestically. We nibbled banyan tree root tips- nutty & delicious. We picked up the creamy gorgeous, perfumed Indian cork flowers. And yes, we inhaled,


The crisp winter air and tranquil blue skies make walking and learning even more of a pleasure. We tramped from the library through Ringwood circle to the Bandstand and meandered through to the lotus pond, chatting and marveling all the way . We stopped at many of the mighty ones and heard their stories. Did you know there is a leopard spots tree and another with (real) spikes - gorgeous and scary too! That trees support each underground through their roots - called (i think) mycelium. And that there is a reason why the Banyan Tree is also called the Strangler tree- yes we saw evidence ! We met some of the celebrity Cubbon dogs - the Parkies too.


Kavya regaled us with nuggets, stories and botanical history as we tramped over the dewy diamond grass, drinking in the giant trees with a new perspective and understanding.

What an incredible sense of connection to what we see and take for granted every day.


Well, our natural heritage has to be seen and experienced and it’s with this context, that some of it opens up some willing chinks ,and their light truly enters our soul.


Today was such a day.


Blushing Bangalore - The City Beautiful UBH2023


Unboxingblr @unboxingblrhabba

Kavya Chandra A Green Venture


Restoration Stories

Only when we have a chance to experience heritage, know it , love it , will we want to preserve it. Let us look at the examples of living , breathing and repurposed heritage that we all know and love . I love the idea ofd adaptive reuse or repurposing a heritage site - with respect to outs origins, allowing people to. inhale , enjoy ad soak in heritage in a contemporary, joyful and even perhaps useful manner.


For me the chance to be able to live and work where many many thousands have before and over a century or more, gives me a sense of connectedness ands being whole. How many more can we add to this list ?


So lets see what Bangalore restoration is about ?

  2. Raintree, Sankey Road

  3. Manikyavelu Mansion, now NGMA, Palace Road

  4. BeauLieu, Post Office, Palace Road

  5. Cinnamon , Gangadhar Chetty Road

  6. Fort High School

  7. SBI Guesthouse, St Marks Road

  8. Main Post Office, Museum Road

  9. Villa Potti Pati (now gone)

  10. CCIE, Cunningham Road


What should be there:

  1. Krumbiegal Hall, Lalbagh

  2. CTO, Cubbon Road

  3. SPCA, Cubbon Park

  4. Philomena House , Promenade Road

  5. Ipsahani House Ali Asker Road

  6. BRV Canteen, Cubbon Road

  7. Kempegowda Towers

  8. Tipu's Armoury

  9. Corps of Detectives, Millers Road

  10. Carlton House

  11. Ambara, Basavangudi

While we soak in the restored past now, it's also important to know and connect with its history.

At the end of her article on Samsung Opera House, Nayanika Muklerjee says :'f I had one quibble, it would be this: there wasn’t enough conspicuous representation about the building’s heritage. A triptych-style photo lineup, or even a brief video presentation drawing parallels with the glory days would have been nice. If not for my guided tour, it’s unlikely that I (or any other first-time visitor) would have fully grasped the weight of the restoration efforts by a mere glance at the architecture. Having said that, if you live in Bengaluru and are aware of the Opera House’s former disarray, the metamorphosis is worth a sentimental visit'


Share in the comments if there are any places that would benefit from adaptive reuse.

Bugle Rock Lighting - Kadlekai Parishe

To,

The BBMP Commissioner

NR Square

Bangalore 560002


Sub: Lighting of lamps in the hollows in the Bugle Rock, Basavangudi to coincide with Kadlekai Parishe on December 11, 2023


Dear Sirs


We are writing to you to initiate lighting of lamps in the hollows in Bugle Rock, Basavangudi to coincide with Kadlekai Parishe on December 11, 2023.


We are requesting this to recreate the historic lighting of lamps as a heritage event to demonstrate how the Bugle Rock was illuminated and lighted in historic times. Since Kadlekai Parishe is a cultural heritage event in Bangalore, it would be ideal to recreate a historic event in the vicinity to add heritage value. In order to ensure environmentally friendly options, we are suggesting solar powered lamps or energy saving lamps instead of the traditional oil lit lamps.


Here is a brief background on the hollows in Bugle Rock. Bugle Rock (“Kahale Bande” in Kannada) is a massive rock in the Basavangudi area of South Bangalore in the vicinity of the Bull Temple where the Kadlekai Parishe event is held every year. A Watch Tower was built on the Bugle Rock by Kempe Gowda II in around 1585. Most of the rocks in the Bugle Rock have hollows which were once used to light lamps for illumination, during the month of Kartik in the Hindu Calendar (“Kartik Masa” in Kannada). Kadlekai Parishe is also held on the last Monday of the month of Kartik.


We request you to illuminate these Bugle Rock hollows to recreate these historic events as a heritage event.


Thank you

Regards

Heritage Beku


References:

-Talk on Kadlekai Parishe by Historian Suresh Moona for Heritage Beku on November 22, 2021

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