Bengaluru Town Hall
| Bangalore Town Hall | |
|---|---|
 The Town Hall, in 2010 | |
 | |
| Alternative names | Sir Puttanna Chetty Town Hall |
| General information | |
| Type | Town hall |
| Architectural style | Neoclassical architecture |
| Location | Bangalore Urban Karnataka India |
| Address | 112 J C Road, Bangalore Karnataka |
| Coordinates | 12°57′29″N 77°35′00″E / 12.9581°N 77.5833°E |
| Construction started | 6 March 1933 |
| Completed | 11 September 1935 |
| Renovated | March 1990 |
| Cost | Rs 175,000 (Unadjusted for inflation) |
| Owner | Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 2 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Sri S. Lakshminarasappa |
| Civil engineer | Sir Mirza Ismail |
| Main contractor | Sri Chikkananjundappa |
The Bengaluru Town Hall, officially known as Sir K. P. Puttanna Chetty Town Hall is a municipal building in central Bengaluru, India. Foundation stone for the building was laid by Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV on 6 March 1933. It was designed by Sir Mirza Ismail. The building was commissioned and inaugurated by Yuvaraja Kanteerava Narasimharaja Wadiyar in 1935. It was designed in a neo classical reminiscent of ancient Greece. It has a broad portico with tall Tuscan columns and a triangular pediment. It was built on land donated by Sir K. P. Puttanna Chetty, former president of Bangalore City Municipality. It serves as a key venue for public gatherings, cultural events and official functions. The building was later renovated in 1990 to gain proper acoustics. Over the decades, the Town Hall has remained an important landmark in Bengaluru’s social and political life, symbolizing the city’s modern heritage and democratic ideal.
History
[edit]
The Bangalore town hall was proposed during World War I era, and Bengaluru was one of the last British Indian cities to construct a town hall. A design was proposed by British architect E.W. Fritchley, after the war and was abandoned due to lack of funds.[1] In the early 1930s, the Mysore state government revived the idea. The land for construction was donated by Sir K. P. Puttanna Chetty, then President of the Bangalore City Municipal Council to mark the silver jubilee of the city corporation.[2] Chetty also contributed ₹0.75 lakh (equivalent to ₹2.5 crore or US$290,000 in 2023) for the construction.[1]
Construction of the Town Hall began in March 1933. Maharaja Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV laid the foundation stone, and the building was completed in 1935. It was officially inaugurated on 11 September 1935 by the Maharaja’s son, Prince Kanteerava Narasimharaja. The total construction cost of the porject is ₹1.75 lakh (equivalent to ₹6.0 crore or US$710,000 in 2023).[3] The hall was named in honor of Sir K. P. Puttanna Chetty (often spelled "Shetty") as Sir Puttannachetty Town Hall.[4]
Sir Mirza Ismail, the Mysore state Dewan who later governed Jaipur and Hyderabad, was the civil engineer for the Town Hall project.[5] The design was inspired by a stately façade of dressed stone with a front like Greek temple. Inside, the building originally accommodated about 1,038 people on wooden benches. Over time, the Town Hall became a focal point for Bangalore’s civic and cultural activities. It was used for city council meetings, public ceremonies, concerts, plays and exhibitions throughout the 20th century.[6]
In 1976, Karnataka’s Chief Minister Devaraj Urs ordered a renovation of the aging structure. However, the work was only completed around 1990.[6] Decades later, the city’s Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) again renovated the Town Hall in 2014–2015 at a reported cost of about ₹5 crore. During this modernization, they added centralized air-conditioning, new lighting and sound systems, a rebuilt stage and improved seating. The hall was closed for renovation in late 2014 and re‑opened in April 2015.[7] In 2013–2014, the BBMP briefly proposed mortgaging the Town Hall to secure loans for city projects. Backlash from public led officials to abandon the loan scheme and instead focus on raising funds through repairs and rental income.[8] Around that time, there was also rumour of "renaming" the building to Puttanna Shetty Hall and installing a statue of Chetty as a way to honor the donor.[9]
Architecture and Design
[edit]Bengaluru Town Hall is designed in a neoclassical style with façade including a broad portico with Tuscan-style columns supporting a triangular pediment.[1] The front elevation is built of pale stone, with six massive columns (in Doric/Tuscan form) framing three arched doorways topped by a corniced entablature. Above the entablature is a high pediment inscribed with “Sir Puttannachetty Townhall” in both English and Kannada (reflecting the hall’s heritage). This stately classical temple-like face gives the Town Hall its distinctive Athens inspired look.[1]
The main hall has dimensions of 150 feet length by 110 feet wide, with a high, gently curved ceiling. The interior was originally plain plaster and wood, following later renovations, it has now a painted ceiling with decorative moldings.[7] The focal area is a proscenium style stage at one end of the hall, with back-stage rooms and green rooms behind the stage. Originally the hall was fitted with long wooden benches for 1,038 people. In the 2014–15 update, many of these benches were replaced by individual cushioned seats and were later reconfigured to about 810 total.[10] The interior flooring and finishes were also partly updated. The entrance lobby and side corridors are paved with large cement blocks, while the main platform and steps were originally granite or marble.
According to BBMP reports, the exterior portico and side corridors were originally laid with Rajasthani marble slabs were also renovated. Doorways that were plain wood were upgraded: the large front doors were replaced with carved teak doors decorated with geometric and floral motifs. Structurally, the Town Hall was built with thick walls of dressed stone. The façade columns are partially squared (not fully round), a version of the Tuscan/Doric order without fluting. These support a heavy horizontal cornice with classical moldings. The pediment above has minimal ornamentation, originally plain, it is now embossed with lettering.[2]
Later upgrades have subtly altered the design details. In 2014–15, a steel framework was built over the stage and a new lighting grid was installed. The ceiling was repainted white for brightness, and new chandeliers were fitted in the middle of the hall in a shape vaguely inspired by Victorian hall lights.[2] The balcony railings were re-cast with decorative balusters, and now carry bands of gold paint as part of an aesthetic overhaul. On the exterior, the renovation left the façade mostly intact, only applying an acid-wash cleaning to remove sootbangaloremirror.indiatimes.com. The original script (“Sir Puttannachetty Townhall” in Kannada and English) has been preserved on the portico.[1]
Cultural Significance
[edit]Bengaluru Town Hall has long been one of the city’s principal cultural and civic venues. Throughout its history it has hosted theatrical plays, music concerts, dance recitals, film festivals, public lectures, and film premieres.[11] It has accommodated official city functions such as swearing-in ceremonies and legislative addresses. The availability of a large hall in the city centre made it the "foremost address" for big gatherings when it was built. The Town Hall played a symbolic role in opening up public space. In the colonial era, gatherings were normally held in temples or mosques, the creation of a secular civic auditorium was seen as a democratizing move.[6] BBMP officials report about ten events per month on average as of 2019.[7] In mid-2010s, the BBMP’s rental schedule was even restructured to lower costs for local-language and non-profit events.[8]
In terms of heritage status, Bengaluru Town Hall is widely recognized as historically and architecturally significant, but it has not been formally declared a protected heritage structure by the government. Local heritage experts have noted that the building meets criteria (age, architecture and cultural value), yet no official nomination was made. In practice, the BBMP has treated it as a heritage site when planning renovations, for example, in 2013 an official said the Town Hall’s "heritage status" would guide restoration work.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Chandrasekhar, Arnav (30 June 2023). "Know Your City: Bengaluru Town Hall and the men behind its construction". The Indian Express. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
- ^ a b c d "BBMP to breathe new life into Town Hall". Bangalore Mirror. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
- ^ "The Story of Town Hall - www.bangalorebest.com". www.bangalorebest.com. Archived from the original on 24 March 2010. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
- ^ Jayapal, Maya (1997). Bangalore: The Story of a City. Eastwest Books (Madras). p. 134. ISBN 978-81-86852-09-5.
- ^ Gupta, Narayani (5 January 2020). "Mirza Ismail, the 'serial Diwan' who made industrial Bangalore beautiful, painted Jaipur". ThePrint. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
- ^ a b c Shekhar, Divya (28 May 2015). "The British tried to promote democratic values through Bengaluru's Town Hall". The Economic Times. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
- ^ a b c "Mike testing 1, 2, 3...With that, BBMP has spent your Rs 97 lakh". Bangalore Mirror. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
- ^ a b Chaturvedi, Atul. "Town Hall rentals to be slashed to Rs 30k–Rs 67k". Bangalore Mirror. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
- ^ "Town Hall to Get Facelift". The New Indian Express. 26 June 2014. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
- ^ Khajane, Muralidhara (10 September 2014). "Town Hall turns 80". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
- ^ "Tourism | District Bengaluru Urban, Government of Karnataka | India". Retrieved 22 June 2025.
12°57′49″N 77°35′09″E / 12.96361°N 77.58583°E
