Bangalore Majestic – What is the meaning of the word Majestic? Let me tell you. Majestic refers to things that are famous and impressive because of their beauty or quality.
Interestingly, there is a place called “Majestic” in Silicon City Bangalore. It’s the name I first heard when asking for bus information in 2011. Later, I found out that Majestic is the name of the main city bus station or bus hub of Bangalore.
Majestic goes by several names, including Kempe Gowda Bus Station and City Bus Stand. However, the most common name for this station is Majestic. Have you ever wondered why it’s called Majestic? Well, there’s a story behind its name. Some people may think it’s because of the station’s beauty, but there’s a different reason.
Bangalore Majestic – A Lake Turned To Bus Terminal
Before knowing the reason behind the name Majestic, let me tell you how this place came into existence. Initially, it was not a bus station. This place was something else during the time of Kempe Gowda One. Then it was constructed as a bus terminal during 1960-1963. Then what was it before 1963? Lets uncover the more interesting history behind the name Majestic.
Prince Albert Victor’s Visit To Bangalore
Back then in 1889, Queen Victoria’s son, Prince Albert Victor, visited Bangalore. When he landed at the Bangalore railway station, he was given a grand welcome by a group of Bharatanatyam dancers on a float. Yes, the area opposite the Bangalore Railway Station was a vast waterlogged area then. And the name of that place was Dharmambudhi Tank.
Water used to go to many parts of Bangalore from Dharmambudhi Tank. In a way, it can be called the lifeline of Bengaluru at that time. This Dharmambudhi tank was one of those many water bodies built by Kempe Gowda One when he laid the foundation of Bangalore.
Dharmambudhi Tank/ Dharmambudhi Kere
Dharmambudhi tank was one of the chief sources of water for the Bangalore people. In the initial days, it was well maintained and served its purpose for many years. But during summer seasons, when the water dried up and was nothing but an open ground, people used it as a defecating area. Of this negligence act, Dharmambudhi Kere lost its beauty and started stinking when it rained back. Due to the poor maintenance of the tank, gradually it began to dry when monsoon failed during 1892-94.
In 1896, Bangalore municipality took up the project to revive the Dharmambudhi tank by pumping water from other sources. However, it didn’t work for long. Tank was completely neglected and dried up after the Bangalore water needs were fulfilled by connecting with the Hesaragatta reservoir.
Dharmambudhi Tank To Children’s Park
Post the tank completely dried, and there were no more plans to rebuild it, the government of Mysore came up with new plans. It instructed Bangalore Municipality to construct a children’s park in some part of the Dharmambudhi tank bed in 1905. As the area is well connected to the railway station, people started walking through the wetland of the tank while commuting.
As a result of some political developments, in 1931, a large part of the Dharmambudhi tank bed was used for their public meetings. During the same time, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru visited Bangalore for a meeting and hoisted the tricolour flag there.
The north-western part of the tank bed was requested to be given on lease by the city congress committee for 5 years. But the government denied the request. Since then, it has been used for public exhibitions, meetings, and other activities. Later the government named it Subash Nagar in the honor and remembrance of Subhash Chandra Bose.
Dry Dharmambudhi Tank Bed To KSRTC Bus Stand
In 1963, when the government felt the need, it handed over a large part of the Dharmambudhi tank bed to KSRTC. 1,32,294 square yards of the tank bed place was given for the construction of a bus stand. The construction took some time, but it finally started operating in 1968.
As the area was very prominent, it gained popularity in a short time. And transit of the buses started to every part of Karnataka soon.
Birth Of The Name – Bangalore Majestic
Till the 1980s, it was solely a KSRTC bus stand, and BTS (Bangalore Transport Service) operated under this. The present structure of the place, which is a beautiful semi-circular-shaped bus terminal, was built in 1981. Credit is owed to the then Chief Minister, R Gundu Rao, for overseeing the project.
The Bangalore bus terminal, commonly known as Majestic, was never officially named as such. The name “Majestic” was just a landmark for the area, owing to the presence of a famous cinema theater called “Majestic Theater” near the bus terminal. The theater was constructed in the 1920s and was one of the most popular theaters of its time, with 15 single screens in the 1970s.
Over time, the theater was torn down, but the bus terminal in Bangalore still bears its name – Bangalore Majestic. However, it was eventually officially renamed to “Kempe Gowda Bus Station.” The Dharmambudhi tank or kere is now only a memory, and only those who are familiar with Bangalore’s history and development still refer to it by its original name.
It’s just one story out of many. The way Bangalore is constructed and developed is really interesting. We will try to cover most of it as and when possible. We Hope you enjoyed reading this one.
