History of Bangalore

History of Bangalore predates to 900 according to some historical references. Whereas the written history about a continuous settlement exists from 1537.When Kempe Gowda I, the modern architect of Bangalore built a mud fort in the city and made it the province of the Vijayanagara Empire. When the Vijayanagar emperor gifted Kempa Gowda a large piece of land, the future of Bangalore began. Benguluru, the earliest reference to this name was found in a 9th century Ganga inscription on hero stone.

Bangalore was referred to as "Devar?yanagara" and "Kaly?napura" ("Auspicious City") during the Vijayanagara reign. Many emperor ruled Bangalore after the fall of the Vijayanagara Empire. Before the Mughal invasion it was captured by the Maratha chief Shahaji Bhonsle.

In 1689 the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb leased Bangalore to Chikkadeva Raja Wodeyar.At this time the city became part of the Kingdom of Mysore. In 1759, Haider Ali, Commander-in-Chief of the Mysore Army declared himself the ruler of Mysore. This took place soon after the death of Krishnaraja Wodeyar II. Haider Ali created much trouble for the then east India Company. Later after the death of Haider Ali, His able son Tipu Sultan became the ruler. From the beginning he went into conflict with the British. Tipu Sultan for his courage and chivalry came to be known as the Tiger of Mysore. But in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War (1799) Tipu faced a defeat despite a strong army. He was killed and Bangalore was eventually incorporated into the British East Indian Empire.

The British incorporated Bangalore into the Madras Presidency under their rule. Bangalore evolved as a centre for colonial rule in South India during the British Raj.Mysore city was renamed as the capital of Bangalore in 1831 from the Kingdom of Mysore. The introduction of telegraph connections and a rail connection to Madras in 1864 was two major developments during this period which accelerated the growth of the city.

Bangalore remained in the new Mysore State of which the Maharaja of Mysore was Rajpramukh, when India gained independence in August 1947.
Bangalore was hit by a plague epidemic in 1898 that dramatically reduced its population.