The Bengaluru Roadies #50: Bellandur Woh! It is a half century of BLR localities and roads, and still so many more to go. Today is one of the areas that define the new techie BLR, the #peakbengaluru if it may, for good and bad – Bellandur Well, the name comes from massive, historically crystal-clear Bellandur Lake, built by the Western Ganga dynasty in the 10th century. I could not find any etymological reason it was called Bellandur; probably that has been lost to time and history… Before the glass-and-steel tech parks and legendary traffic jams swallowed it whole, Bellandur was an insanely wealthy agricultural village. During the 11th century, the Chola dynasty proudly called it 'Vikrama Chola Mandala'. Fast forward to around 1914, when enterprising farming families settled by the then-pristine lake, turning the land into a sprawling agricultural hub that grew everything from paddy paddy, ragi, vegetables, livestock, and maybe apples and grapes. Yes, apples! Today, you are literally coding and stuck in traffic over what probably was a lush fruit orchard. You probably know Bellandur Lake for its infamous, snow-like toxic foam, but did you know it was a crucial World War II asset? In 1942, the massive lake served as an actual seaplane landing strip for the British! The Catalina was one of the seaplanes that landed there. Furthermore, in 1945, archaeologists unearthed ancient Roman coins here (and/or in and around the HAL area), proving that modern IT companies aren't the first ones doing international business in this pin code. Today, it is the ultimate Bengaluru paradox. The air hums with the relentless, slightly chaotic energy of Outer Ring Road traffic and caffeinated techies rushing into mammoth IT parks. Yet, hidden in the shadows of these high-rises, century-old temples stand quietly, smelling of fresh jasmine and camphor—stubborn time-travelers refusing to be forgotten. If you are there, step into Brews & Views at Byg Brewski. Manoeuvre through the ORR traffic and reward yourself at one of Asia's largest open-air brewpubs. Grab a craft beer, order their signature fiery nachos, and watch the city's tech crowd unwind by the koi pond. (I have recently relocated to the city of gardens and traffic, and what intrigues me most are the road names, each of which have a fascinating history. This series of posts will unravel the historical origin of the roads and localities in BLR.) By the way, on popular demand, I have started archiving all my Bangalore Roadies posts at blrroadies.substack.com , in case you missed a few
