(This month, each day, except the four Sundays, I will be blogging about interesting features associated with Bengaluru, formerly known as Bangalore, as part of the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge)
Some say Domlur got its name from a type of flower called Tombalur, while others say it's from Domalu, which in Telugu means mosquito; and apparently, they were in plenty there.
GLITTER AND GLAMOUR
What was once like the border of Bangalore, and beyond which there were only uninhabited forested areas, Domulur today is dotted with swanky shopping arcades, pubs, eateries and offices.
The turning point was the IT revolution of the late 1990s-early 2000s. You will find references to this in many of the posts in this series because that's what has made this city what it is today.
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| Photo credit: Embassy Golf Links Business Park |
A massive complex is the Embassy Golf Links, a sprawling 37.11 acre IT park that has offices of some big names like KPMG, IBM, JP Morgan Chase, PWC etc. There are many defence-related establishments as well like Army Service Corps, EME Workshop, Air Force Command Hospital etc.
The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (Bengaluru-headquartered defence equipment manufacturer) isn't too far from Domlur. So too is the HAL airport which was the city airport for passenger aircraft, including international flights, till the present Kempegowda International Airport came up in Devanahalli on the northeastern outskirts of the city in May 2008.
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| The Domlur flyover Photo credit: Abhishek Nath/Rasheed Kappan |
FLYOVER BLUES
With many many tech companies -- from the likes of Google, Microsoft and Yahoo to small startups -- setting up offices, and the population of the city increasing at a rapid rate, roads began to get clogged with vehicles, and traffic snarls became a new reality Bengalureans struggled to get accustomed to.
One of the road intersections in Domlur became a major chock point. Like in many cities, the instant solution was to build a flyover. But some issues that cropped up between the local administration and the project contractor delayed the project, compounding the problem.
I wouldn't forget those harrowing days when it took more than half an hour to traverse something like half a kilometre. The work that began in 2003 ended only in 2007 when the flyover became fully functional.
Another landmark in Domlur is the Diamond District apartment complex. Built in 1994-95, it is probably one of the oldest, if not the oldest, in the city.
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| Chokkanathaswamy temple. Photo credit: The Economic Times |
QUAINT SPOTS
A vintage heritage that is overshadowed by the glitter of modernity is the Chokkanathaswamy temple, where the presiding deity is Vishnu. This was one of the many temples built by the Chola dynasty that ruled Bangalore after they defeated the Gangas around 1004.
The temple has undergone many renovations and only some portions like the sanctum sanctorum bear resemblance to antiquity. There are many sculpture and inscriptions in Tamil dating back to the late 13th century.
Tomorrow, we head to another location, which is not in the city, like Domlur, but very much on the outskirts, a modern township, the realisation of an engineer's dream.
REFERENCES
Chokkanathaswamy temple - Economic Times
Chokkanathaswamy temple - Wikipedia