Efforts under way to retain the majesty of Palace Road and declare the entire stretch as heritage zone.
Palace Road became a focal point after a controversy broke out over the proposal to demolish Balabrooie, a heritage structure.
However, not many realise that the 4.7-km long Palace Road — sans one ways — also connects Tipu Sultan’s Summer Palace in south Bengaluru to the Bangalore Palace in Palace Grounds.
Efforts underway to retain the majesty of ancient buldings on Palace road and declare the entire stretch as heritage zone
| 1 | Survey conducted by Venkatramanan Associates named ‘Palace to Palace’ (Tipu Sultan’s Summer Palace in Chamarajpet to Palace Grounds) is nicknamed ‘Swarna Marga’. |
| 2 | Survey urges the government to demarcate the area as heritage zone. |
| 3 | Prominent structures, parks and public utility spaces here: Bangalore Gayana Samaj, K.R. Market, Victoria Hospital, Tipu’s Palace, Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute, Fort High School, Carlton House, Vidhana Soudha, Vikasa Soundha, Maharani College, Freedom Park Central College, University Law College, Historic Centre of Bangalore (near Avenue Road junction), Raj Bhavan, Niton Building, Golf Course, Balabrooie guest house, Manikyavelu Mansion, Bangalore Palace and several residential mansions. |
| 4 | The smart step will be to pedestrianise the entire stretch for passerby to walk and appreciate the heritage value. Mumbai, Hyderabad and Barcelona have demarcated heritage sites; such ideas can be replicated in Bengaluru. An Urban Arts Commission is needed to identify and conserve heritage sites. |
A survey by architect Naresh V. Narasimhan of Venkataramanan Associates has now made efforts to visualise the wider Palace Road that houses several such mansions and public utility spaces as ‘Swarna Marga’.
“I was curious to observe and study Palace Road and the buildings on the stretch,” says Mr. Narasimhan, who has brought out a special Survey on Palace Road, suggesting guidelines for its heritage labelling.
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“ Avenue Road is important for its heritage buildings and intangible history. This is where a battle for Bangalore, a battle between the British and Mysoreans, took place. We have to have awareness panels installed on the road, like for example- ‘On this very spot, the British erected a battery and fired at the Fort’ It is here that many communities helped build Bengaluru, each with their own temple, for example.- Meera Iyer ”
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“We brought out a map that reflects more than 40 massive heritage buildings on this road. Palace Road earlier extended from Fort High School in Chamarajpet to the Bangalore Palace on Palace Road, cutting across Avenue Road. For retaining the majesty of Palace Road, we are urging the government to take a collective relook at restoring and declaring the entire stretch as a heritage zone,” says Mr. Narasimhan.
It is up to the government to have the Bangalore Heritage Preservation Act in place to recognise the intrinsic value of these traditional structures. If the move materialises, it is worthwhile adding a tagline to Palace Road as ‘Swarna Marga’ or the Golden Road, says Mr. Narasimhan.
“The stretch is beyond Tipu’s Palace and begins at 5th Main Road, K.R. Road junction, and runs up to Palace Grounds. It is along this path that the city’s oldest areas have grown,” adds Mr. Narasimhan.
Not just that these mansions have to be remodelled for housing museums and galleries, but owners can simply have their “old gold” retained for their antiquity value, instead of falling prey to land sharks and losing out on their heritage value.
A superficial-makeover of buildings without disturbing the original design is all that is needed, says Mr. Narasimhan, known for his hand in restoration of Hotel Metropole in Mysuru and the Maharaja’s Hotel in Brindavan Gardens.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Ranjani Govind / Bengaluru – March 19th, 2015