Benda-kaLooru is how Bengaluru came about, according to the popular belief. But here’s a temple that has its own legend of why that word means ‘cooked rice’One of the more popular hypotheses on the origin of the word Bengaluru points to Benda-kaLooru, or ‘boiled beans’. But the legend of the Kalika Kamateshwara Swamy Temple begs to differ: the word, it says, comes from ‘cooked rice’ — which is what emperor Achyutaraya of the Vijayanagara Empire fed his army with when they could finally make a fire in front of the temple.The legend of the temple (which was in the news recently over a case in HC) goes like this: the emperor’s kitchen staff would usually cook in the vicinity of where the army camped. But when the king camped in this neighbourhood, no food could be made because a fire couldn’t be lit.Eventually, they were able to cook rice exactly in front of the temple, because of its powers. The temple is only a stone’s throw away from the spot (intersection of today’s Avenue Road and Chikkapete Road) where Hiriya Kempegowda began construction of the city that is Bengaluru today. The ‘pete’ (market) this temple is situated in is Tharagupete, or the grain market.Though there is clarity on the origin of the city itself, there are at least a dozen theories about the origin of the name Bengaluru. The city was founded in 1537 by the vassal of Vijayanagara Empire, Hiriya Kempegowda. But why it was named Bengaluru is a 500-year-old unanswered question.The first reference to a place called ‘Benglur’ is 1,100 years old, found in an inscription in Begur (now part of the city) which talks about a ‘battle in Benglur’.THE POPULAR LEGENDThe more popular legend around ‘Benda-kalooru’ has it that a Hoysala king (Veera Ballalla II or III) lost his way and was fed ‘boiled beans’ by an old woman. In one version of this story, it is Kempegowda himself who is fed ‘benda kaalu’.This translation of ‘kaalu’ (grain, in Kannada) to beans, in English, seems to have a more recent origin. ‘Koolu’ in Kannada means cooked rice.Like most temples in the original Bengaluru town (the various ‘petes’ around Avenue Road and Chikkapete Roads), each temple is patronised by a particular community. The city’s founder settled various communities in each of the ‘petes’. The Kalika Kamateshwara Temple’s original patrons were the Vishwakarma community.THE COURT CASEThe Kalika Kamateshwara Swamy Temple was recently caught in a row between devotees and the Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments Department, under whose control it functions. The temple was ‘renovated’ and ‘inaugurated’ (again) last week by the department. But the devotees claimed that the renovation work was not complete and even the ‘gopura’ was not complete.Last week, the High Court disposed of a public interest litigation by a devotee of the temple, agreeing to the department’s version that 90 per cent of the renovation work was complete. M Nandagopal, secretary of the temple’s renovation committee, said all work was complete.He pointed out that chief minister Siddaramaiah had already inaugurated the renovated temple. The court case, he claimed, was just a distraction and the committee’s position had been upheld by the HC.COMMUNITY BELIEFSTS Gurunath, the advocate who fought the case on behalf of the temple’s devotee PG Srinivas Murthy, said: “It is the case with most temples in the old area. On the same road, you find the Dharmaraya Temple which is patronised by the Thigala community.The devotees of this temple believe a Vijayanagara king had camped in the neighbourhood and was unable to feed his staff because a fire couldn’t be lit anywhere, except in front of the temple.”Historian Suresh Moona said: “Each temple has its history, and its devotees, their own legends. In all the temples of these areas, the history is hidden in the oral traditions of its community followers. Some of them have documented it, but most have not. These legends are not in public domain, but sheltered within the particular communities.”But like most oral histories and legends, it is not certain if this incident happened before the founding of the city or after. There is evidence that the Vijayanagara emperor Achyutaraya gave Kempegowda permission to build a city in 1532, five years before the city was eventually founded. But there is no evidence if Achyutaraya actually visited the place.10 THEORIES ON BENGALURU1. Bengaluru: The Ganga Dynasty hero stone (veeragallu) mentions Buttanashetty, who died in the battle of Bengaluru. Its location is not known2.Hale Bengaluru: Hiriya Kempegowda’s mother and wife are said to be from a village called Bengaluru, a name he took a fancy to3.Benga-looru: The Benga trees (Raktha honne/ Pterocarpus marsupium/ red sanders) were abundant in the region, which gave it the name4. Bengavl-ooru: The city of bodyguards under the Gangas and Hoysalas.5Benachu-kallu-ooru: The numerous granite rocks in this region gave it the name6Vengaluru: A Chola temple dedicated to Vengalanatha has a similar name7Benda-kallu-ooru: It was a pilgrim site for Jain monks who performed penance on heated stones8Benda-kadu-ooru: Kempegowda burnt down a forest to build the city9Benda-kalu-ooru: Versions change with the king — either Kempegowda or Veera Ballala II. The Achyutaraya connection was till now confined to devotees of Kalika Kamateshwara Swamy10 Venkata-ooru: Kote Venkataramanaswamy temple gave it the name. However, the temple was built during the Wodeyar rule, much after city was established