Ganesha

Bangalore Fort

the sight from the top of the structure isn’t very comforting either — the entire structure looks bent out of shape and about to collapse

...

Namma Metro

Mysore

By Reya MehrotraA forsaken shrine inside a monument of neglectThe roof of the 150-year-oldtemple inside— itself a victim of poor upkeep — collapsed for the second time around six months back; architects say if remedial action is not taken soon, it will crumble and fallDevotees come to a temple to seek blessings but this Ganesha temple located inside the Bangalore Fort could do with some help from the heavens above. Because, the temple seems to be in a state of neglect.The roof of the Ganesha temple is almost 150 years old, inform the temple officials. A thick layer of algae deposit sits on the dilapidated roof of the temple that has survived several monsoons and harsh weather. One part of the left side of the roof had collapsed four years ago, but was repaired soon after. Six months ago this year, a part of the right side of the roof of the temple collapsed during the monsoons and has not been repaired yet.Architect Mansoor Ali says, “If ASI does not take action now, the entire roof will soon collapse. These structures are so old that they develop cracks when construction happens in nearby areas. Cracks also appeared on the Victoria hospital building, close to the monument, a few years ago. ASI just needs to call for tenders and get the work done, which is no big deal for them. Repairs undertaken now will cost around Rs 5 lakhs and will only take a month to be completed.”An official from the Archaeological Survey of India, which is in charge of the monument, told Bangalore Mirror, “We are aware of the condition of the roof of the Ganesha temple. We are working on estimating costs and will be repairing it soon.”The entrance of the monument too developed a deep crack ten years ago due to the vibrations from construction activity nearby. But it was never repaired. ASI officials say there are no plans to repair this crack as it is not potentially dangerous. However, if the crack develops further, the ASI will fix it, said the official. He added that the crack developed a decade ago during thework near the fort.A trust committee member who looks after the temple said, “MP PC Mohan had visited the temple on Ganesh Chaturthi day in September this year and had promised that he would look into the repair of the roof but nothing has happened since then. This temple was built by Kempegowda and hence it is important to preserve it but it is in shambles.”Some claim that the fort was built in 1537 by Kempegowda as a mud fort but was replaced by Haider Ali in 1761 who converted it into a stone fort. It was captured by the British in 1791, during the ThirdWar. Today, only the Delhi gate on Krishnarajendra Road, the Ganesha temple and the two bastions are what remain of the fort.According to Mansoor Ali, “Some people say that Kempegowda had built a mud fort first in 1537 but there is no proof. In 1690, the Wadiyars bought Bangalore from Aurangzeb and constructed the temple in the fort. In 1761, Haider Ali got the fort renovated.”Yashaswini Sharma, architect and researcher refutes the claims that the fort was built by Kempegowda or that the temple was built by the Wadiyars. She says, “According to a report prepared by Sir M Visvesvaraya and B Ramakrishna Rao in November 1916 on the fort, the Ganesha temple’s architecture was very different and relatively more recent than that of the fort. According to their findings, the temple would have come up in the late 19th or the early 20th century. But it is still not certain as to who built it.” She adds that the Mangalore tiles used in the Ganesha temple roof date back to 1883 AD. “Neither Kempegowda nor the Wadiyars built mud structures. They only built stone structures. So this temple was not built by either of them. In fact the Kote Ramanaswamy Temple was built in 1690 by the Wadiyars and not the Ganesha temple, she says.There are many interesting stories around the Bangalore fort. It is believed that the ground breaking ceremony for this fort was held in 1537. The initial structure was a mud fort with a surrounding moat and nine large gates. Legend has it that the construction of the fort was deemed to be impossible unless humans were sacrificed. Though Kempegowda didn’t believe in this, his daughter-in-law Lakshmamma is said to have beheaded herself with a sword at the southern gate. The mud fort was expanded during the reign of Chikkadeva Raya Wodeyar. During the third Mysore war, Charles, the Earl of Cornwallis, laid seige of the fort and stormed it on March 21, 1791. Despite stiff resistance, the British breached the walls near Delhi gate and captured the fort. More than 2,000 people died.