| BANGALORE |
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Bangalore is the English version of Bengalooru, the way it is pronounced in the local language Kannada. It is said that the word Bengalooru originated from the sentence "Bendakaalooru" meaning "City of baked-beans", as the color of the soil resembled that of baked bean. During the first centuries immediately after Christ, the Southern part of the present day Karnataka state, where Bangalore is located, Jainism was the main religious belief. Once part of the Vijayanagar kingdom, this city was founded by Kempa Gowda in |
1537AD. Later, ruled by Tipu and other Mysore kings as well as the British. It was a major military base for the British.
To date a vast area of the city is retained by Indian military and defense forces and is not open to visitors and the public. After independence, the Indian government setup strategically important defense, telecommunication and aeronautical development industries here, as it is located hundreds of miles away from the mainland coast and thus safe from possible enemy attacks. |
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