Continuing from Part 1, a trip back in time to see how landmarks in Bangalore well-known today looked twelve years back. It also showcases drastically changed locations to see how time has changed the city and its people. So, here is the next set of pictures depicting Bangalore’s journey from Garden City to Urban Jungle.
DOMLUR FLYOVER INTERCHANGE
2012 – The Flyover with its four loops and two arms as we see it today at the intersection of the Intermediate Ring Road and the Old Airport Road. Though a bit complicated in design, it gets the job done. The empty spaces between the loops are an eyesore. As is the drain.
2000 – 12 years back the place would have been unrecognizable. Thick forests covered the area where the loops now stand, and there was a bridge across the drain. The junction was a flat junction with a jam visible even then. The flyover took around 6 years to complete, and in the meantime even trees sprouted between the half finished pillars!
INTERMEDIATE RING ROAD AND DELL – EMBASSY GOLF LINKS (EGL)
2012 – The sprawling EGL campus lies sandwiched between the Golf Course and the the “Intermediate” Ring Road, ending at the Challaghatta village. The traffic jam on the IRR can also be seen :)
2000 – There was no EGL yet, just empty land where it stands today. There was also no Domlur Flyover and there were no vehicles on the IRR either. The Golf Course seems to be there, and it is bigger than today’s EGL Campus!
KORAMANGALA SONY WORLD, ST BED, 80 ft ROAD
2012 – We all know the story. The congestion that starts at the EGL entrance stretches till here. Koramangala is today the epitome of most sought after prime property, and it shows. Even a pin prick of space is not available in the area.
2000 – Sparsely populated and green, the place was a completely different from what it is today, especially the area around the present signal. Most of today’s buildings there were absent, including the Oasis Mall. The 80 feet road was also all clean and green. But the stinky drain was there then also
KAGGADASAPURA, MALLESHPALYA,VIGNAN NAGAR
2012 – The known by many names but generally as “CV Raman Nagar” and Kaggadasapura, this high-density residential area chock-a-block with apartments is a very sought-after locality for people moving into Bangalore. Â The area is sandwiched between the Kaggadasapura and Doddanekkundi lakes and a railway line. You will not find anything but smoke, dust and concrete here, roads bound on either side by towering apartment buildings.
2000 – Nobody much even knew of this place I guess. Entire swathes of open farmland! Good to see that the lakes back then were the same size as they are now. Who would have thought that this place would grow into a high-density residential area!
MADIWALA CHECKPOST, TAVAREKERE, THE FORUM…
2012 – A combination of open lung spaces, big buildings, malls, software companies and tightly packed residential areas full of 30×40 site houses. Also, big roads and traffic jams, a nerve center of the city
2000 – There was no Forum yet, and a grassy field occupied the area where the Oracle building and St.John’s Wood Apartments stand today at Taverekere. Roads were considerably narrower, and some areas were greener while some were not. Generally, the entire place appeared less choked.
HSR LAYOUT
ELECTRONIC CITY!
2004 – Electronic City did exist, though only a handful of companies. Infosys and the others were already in existence. There was no elevated expressway and these were the times of the infamous Hosur Road traffic jams. Bangalore ended at Electronic City, at the Wipro Gate. Beyond was just parched, barren wasteland…
NAGAWARA JUNCTION and MANYATA BUSINESS PARK
2012 – North Bangalore arrived with the establishment of the new Airport and the Manyata Embassy Business Park. But the area seems to be grossly under-equipped to handle the pressure of expansion as the villages around the area overnight expanded into the city. Today, we have the ever-congested Nagawara junction and surroundings, with almost all land being developed.
2000 – There was nothing here. Nothing at all. Just acres and acres of arid, empty land, that has undergone sea change today! Whoa! Not many people must have known about this place too, just another place where the new Outer Ring Road passed through. To think that there are underpasses and flyovers in locations on the ORR where there wasn’t even a traffic signal 5 years back! Nagawara lake seems to be in a poorer condition than it is today.
MYSORE ROAD SATELLITE BUS STATION
2012 – Maybe because it is not as glamorous as the “IT stretch”, but Mysore Road is facing some of the biggest development in Bangalore. The humongous Satellite Bus Station and surroundings The Metro, widening of the road etc. There is something under construction from the bus station to the Vijayanagar main road as well. No more room for buildings.
2000 – There was no satellite bus station, the plce being some sort of a forestland. There area was not a fully polluted industrial area as it is now, as it had lots of lung spaces. However, the traffic was terrible then too.
INTERSECTION OF OUTER RING ROAD and MYSORE ROAD, NAYANDAHALLI
2012 – This place just literally sprang out of nowhere in the past 3 years or so. The Ring Road intersects with the Mysore Road. The Metro line passes above the intersection, and then the ring road passes below the railway line and continues on. The (new) ring road is flanked on both sides by residential areas.
2000 – There simply was no road or nothing beyond the Ring Road – Mysore Road intersection. Look how an entire huge road has come into existence. Also note the Ring Road t the junction that joins Mysore Road. Both were single lane. Look at how the roads have changed today. Still, not enough!
How to view past (old) pictures in Google Earth
You need to download Google Earth. Go to the location you want to see typing it in the search box on the upper left. Zoom in to your desired altitude, then click on a button displaying a year on the bottom left. You will be taken to the picture for that year. As simple as that! You can use a slider on the top left of the image to view pictures for subsequent dates.
DISCLAIMER:
All imagery are attributed to and are property of Google Earth and their suppliers
Imagery shown are for indicative purposes only and may not represent actual conditions on the ground
I am not responsible if there are any perceived mistakes in the imagery.
If you haven’t yet, take a look at Part 1.
Coming Soon, Part 3!
Good work buddy!!
And sad to see Blr going the Mumbai way..