Bangalore Munivenkatappa was a building contractor in the pre-independence era of Indian history. He was born on 12 August 1888 and was majorly based in the Karnataka state. He built many prominent landmarks in his time (prominent among them being Lalitha Mahal, T.Narsipur bridge). He was also involved in the construction of the Mysore Palace. The British honored him with the title of 'Rao Sahib' in 1937.
Lalitha Mahal Palace was designed by E.W.Fritchley and constructed by Munivenkatappa in 1931 at a cost of Rs. 1300,000.
Other than the Lalitha Mahal Palace, Munivenkatappa constructed the bridges on Kabini and T. Narsipur. In Bangalore, he constructed the Vani Vilas Hospital.
Munivenkatappa bought the gardens and the town house (Royal House) that belonged to the Raja of Ramnad on West Cott Road, Royapettah, Chennai, in the 1930s to establish the first Woodlands Hotel. In 1931, the hotel staged the annual conference of the prestigious Chennai Music Academy and after Indian Independence Rajaji gave a tea party at the same hotel. Later, an air-conditioned open-air theatre was constructed in the same gardens by the name Woodlands - Symphony. Even today, the hotel remains with the main building (almost hundred years old) in the middle of sprawling grounds and surrounded by massive trees. The Hotel is now known as Old Woodlands or Royapettah Woodlands, but people often confuse this hotel with the New Woodlands Hotel in Dr. Radhakrishnan Road, which was established by Krishna Rao who once leased this Woodlands in 40s.
In Mysore another famous movie theater named Woodlands, functions till day. Munivenkatappa started the first granite factory in India at Bangalore and named it "Narayanaswamy & Sons". Polished stones were imported/exported to foreign countries from this factory.
In 1947, he bought a building in Curzon Park Road, Mysore and renamed it as "Woodlands Picture House" and had it rebuilt in classical European architecture in 1947. This Movie house was once frequented by the Mysore Royal family and had a special viewing balcony built for them. He bought a nearby hostel and converted it to Greens Hotel.
The Kingdom of Mysore was a realm in the southern part of Deccan Plateau traditionally believed to have been founded in 1399 by two Hindu brothers, in the vicinity of the modern city of Mysore. From 1799 until 1950, it was a princely state, until 1947 in a subsidiary alliance with British India. The British took direct control over the princely state in 1831. Upon accession to the Dominion of India, it became Mysore State, later uniting with other Kannada speaking regions to form the state of Karnataka, with its ruler remaining as Rajapramukh until 1956, when he became the first governor of the reformed state.
Raj Bhavan, Karnataka is the official residence of the governor of Karnataka located in Bengaluru city, in the State of Karnataka, India. Constructed in the late 18th century.
Indo-Saracenic architecture was a revivalist architectural style mostly used by British architects in India in the later 19th century, especially in public and government buildings in the British Raj, and the palaces of rulers of the princely states. It drew stylistic and decorative elements from native Indo-Islamic architecture, especially Mughal architecture, which the British regarded as the classic Indian style. The basic layout and structure of the buildings tended to be close to that used in contemporary buildings in other revivalist styles, such as Gothic revival and Neo-Classical, with specific Indian features and decoration added.
Mysore district, officially Mysuru district, is an administrative district located in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Mysore division. Chamarajanagar District was carved out of the original larger Mysore District in the year 1998. The district is bounded by Chamrajanagar district to the southeast, Mandya district to the east and northeast, Kerala state to the south, Kodagu district to the west, and Hassan district to the north.
Bangalore is the capital city of the state of Karnataka. Bangalore, as a city, was founded by Kempe Gowda I, who built a mud fort at the site in 1537. But the earliest evidence for the existence of a place called Bangalore dates back to c. 890.
The Lalitha Mahal, now renamed Lalitha Mahal Palace Hotel, is a luxury hotel located in a former royal residence, and the second largest palace in the southern Indian city of Mysore, Karnataka, after the Mysore Palace. It is located near the Chamundi Hills, east of the city. The palace was built in 1921 by Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV for the exclusive stay of the Governor-General of India.
Sadashivanagara is an affluent residential neighbourhood in Bangalore in the Indian state of Karnataka. The neighbourhood houses plush homes and mansions of several famous celebrities, businessmen and politicians. It is part of the Bangalore North Lok Sabha constituency and the Malleshwaram Assembly Constituency.
Mysore is a city in the state of Karnataka, India. It is known as the cultural capital of Karnataka. Mysore was the capital of the Wodeyar kings who ruled over the Mysore Kingdom for many centuries. Wodeyars were great patrons of art and music and have contributed significantly to make Mysore a cultural centre. Mysore is well known for its palaces, museums and art galleries and the festivities that take place here during the period of Dasara attract a worldwide audience. Mysore has also lent its name to popular dishes like Mysore Masala Dosa and Mysore Pak. Mysore is also the origin of the popular silk sari known as Mysore silk sari and has also given rise to a popular form of painting known as Mysore painting.
Bangalore Fort began in 1537 as a mud fort. The builder was Kempe Gowda I, a vassal of the Vijaynagar Empire and the founder of Bangalore. Hyder Ali in 1761 replaced the mud fort with a stone fort and it was further improved by his son Tipu Sultan in the late 18th century. It was damaged during an Anglo-Mysore war in 1791. It still remains a good example of 18th-century military fortification. The army of the British East India Company, led by Lord Cornwallis on 21 March 1791 captured the fort in the siege of Bangalore during the Third Mysore War (1790–1792). At the time the fort was a stronghold for Tipu Sultan. Today, the fort's Delhi gate, on Krishnarajendra Road, and two bastions are the primary remains of the fort. A marble plaque commemorates the spot where the British breached fort's wall, leading to its capture. The old fort area also includes Tipu Sultan's Summer Palace, and his armoury. The fort has provided the setting for the treasure hunt in the book Riddle of the Seventh Stone.
The central business district of Bangalore is the area within a 6 km radius around Vidhan Soudha. This is the center of the city and core commercial area of Bangalore which was founded by Kempegowda of the Vijayanagara Empire. Most of the land is used by commercial establishments and the Indian Army with plans of skyscrapers under works. It has multiple high-rises including World Trade Center Bangalore and UB Tower. It also includes heritage properties like the Bangalore Fort and the Bangalore Pete.
The New Woodlands Hotel is an Udupi-style vegetarian restaurant in Chennai, India. Established in 1938 by Kadandale Krishna Rao, it is considered to be a pioneer in popularizing Udupi cuisine in the city. Since then, a large number of imitations and namesake Woodlands hotels have been established in various parts of Chennai.
Chepauk Palace was the official residence of the Nawab of Arcot from 1768 to 1855. It is situated in the neighbourhood of Chepauk in Chennai, India and is constructed in the Indo-Saracenic style of architecture.
Amir Mahal is the official residence of the titular Nawab of Arcot and his family. Situated in Royapettah, a neighbourhood of Chennai, India, it was constructed in Indo-Saracenic style in 1798, the Amir Mahal has been the residence of the family since 1876. The Prince of Arcot, Nawab Mohammed Abdul Ali, lives in the palace with his family.
Government Museum, Bangalore, established in 1865 by the Mysore State with the guidance of Surgeon Edward Balfour who founded the museum in Madras and supported by the Chief Commissioner of Mysore, L.B. Bowring, is one of the oldest museums in India and the second oldest museum in South India. It is now an archaeological museum and has a rare collection of archaeological and geological artifacts including old jewellery, sculpture, coins and inscriptions. The museum is also home to the Halmidi inscription, the earliest Kannada inscription.
Arni Jagir was a Jagir (estate) and a permanently settled zamindari estate that existed in the North Arcot subdivision of the North Arcot district of the erstwhile Madras Presidency in British India from 1638 to 1948.
Royapettah is a neighbourhood of Chennai, India.
Thiru Vi Ka Salai, or the Thiru Vi Ka High Road, is one of the main streets in the downtown region of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Running from north to south, the street branches off of the arterial Anna Salai north of the LIC Building and ends at Luz Corner in Mylapore, continuing as the Ramakrishna Mutt Road. The street connects the neighbourhoods of Royapettah, Mylapore and Gopalapuram. The street includes three individual stretches formerly known as General Patters Road, Westcott Road and Royapettah High Road, respectively. The longest stretch, formerly known as the Royapettah High Road, runs to a length of 1.17 km (0.73 mi). The presence of numerous automobile dealers on the northern end of the street resulted in Chennai coming to be known as The Detroit of India.