This is a short but significant stretch of road between Cauvery theatre circle and Mehkri Circle. The road progresses into Bellary Road and further to the National Highway leading to Hyderabad.

This is also the road many, if not all, will have to take to reach the Bangalore International Airport to be commissioned next year. One side of the entire road forms the wall of the Bangalore Palace property, where many an exhibition and convention take place. Many weddings and other functions also take place in a portion of the Palace Grounds. Another part of the Grounds houses the Princess Academy for equestarian activities.

Where the name came from?

The road gets its name from Ramana Maharshi Shrine located on this road. The shrine, dedicated to Ramana Maharshi, is a unique structure of an ancient cave. The spacious hall is made of polished granite.

It can accommodate 300 devotees. The modernistic architecture has grass growing on the slopes. The affairs of the shrine are managed by the Ramana Maharshi Centre for learning. The centre propagates the teachings of the Maharshi through its publications, library and music.

Weekly discourses and discussions are held at the shrine on Saturdays and Sundays. Just close to the shrine is a sprawling park maintained by the Bangalore Bruhut Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). Inside this park is one of the four Kempegowda towers erected over 400 years ago.

IT here too

The road has a few corporate offices and IT companies like Aditi Technologies and Talisma Corporation. Kengal Hanumanthaiah, a former Chief Minister and architect of the Vidhana Soudha lived in a bungalow, “Kengal Krupa”on this road.

Today it serves as the office of DNA, an entertainment and event management company, run by Hanumanthaiah's grandson, T Venkat Vardhan. DNA has brought in some of the biggest musical stars to Bangalore like Bryan Adams, Roger Waters, Deep Purple, Elton John, Scorpions among many others.

Another notable bungalow on this road is that of late T P Isaar, a former Chief Secretary, who is best known for his book on Bangalore called, ‘The City Beautiful’ and ‘Blossoms of Bangalore.’

A bit of history

The origin of M Enayuthulla Mehkri Circle, popularly known as Mehkri Circle, goes back to the 1930s. Mehkri built a reputation for social service and personal integrity. He served as the Municipal Commissioner of Civil and Military Station (popularly called the Cantonment).

He also served as a councillor of the Bangalore City Corporation for 16 years. He was the only member from Karnataka on the Advisory Council, Freedom Fighters Cell of the All India Congress (I) Committee. He was also the president of Karnataka Freedom Fighters Association. Besides he was the honourary general secretary of the Muslim Orphanage from 1942 to 1959.

In the mid-1930s, Mehkri, a businessman, was jailed during the freedom movement and spent six months in Madras Central Jail in the company of C Rajagopalachari and E V Ramaswamy Naicker. He was moved by the plight of the bullocks which carried heavy loads up the steep climb from Hebbal lake to what is now called Mehkri Circle.

He levelled this stretch of the road at his own cost. This good work came to the knowledge of Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar, through his Dewan Sir Mirza. He persuaded him to accept a refund of the expenses he had incurred on the work. In appreciation the Maharaja also named the Circle on Bellary Road-Ramana Maharshi Road junction as M Enayathulla Mehkri Square.

It was inaugurated in April 1937 by Lord John Hope, the then Governor of Madras. Later R M Patil, Minister for Home and Municipal Administration, through a notification in the State Gazette notified it as Enayathulla Mehkri Circle in 1965.

The C V Raman Avenue begins from the Mekhri Circle point leading towards Indian Institute of Science and Tumkur Road on one side and Cantonment Railway station on the other side.

This junction used to be traffic intense until they made the underpass and the trucks were banned on this road after the Outer Ring Road became functional. With the underpass, the traffic bottleneck has been removed to an extent, but a sea of vehicles zoom along Ramana Maharshi Road especially during peak hours.