170-yr-old British-era well set for heritage showcasing

Located near Russell Market, its full extent came into view when workers were redoing footpaths under the Smart City project

A well that dates back at least 170 years, located near Russell Market, is now being restored.

Located at Chandni Chowk in Shivajinagar, it once had water throughout the year. Only a part of the well was visible, and its full extent came into sight during an ambitious plan to spruce up the market’s surroundings.

Architects involved in the Smart City project, now at work in the area, are keen to restore the well to its earlier glory, and showcase it as a piece of the city’s heritage.

Estimated to be 35 ft deep, it is connected to two other wells in the vicinity, experts told Metrolife.

“There’s a well on HKP Road and another near Elgin Talkies, built in 1896, both in Shivajinagar. But we are still studying this aspect,” says Rajiv Hanumanthaiah, managing director of Lateral Architectural Services, the company designing for Smart City works in the area.

The conservationists plan to desilt the well and rid it of plastic and other debris brought in by the drains connected to it.

“We also want to build a Kalyani (stepped well), around which people can sit. We want to develop this into a piece of public art,” explains Rajiv.

The spot will have bronze tigers, birds and monkeys, drinking water from the well.

“It will be turned into a selfie spot. The reputation and image of Shivajinagar being a filthy spot will vanish after we develop the well,” he says.

The project envisages developing the space opposite the St Mary’s Basilica into a interactive spot.

“It will have a dry fountain, where the water comes out of the floor and goes back inside,” he says.

The granite square will have smart poles with Wi-Fi routers, CCTV cameras and electrical charging points.
“What we are trying is edgy stuff which is low on electricity consumption and high on aesthetics,” explains Rajiv.

Saveri Rajai, an architect who specialises in sustainable buildings, agrees Bengaluru should do more to preserve its historical structures. “This is a part of history that needs to be preserved. Major cities across the world set aside funds for heritage conservation. Cities like Mumbai and Kolkata are proud of their heritage, but some of the oldest bungalows and buildings in the CBD areas in Bengaluru have been pulled down without a care for history,” he says.

Simple measures like preserving old lamposts and old streets lends a sense of history to the place and shows how it has evolved, he adds.

MLA says...

Among those keen to preserve the well is Rizwan Arshad, MLA, Shivajinagar constituency. He is aware the areas around Russel Market are steeped in history. “The place has been an epicentre of social, cultural and political activities,” he told Metrolife. Rizwan says the completion of the Smart City project will give the area a fresh lease of life. “Old timers say people living in the Cantonment used to fetch water from here and horses too would drink from it,” says Rizwan.

A BIT OF HISTORY: When the British came to Blackpally...

When the British came from the Madras Presidency to set up a cantonment in Bengaluru, they looked for a place where water was available and Blackpally (now Shivajinagar) met all their requirements. Historians are debating the origins of the name Blackpally. Is it a distortion of the Kannada ‘Bili Akki Halli’? ‘Bili akki’ means white rice, a variety introduced in the fields here. It could also be a derivation of ‘Bellakki Halli’ (‘bellakki’ means white birds, and could refer to egrets), or a tribute to a British official called John Blakiston. Local lore has it that arms were hidden in these wells and the tunnels found inside Chandini Chowk were meant as an escape route for British troops. Many such wells can be found in Bengaluru, some en route to Mysuru Road, but almost all of them are now lost, with unauthorised buildings coming up on them.

What happened to our profusion wells?

Meera Iyer, convenor of Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (Intach), says there was a time when Bengaluru depended on wells for almost all its water needs. “In the 1980s, it was estimated that Bengaluru had an astounding 25,000 wells. Maps of the city of the late 1800s also show a profusion of wells,” she says. In 1875, the British government measured the depth of wells around the city, A well in today’s Russell Market area (near the tower) was reported to have a depth of 35 feet. Another near the beef market was just 26 ft deep. The depth of water in them ranged from 1 ft to 4.5 ft. The same report mentions a well at the Fort near today’s City Market, 8 ft deep and with 6 ft water, says Meera. Today, she says, when the borewells are dug, they routinely go 1,000 feet deep to find water. It is difficult to imagine there was a time when water was available at just six feet, she says. Oral history has it that Shivajinagar was a maidan and this well served as its source of water, says Krupa Rajangam, founder of Saythu, a heritage collaborative. “It was also used as a trading centre or mandi. Over time, it metamorphosed into a regular santhe and marketplace. The Russell Market and beef market came up in the early 1900s. People say there could be three to nine wells there,” says Krupa.