Cubbon Road's 19th-century stone slab in dilapidated condition

A 19th-century stone slab, which was part of the century-long GPS survey, is in danger of being destroyed as no one is aware of its historical significance. Located on defence land in the heart of Bengaluru, the slab is one of the four such benchmarks left while the rest have gone missing.

The ‘Standard Bench Park - 1907’ stone on Cubbon Road was part of the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India, a century-long survey of British areas mooted by British officer Col William Lambton.

The survey’s baseline started in Chennai (then Madras). The British had planned to lay a baseline from Chennai to Mangaluru. Though the baseline started in Chennai, Bengaluru was the starting point for the survey. This work is known as the greatest human endeavour, as it took a whole century and the number of surveyors and workers exceeded the war victims, including Col Lambton.

The benchmark stone at Cubbon Road is now surrounded by garbage and is poorly maintained.

Defence personnel express ignorance about the structure and its maintenance and say it is a part of the army supply depot and parking area.

The three other stones are better maintained. One is on the steps of Kempegowda Tower at Mehkri Circle, another on the steps of Queen’s Statue in Cubbon Park and the third at Trinity Church. These are the forgotten relics of a past era which describe Bengaluru’s history, historian and pannapictagraphist Arun Prasad told Deccan Herald.

It has been documented that one mark in St Andrew’s Church has gone missing. The Cubbon Road stone in the military area could be the one as is next to it. There were baselines in Hennur and Bettahallasuru which are also in an equally dilapidated condition. Some have been rebuilt like the Kempegowda Tower’s slab. The Cubbon Road slab still holds its historic glory, Prasad said. The Cubbon Road slab was the not the first or last survey slab. This was one of the many stones that were laid. But not all of them are available as it was a century-long operation.

The inscription on Cubbon Road stone and others could have been changed over the years during the survey.

But these stones are important as even today’s geographical mapping is based on these studies and stone slabs.

These slabs also led to measuring the highest point on earth, the Mount Everest, Prasad said.