Palace to Palace

A proposal for a Heritage Corridor in Bengaluru

The 18th of April is recognised as the World Heritage Day, and this years theme of ‘Shared Cultures, Shared Heritage, Shared Responsibility’, reflects the global context of heritage as part of cultural identity at a time of rapid population shift, conflict, and environmental uncertainty. At its core, the overarching theme is concerned with the relationships between cultures or cultural groups and their collective responsibility for the care and safeguarding of the significant attributes, meanings, and values of heritage. In this context, it becomes even more necessary to recognise the complex heritage and resulting culture of this constantly expanding global metropolis called Bengaluru. On the occasion of World Heritage Day 2020, we are revisiting a proposal for a heritage corridor for Bengaluru that runs from Palace to Palace – ‘The Swarna Marga‘. This corridor starts from the Bangalore Palace, the home of the Wodeyars and runs till Tipu Sultan’s Palace in the erstwhile fort of Bengaluru. This carefully selected stretch, showcases Bengaluru from multiple eras with buildings ranging from the 16th to the 20th Century. By making this nearly 5km stretch into a heritage corridor, we can intimate both citizens and visitors to the city of its unique heritage and culture. This will be a crucial first step, as the safeguarding of the significant attributes, meanings and values of heritage is a collective responsibility. Go through the map below to understand the extent of the corridor and the sites that it traverses through.