Sketches of Old Bangalore

The old Bangalore School of Music in Frazer Town. I was delighted when the principal invited me to sketch this architectural treasure

Tiles roofs and deeply overhanging awnings invited monkeys and other arboreal creatures- hence the name- "Monkey Tops" for these old domestic houses. This house

belonged to one of the most famous tailor families of the city, and the owner

graciously allowed me to sketch it.

A part of an old house struggling to survive in Chamrajnagar, one of the

oldest parts of the city

A cluttered courtyard behind an old bazaar lane behind the fashionable Commercial Street

Back in 1981, I sketched standing on the streets. The Bangalore I captured then has given way to garish modernity- neither aesthetic or eco friendly. Houses were built with a local building technique using limestone, mortar, stone, wood and tiles. They were distinctive for whimsical over hanging window gables, which is why they were known as "Monkey Tops".

Every house had unique gateways and ornate wrought iron gates.

Besides, domestic architecture, I have included more heritage buildings from the Bangalore which then captivated me. It was truly an "Artist's Bangalore".

These sketches will give you an idea of Bangalore which is now lost, and what little is left is also vanishing very fast.

Some of the sketches shown were published as a weekly heritage series in the Times of India- (from January to July, 2000)