Bengaluru pete: Only a pale shadow of its former self

Bengaluru's historic Majestic area, once the city's nerve center, now a bustling multi-nodal transport hub and wholesale market.

As Bengaluru expands without an end and traffic congestion is a big deterrent for people to travel long distances, the city has become truly multi-nodal. Gone are the days when residents used to head to Majestic for shopping, to catch a film on K.G. Road, or to catch a bus to head out of the city.

The pete area — what is today commonly referred to as Majestic — is the place where Bengaluru began 488 years ago in 1537 and it used to be the nerve centre of the city until recently. But now it is only a pale shadow of its former self.

Vestiges of the mud fort and a watery trench around to protect it from invaders built by Kempe Gowda remain, and the pete within the old fort retains its character even today. 

What is considered the pete is bound by Binny Mills to the west, Halasuru Gate Police station to the east, K.R. Market to the south, and Mysore Bank Circle to the north. Avenue Road along the north-south axis and another road across the east-west axis cut through the pete.

Avenue Road, a bustling market today, was then the main thoroughfare of Bengaluru, through which all the royal processions passed through. The bylanes were organised into several petes depending on the trade, vocation, or the community in that area — like Akkipete, Balepete, Ganigarapete, Kumbarapete, Taragupete, Tigalarapete, etc.

Some of these pockets continue to trade in these items to this day. For instance, Nagarathpeteis even today dominated by jewellery shops. 

“In 1498, Vasco da Gama reached the shores of Kerala, opening up trade with the west. These European traders also wanted to establish trade with the Coromandel coast on the east. But the sea route was circuitous, so they chose the land route. Interestingly, all the major trade routes between the west and east coasts of the peninsula pass through this region, which is why Kempe Gowda selected this place to build his capital Bengaluru,” explains historian S.K. Aruni, in his book Bengaluru Parampare.