Jayanagar

Jayanagar is a residential area of Bangalore, Karnataka, India. Located in South Bangalore, Jayanagar is the first of post-independence planned residential areas of Bangalore dating back to late 50's. It is one of the first planned residential areas in India after independence and is believed to be one of the largest planned residential areas in Asia.

It is surrounded by Basavangudi, JP Nagar, Banashankari 2nd stage, Gurappanapalya, Sadduguntepalya and BTM Layout among other areas. It is also in proximity to the Lalbagh Botanical Garden and to one of the Pillars of Ashoka. Jayanagar comprises Ten area blocks (including 4th 'T' Block), of which the 3^rd and 4^th block are largely commercial hubs, while the rest are mostly residential.

History

In Kannada, the language of a majority of the inhabitants of the city of Bangalore, Jayanagar means literally "Victory City". It is not conclusively known, however, why it is called so. One school of thought is that the name symbolizes the Maharaja of Mysore's first name "Jayachamaraja".

Jayanagar was traditionally regarded as the southern end of Bangalore. The "South End Circle" where in six roads from different areas meet and the historic Ashoka Pillar (which was to mark the southern end of the city) bear to this fact. While newer extensions have taken away this distinction from Jayanagar, it still remains one of the more southern parts of the city.

Culture

Jayanagar is the hub of Southern Bangalore with a predominantly Kannada speaking population. This is in contrast to northern areas of Bangalore which are home to large Muslim and Tamil minorities. Since the early 1990s, it has had an influx of people from many parts of India, making it a multicultural suburb. Jayanagar has a number of temples. The Ragigudda temple near East End and the Shree Dharmanath Jain temple near the IV block bus stand are prominent. It is believed that the locality, designed by Sir M Visvesvaraya, is one of the best planned layouts in Asia.

The Jayanagar Shopping Complex is in IV Block, next to the Bus Station. 4th Main road, which is known as Nanda Road, is actually a boulevard running North to South from South end circle to 44th Cross in 5th block for almost 2 kilometers and is characterised by well maintained parks on either side. It is the only such road in Bangalore city.

Jayanagar I Block is primarily a residential locality. It is a very quiet place and quite a contrast to the rest of the city.

Jayanagar IV Block is well known for its shopping, restaurants and fast food centers.

Jayanagar is also one of the oldest localities in Bangalore. This makes it one of the most conservative places to live in Bangalore. It has a substantial population of long-term, mostly Kannada-speaking residents with established family ties to the locality. The residents are mainly upper middle class and well to do. The initial residents were mainly Government officers since the residential sites were allocated predominantly to Government officials, but recently there has been a large influx of business owners and young IT professionals.

The original price of the sites when allocated by the Bangalore City Corporation was in the vicinity of Rs1/sq ft and the current market price is in the range of Rs 8,000 to Rs 9,000/sq ft.

Being at the southern part of Bangalore, living in Jayanagar during the early 2000's used to mean a longer commute to major employers for many of its residents. However, with a lot of major employers opening office locations in south Bangalore, and with a series on new malls and multiplexes coming up shortly in its vicinity, Jayanagar has maintained its desirability for the upwardly-mobile, family-oriented crowd.

Schools and Colleges

Jayanagar has many well known schools and colleges. Some of them are listed below.
* Carmel Convent School
* Sree Rama Vidyalaya
* B.E.S. College of Education
* B.H.S. First Grade College
* B.H.S. School
* Indira Gandhi National Open University
* N.M.K.R.V. College for Women
* National College
* Nehru Smaraka Vidya Kendra
* Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences
* R. V. Teachers College
* Vijaya College
* Rashtreeya Vidyalaya Dental College
* Vijaya High School
* Sudarshan Vidya Mandir

Getting there

Jayanagar is one of the well known areas of Bangalore and most modes of transport in Bangalore will get you in and out of Jayanagar, including public buses, autorickshaw or city taxies. The area is also well served by public buses of the BMTC which includes several Volvo buses. One can take route 18, 25, 2 and many more buses from the city central bus station (platform 13) for a very nominal fare.