Redditors Reflect On Bengaluru’s Decline On Kempegowda Jayanti: ‘Please Forgive Us Gowdre’

Last Updated:June 27, 2025, 19:06 IST

The Bengaluru residents apologised to Kempegowda, the man credited with envisioning and building the original layout of the Karnataka capital, over the city's current condition

Statue of Nadaprabhu Kempegowda | File Image

As Bengaluru marked Kempegowda Jayanti today, June 27 — the birth anniversary of its founder Nadaprabhu Kempegowda — a section of the city’s residents took to Reddit to express regret over the city’s current state.

They apologised to Kempegowda, the man credited with envisioning and building the original layout of the Karnataka capital, for the current condition of the place.

The discussion, which took place on the subreddit r/Bengaluru, was sparked by a widely shared post that read: “Happy birthday Gowdre, please forgive us for the current state of Bengaluru."

Kempegowda, a 16th-century chieftain under the Vijayanagara Empire, is known for laying the foundation of modern Bengaluru.

He is credited with building a network of lakes and erecting the city’s original boundary towers, known today as the four Kempegowda towers.

One Redditor remarked on the founder’s foresight: “Kempegowda founded Bengaluru and envisioned a city with interconnected lakes, which prevented flooding and helped keep the city cool during summers."

However, many users lamented that the city Kempegowda envisioned has been lost to overdevelopment, traffic congestion, and environmental degradation.

One long-time resident commented: “As someone born and brought up in Bengaluru, I hate what the city has become. Others may like it, but for us locals, it’s changed beyond recognition. There was a time when traffic was minimal, the weather was lovely — and we didn’t even talk about it much, it was just normal. The city had people from different linguistic backgrounds even before the IT boom, but it wasn’t this frustrating."

The post went on to warn of the consequences of unchecked urban expansion, “If Bengaluru keeps expanding to the outskirts places like Ramanagara, Kolar, Chikkaballapur, Dabaspet, and Magadi, what will be left of its core identity? I fear the population density will choke every part of the city."

The discussion also included participation from newcomers to the city, some of whom were unaware of Kempegowda’s role in Bengaluru’s history.

One asked: “New to Bangalore and trying to dive into Kannada history — who is this?"

In response, other users offered brief historical summaries, emphasising Kempegowda’s contributions to Bengaluru’s urban planning and infrastructure.

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