Dawn at dusk

For the current generation, the fact of electric power availability is like air that we breathe. But let us remember that the electricity came to Bengaluru by sheer luck. The then Mysore Maharaja Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar decided to use surplus power from the hydroelectric power station at Shivanasamudra. The electricity was generated at Shivanasamudra for the purpose of mining operations in Kolar Gold Fields. And the surplus power, instead of lighting the palace, the Maharaja decided to light up the people’s lives.
About 800 streetlights were installed in the city, then called Bangalore. The first 100-odd lights were set up at Delhi Gate, in the vicinity of Victoria Hospital and K R Market.
The ornate poles were made of cast iron with five light fixtures in one pole, like the flowers of a plant. With the streetlights came domestic power supply, and over 1500 house connections were given to the public in a gradual manner.
In 1980s, the oldest electric lamp poles with their ornate lights were removed from the KR Market area, but some survived to stand tall in the heart of Bengaluru. Two light fixtures are at the BBMP head office (now the office of the Greater Bengaluru Authority). They are near the parking area when one enters from the Hudson Circle side.