Know Your City: From battling plague to celebrating festivals of all hues, Bengaluru’s Idgah ground has a rich history

Historian Suresh Moona, in his book Chamarajpete Darshana, says that it was a well-planned layout that derived its name from Chamarajendra Wodeyar, who ruled from 1868 to 1894 and was known for his vision. The extension was formed in 1892 and five years later, Chamarajpet was created. When the plague in early 1898 haunted the old Bengaluru city, it led many to move to the Chamarajpet area, leading to an increase in the population of the area.

The Idgah ground thus became a shelter for those who were displaced and many of them managed to survive there till the plague subsided.

The ground was probably the first dedicated to the public in an extension layout formed by the erstwhile Mysuru kingdom. It had dedicated spaces for prayers and burials of Muslims. Though 10.5 acres of land was allotted to them in the Chamarajpet area, only 2.5 acres were left after the formation of the layout.

Raghavendra, 53, recalls that the Muslims held prayers on the ground during Bakrid and Ramzan while the Hindus celebrated the Ganesha festivals. In 1982, festivals of both the communities fell on the same day and communal tensions over the ground were reported for the first time. Pramila Nesargi, the first woman MLA of the Janata Party (1978-83) from the Chamarajpet constituency, was active in the protests.

The Igah ground was also used for grazing cows and as a playground for children. Aditya S, another resident who grew up in the area, says, “The ground has been a home for all, irrespective of religion. I remember spending most of my childhood playing there and it was only during festivals the ground was occupied but even then, it did not affect us playing.”

Even before the recent issue, the land fell into a legal battle in 1964 when the Supreme Court settled that the land belongs to the Central Muslim Association (CMA) and the Karnataka Wakf Board gazetted the ground to be under its custody. Recently, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) claimed that the Wakf board failed to provide documents and that the land belonged to the revenue department. While Hindutva outfits demanded to hoist the national flag on the ground on Independence Day, the government, for the first time, hoisted the tricolour here on August 15.