A landmark in Mysore bites the dust

Till the 1940s Mysore was a small city of the Mysore Maharajas, the Wodeyars. Its planned growth began during the reign of Krishnaraja Wodeyar III and continued by his successors, Chamaraja Wodeyar and Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV.

His dewans, in particular Sir M Visvesvaraya and Sir Mirza Ismail assisted him in building a city with wide roads and beautiful buildings. No wonder, Mysore, earned the encomium of a 'model city'.

The four corners of the city were marked with stones marking the boundaries. A couple of these stones still stand, one at the Banumiah Chowk and the other at the Sadvidya School. During Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV, Mysore's saw its expansion up to these limits from outside the Palace and its surrounding fort.

One such landmark marking the boundary was the 'West End Lodge'. It was actually a residential bungalow. A leading personality of Mysore lived here with his family. He was always seen at all important public functions dressed in the traditional long white coat and long trousers, sporting a turban walking with a stick in his hand. The dress symbolised Mysore and added stature and prestige to its wearer, a cultural and social symbol of the Maharaja's era, which has disappeared today.

Mysore had a number of such prominent personalities. They had taken to social life after their retirement from government or palace service. Ramaiah was one among them. He had taken advantage of his tall personality to become a popular footballer in his younger days. As the name itself explains, 'West End' was the spot marking Mysore's west. Beyond this, building stood open places with green trees, a portion of which up to the famous Kukkarahalli Tank was a cemetery during the Krishnaraja Wodeyar III.

The topography has changed today. The change began in the '50s and now the city limit goes beyond 12 km from this point, with new buildings and extensions coming up and still expanding beyond 12 km with IT industries like Infosys housing their shop.

One of the last edifices, the 'West End' was pulled down a couple of days ago. The lack of upkeep and bad alterations had turned the bungalow into an ugly structure after the passing away of Ramaiah.

The old bungalow has now disappeared to make way for a 'mall', to convert the calm and serene Krishnavilasa Road into a busy commercial spot. The end of the 'West End' is another example of the changing face of Mysore. It is no longer the beautiful little town of the royal days but a city witnessing the pressures and pangs of any expanding town.