Banni Nodi! Signboards at KR Market metro station unveil 500 years of history

Bengaluru: Step outside any gate of the KR Market metro station and discover traces of five centuries of history in the old fort area, now detailed through newly installed wayfinding signboards.

Part of the 'Banni Nodi' (Come, see) series, 15 signboards have been set up within a 1.5-km radius around the Bangalore Fort. Each gate of the metro station features a board representing the city's history, spanning the 16th to 20th centuries.

These signboards guide visitors to important landmarks in the historical fort district, including Tipu Sultan's Summer Palace and Kote Sri Venkataramana Swamy Temple. The boards include text in English and Kannada, along with images, sightseeing spots and archival maps tracing the city’s evolution over 500 years, encouraging locals and tourists to explore the rich heritage of the area.

The project was designed and executed by Sensing Local, an urban living lab, and Native Place, a collaborative storytelling studio, in partnership with Namma Metro and the Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT).

Initially conceptualised in 2016 to "revive the old city", work on the project began in 2020.

Ankit Bhargava, urban planner and co-founder of Sensing Local, explains, "This was the first step in an urban management plan. Since the metro line passes through a historical part of the city, we wanted to preserve and highlight this history for the many tourists, students and locals who frequent the area."

The project took about 4.5 years to complete, with pandemic delays affecting approvals and production.

Curator Aliyeh Rizvi, founder of Native Place, noted that sourcing visuals, translations and relevant historical materials from each period took over a year.

Domain experts, including Dr Naresh Keerthi of Ashoka University and Dr Santosh Hangal of the Kannada Development Authority, contributed to translating and authenticating the content.

Bigger plan scrapped?

A larger project to install similar signboards citywide was proposed, but was shelved due to lack of funds.