What is Hosur Road church vs Metro row all about?

The Metro wants more land than it had initially sought, and that changes many things for elderly people, disabled children, and the congregation. Metrolife visits the 150-year-old heritage building and brings you the full story

The All Saints Church, 150 years old, is located on Hosur Road. Its pastorate committee had resolved not to hand over any extra land to the Namma Metro authorities for construction of a station. The church higher-ups have had second thoughts. However, activists and some members of the congregation have vowed to protect the trees, come what may.

One of Bengaluru’s oldest heritage buildings is in danger, they say, because the Metro authorities have changed their initial plans, and want more land than they had initially sought.

Hosur Road is busy all day and all night, and connects southern Bengaluru to Brigade Road, but the church and its grove are tranquil, and remind you of quieter days.

The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) is taking over part of its land for the underground Vellara Junction station. This is located at the far end of Brigade Road, and is aligned with the Gottigere-Nagawara line, for which tunneling work is in progress.

Where it went wrong

When BMRCL came up with the initial proposal, it sought 6,643.11 sq mtrs as per the DPR. When its final layout came out last year, the land being acquired had almost doubled to 12,883.747 sq mtrs.

The church authorities say the implications are far-reaching.

The Metro line was to pass under Hosur Road according to the original plan but the alignment had been changed to pass under the church. This was done with no public consultation, they say.
The Metro authorities are saying the extra land will be taken up only temporarily. However, the church authorities are worried they will not get the land back in the same condition even if the Metro authorities keep their word.

All trees will be cut down and the surface soil, at just three feet, won’t be suitable to grow trees. The demolished buildings, a home for children and another for senior citizens, cannot be

built again as the foundations will not hold, members say.

In November, the church begins its 150th-year celebrations.

The congregation, welfare association, historians and activists want the Metro to alter its plans given the dangers to the heritage building, and a sacred grove with 100 trees.

The Metro authorities have put the underground station work on hold.

When it started

The church back in the 1880s.

The land for All Saints Church was granted by Krishnaraja Wadiyar III, Maharaja of Mysuru, and its foundation stone was laid on November 27, 1869. The church was consecrated on October 17, 1870.

It was Rev Samuel Taylor Pettigrew, an Anglican missionary and founder of Bishop Cotton School, who put together a plan for the church, primarily meant to cater to retired European soldiers and their families who couldn’t be accommodated at St Mark’s Church.

When the Church Building Society of Madras rejected the designs Pettigrew had submitted, he took the matter into his own hands and sought donations from the public.

A colourful rose window was presented by the principal of Cooper’s Hill College. The altar cross, communion plate, altar, vestments and pulpit were also donated by contributors.

The church still showcases some of the gifts from that era.

It wasn’t easy to get the money though. In order to convince people that work had begun in earnest, Pettigrew and his team began laying stones for the walls.

Architect Robert Fellowes Chisholm and Pettigrew printed the design of the church and sent it out to people with a request for contributions.

Fellowes was known for popularising the Indo-Saracenic style of architecture but favoured the Gothic revival style for the church. It is the only building in the city he has built.

The tall, narrow windows with their sharp-pointed arches, sloping tiled roofs, and rubble masonry walls make the church stand out.

All about sacred grove

Pettigrew was a traveller and a botanist. Whenever he went somewhere, he would pick up plants he found interesting and bring them over to the grove at the church.

Now, the garden and lawn area is used to host church events. Trees are as young as two and as old as 150 years.

With about 100 trees in the compound, the grove is one of the few lung spaces in the vicinity.

Some of the trees in the sacred grove are 150 years old.

Trees like peepul, Australian pine, Kigelia Africana and banyan, to name a few, are part of this grove.

If these trees are destroyed for metro work, not only is the space gone but also the soil will be spoilt.

Why not All Saints Station?

The church authorities and the congregation are demanding that the Metro station be called All Saints Station. The name now proposed is Vellara Junction. Considering heritage and historical significance, it makes sense to name the station after one of Bengaluru’s oldest buildings.

Solution?

The pastorate committee is suggesting the station be moved towards the adjoining military school.

Metro response

Protesters say the BMRCL wants to take an acre for temporary use in addition to what they have taken permanently. The Metro is also threatening to take over the additional land permanently. On July 30, members of the congregation filed an objection, urging the authorities to move the station by 75 metres to the army land already in their possession. Though the BMRCL has issued no official response, its MD visited the church recently.

Enchanting structures

The open iron wooden arch and scissor
trusses showcasing internal structure.

As the church was funded by members and a few others, it had a limited budget. As part of cost cutting, the outer wall was built with granite and inner wall with a mix of limestone and sand. The slabs are of different sizes. Some windows have motifs as in Gothic architecture.

City Market experience

The construction work with heavy drilling machinery will result in the church forming cracks eventually.

The British-era building of Victoria Hospital, near KR Market, has already witnessed this problem, members say.

Save the grove

Protesters say this is a chance to declare the church grove as a biodiversity heritage site. It has trees dating back 150 years. Visitors to the church get to spot birds and listen to them chirp.

What church is saying

In a letter dated June 15, the bishop has appealed to the congregation to put a rest to the protest against land acquisition.

It’s been 74 days since the members
started protesting against BMRCL. A
final decision is yet to be made

Why not?

- Heritage building will develop cracks because of heavy drilling.

- Inmates of old age will be put to hardship with machinery and construction material all around.

- The space sought is used to train specially abled children.

- Church has 1,000-plus members who need space for seating on the lawns. (The building can’t seat more than 300).

- Safety and security of the church and its members will be in jeopardy.