Bangalore Munivenkatappa was a building contractor in the pre-independence era of Indian history. He was born on 12 August 1888 and was majorly based in the
Karnataka
Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...
state. He built many prominent landmarks in his time (prominent among them being
Lalitha Mahal
The Lalitha Mahal, now renamed Lalitha Mahal Palace Hotel, is a luxury hotel-turned royal resident and the second largest palace in the southern Indian city of Mysore, Karnataka, after the Mysore Palace. It is located near the Chamundi Hills, ea ...
, T.Narsipur bridge). He was also involved in the construction of the Mysore Palace. The British honored him with the title of '
Rao Sahib
Rai Sahib / Rao Saheb / Roy Sahib / Rao Sahib abbreviated R.S., was a title of honour issued during the era of British rule in India to individuals who performed faithful service or acts of public welfare to the nation. From 1911 the title was ac ...
' in 1937.
Lalitha Mahal Palace was designed by E.W.Fritchley and constructed by Munivenkatappa in 1931 at a cost of Rs. 1300,000.
Other than the Lalitha Mahal Palace, Munivenkatappa constructed the bridges on Kabini and T. Narsipur. In Bangalore, he constructed the Vani Vilas Hospital.
Munivenkatappa bought the gardens and the town house (Royal House) that belonged to the Raja of Ramnad on West Cott Road,
Royapettah
Royapettah is a neighbourhood of Chennai, India.
Location
Royapettah is located at the central part of the city of Chennai, with an elevation of 9 m (29 ft.) above mean sea level. The neighbourhood comes under Teynampet Zone (numbe ...
,
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
, in the 1930s to establish the first Woodlands Hotel. In 1931, the hotel staged the annual conference of the prestigious Chennai Music Academy and after Indian Independence
Rajaji
Chakravarti Rajagopalachari (10 December 1878 – 25 December 1972), popularly known as Rajaji or C.R., also known as Mootharignar Rajaji (Rajaji'', the Scholar Emeritus''), was an Indian statesman, writer, lawyer, and Indian Independence M ...
gave a tea party at the same hotel. Later, an air-conditioned open-air theatre was constructed in the same gardens by the name ''Woodlands - Symphony''. Even today, the hotel remains with the main building (almost hundred years old) in the middle of sprawling grounds and surrounded by massive trees. The Hotel is now known as ''Old Woodlands'' or ''Royapettah Woodlands'', but people often confuse this hotel with the ''
New Woodlands Hotel
The New Woodlands Hotel is an Udupi-style vegetarian restaurant in Chennai, India. Established in 1938 by Kadandale Krishna Rao, it is considered to be a pioneer in popularizing Udupi cuisine in the city. Since then, a large number of imitations ...
'' in Dr. Radhakrishnan Road, which was established by Krishna Rao who once leased this Woodlands in 40s.
In Mysore another famous movie theater named Woodlands, functions till day.
Munivenkatappa started the first granite factory in India at
Bangalore
Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...
and named it "Narayanaswamy & Sons". Polished stones were imported/exported to foreign countries from this factory.
In 1947, he bought a building in Curzon Park Road, Mysore and renamed it as "Woodlands Picture House" and had it rebuilt in classical European architecture in 1947. This Movie house was once frequented by the Mysore Royal family and had a special viewing balcony built for them. He bought a nearby hostel and converted it to Greens Hotel.
References
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External links
Woodlands*
Lalitha Mahal Palace constructionWoodlands Hotel, Royapettah, Chennai
{{DEFAULTSORT:Munivenkatappa, B
Businesspeople from Bangalore