Sir Krishnarajapur Palligonde Puttanna Chetty (29 April 1856 – 23 July 1938) was a British Indian administrator, bureaucrat and philanthropist who served as the first President of the Bangalore municipality.

Early life and education

Puttanna Chetty was born in 1856 in a

Lingayat Lingayatism or Veera Saivism is a Hindu denomination based on Shaivism. Initially known as ''Veerashaivas'', since the 12th-century adherents of this faith are known as ''Lingayats''. The terms ''Lingayatism'' and '' Veerashaivism'' have been ...

family of Bangalore. He was educated at the Central College, Bangalore and entered the Mysore civil service in 1875.

Career

Chetty served as a traffic manager in the Mysore state railways from 1884 to 1898 and as Deputy Commissioner from 1898 to 1906. From 1906 to 1912, he also served as a member of the Bangalore City Council. In 1913, Puttanna Chetty was elected President of the Bangalore municipality and he served till 1919, inaugurating the Victoria Hospital and making many public donations during his tenure. Puttanna Chetty was elected to the Mysore Legislative Council in 1925. Chetty served in various appointments during his life – as Chairman of the Bank of Mysore and Central Co-Operative Bank, Bangalore, Chairman of the Sri Krishnarajendra Mills and fellow of the Mysore University. Puttanna Chetty served as President at Rao Bahadhur Dharmapravartha Gubbi Thotadappa Charities from 1910 to 1938.

Death

Puttanna Chetty died in 1938 at the age of 82.

Honours

Puttanna Chetty was made a

Diwan Bahadur Dewan Bahadur or Diwan Bahadur was a title of honour awarded during British rule in India. It was awarded to individuals who had performed faithful service or acts of public welfare to the nation. From 1911 the title was accompanied by a special T ...

in 1911. In 1917, he was made a

Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria on 1 January 1878. The Order includes members of three classes: #Knight Grand Commander (GCIE) #Knight Commander ( KCIE) #Companion ( CIE) No appoi ...

and was subsequently made a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are the ...

in 1925. He was also awarded the 1911 Durbar Medal and the Gold

Kaiser-i-Hind Medal The Kaisar-i-Hind Medal for Public Service in India was a medal awarded by the Emperor/Empress of India between 1900 and 1947, to "any person without distinction of race, occupation, position, or sex ... who shall have distinguished himself (o ...

in 1914.

Recognition

The 161st birth anniversary of

Sir K. P. Puttanna Chetty was celebrated on 29 April 2017 at the Free Veerashaiva Students Hostel which was established by him in 1938 in

Bengaluru 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 ...

to support the poor students. The

Bangalore Town Hall Sir K. P. Puttanna Chetty Town Hall, locally commonly referred to as Bangalore Town Hall, is a neoclassical municipal building in Bangalore, India, named after the philanthropist and former president of Bangalore City Municipality, Sir K.P P ...

in Bengaluru is named for Chetty.

References