JeffreyChallis6 at 14:44, 22 March 2026

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{{short description|Seat of the High Court of Karnataka at Bangalore}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2022}}
{{Use Indian English|date=November 2022}}
{{Infobox building
| former_names = Public Offices Building
| alternate_names = Karnataka High Court Building
| image = High_Court_of_Karnataka,_Bangalore_MMK.jpg
| caption = West [[façade]], facing Dr. B R Ambedkar Road
| name = Attara Kacheri
| native_name_lang = kn
| location = [[Cubbon Park]], [[Bangalore]], [[Karnataka]]
| location_country = [[India]]
| construction_start_date = 1864
| completion_date = 1868
| architect = [[Richard Hieram Sankey]]
| cost = {{INR convert|427980}}
| public_transit = {{Plainlist|
*'''[[Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation|BMTC]] bus stops:''' Vidhana Soudha Vidhana Soudha metro station M. S. Building
*'''[[Namma Metro]]:'''
{{rint|bengaluru|metro}} {{rcb|Namma Metro|Purple|broute|X}} [[Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Station, Vidhana Soudha metro station]]
}}
| architectural_style = [[Neoclassical architecture|Neo-classical]]
| main_contractor = [[Arcot Narrainswamy Mudaliar]]
| material = [[Gneiss]] and [[brick]] in [[chunam]]
}}

'''Attara Kacheri''' ({{IPA|kn|ˌʌˈtɑːrɑː kəˈtʃeːrɪ|audio=Attara Kacheri pronunciation.ogg}}, formerly the '''Old Public Offices Building''') in [[Bangalore]], [[India]], is the seat of the principal [[Bench (law)|bench]] of the [[Karnataka High Court]], the highest judicial authority in the state of [[Karnataka]]. It is a [[Neoclassical architecture|neoclassical]] red-painted stone-and-brick building in [[Cubbon Park]], located on Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Road opposite the [[Vidhana Soudha]]. It previously housed the secretariat of the [[princely state]] of [[Kingdom of Mysore#Princely state|Mysore]] and then that of independent [[India]]'s [[Mysore State]].

== Name ==
In 1699, [[Chikka Devaraja|Chikka Devaraja Wadiyar]], King of [[Kingdom of Mysore|Mysore]], sent an embassy to the court of the [[Mughal Empire|Mughal emperor]] [[Aurangzeb]], then at [[Ahmednagar]], to ensure the continuity of friendly relations between the two states after the death of Kasim Khan, the Mughal governor of [[Sira Subah|Sira]], with whom the Wadiyar had had a personal friendship. At Aurangzeb's court the ambassadors observed that administrative functions were divided into eighteen departments; inspired by this, the Wadiyar reorganised his own government similarly.{{sfn|M. Fazlul Hasan|1970|pp=121-122}} The secretariat thus came to be called ''Attara Kacheri'', with ''Attara'' meaning 'eighteen' and ''Kacheri'' meaning 'department' in [[Hindustani language|Hindustani]].<ref name="ET" />{{sfn|A. Satyanarayana|1996|p=103}}

The Mysore secretariat moved into the building, which was called the Public Offices Building, upon its completion in 1868.<ref name="Nair2002">{{Cite journal |last=Nair |first=Janaki |date=November 2002 |title=Past Perfect: Architecture and Public Life in Bangalore |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0021911800007683/type/journal_article |url-status=live |journal=The Journal of Asian Studies |language=en |volume=61 |issue=4 |pages=1205–1236 |doi=10.2307/3096440 |issn=0021-9118 |jstor=3096440 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105165103/https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-asian-studies/article/abs/past-perfect-architecture-and-public-life-in-bangalore/39533D65176FFCE200EF1E3972972600 |archive-date=2021-01-05 |access-date=2021-01-03|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Over time, the building itself began to be called Attara Kacheri.<ref name="ET">{{Cite news|title=Attara Kacheri: Building that housed 18 public departments made way for Karnataka High Court|work=The Economic Times|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/attara-kacheri-building-that-housed-18-public-departments-made-way-for-karnataka-high-court/articleshow/48713221.cms|access-date=2021-01-01|archive-date=2020-03-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200306030513/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/attara-kacheri-building-that-housed-18-public-departments-made-way-for-karnataka-high-court/articleshow/48713221.cms|url-status=live}}</ref> The building was also called 'Bowring Buildings' and 'Bowring Attara Kacheri', after the British commissioner of Mysore, [[Lewin Bentham Bowring]], who ordered its construction.<ref name="ET" />

== History ==
[[Nagar revolt|A revolt]] occurred in many parts of the Kingdom of Mysore in 1830, as a consequence of which [[Lord William Bentinck]], the [[East India Company]]'s governor-general, deprived the Wadiyar of Mysore of administrative powers in 1831, and vested the government in a British Commission. Ten of the eighteen departments of Mysore's secretariat – the Commissioner's office, the Petition Department, the Judicial Court, the treasury, the cavalry, the infantry, the Police Department, the Postal Department, the Huzur office, and the department of sandalwood – were shifted to Bangalore, where they functioned in [[Tipu Sultan|Tipu Sultan's]] [[Tipu Sultan's Summer Palace|summer palace]], which was the only building large enough to accommodate them all. The remaining eight departments, which exclusively concerned royal affairs, stayed at Mysore.<ref name="ET" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite news|last=Shekhar|first=Divya|title=How the majestic Tipu Sultan Palace was once the hub of administration and management activities|work=The Economic Times|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/how-the-majestic-tipu-sultan-palace-was-once-the-hub-of-administration-and-management-activities/articleshow/66542173.cms|access-date=2021-01-01|archive-date=2019-09-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190922101318/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/how-the-majestic-tipu-sultan-palace-was-once-the-hub-of-administration-and-management-activities/articleshow/66542173.cms|url-status=live}}</ref>{{sfn|M. Fazlul Hasan|1970|pp=239, 240}}

Over time, the palace was found unsuitable due to lack of space, as the offices had grown significantly since they were first shifted there, and because of fears of the building collapsing. [[Lewin Bentham Bowring]], who took charge as Commissioner in 1862, was concerned about the safety of the treasury (worth ten lakh rupees) stored in the aging palace.<ref name=":9">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cBDkVEmLf0cC&q=athara+cutchery&pg=PA12 |title=Bangalore – Mysore |date=1994 |publisher=Orient Blackswan |isbn=978-0-86311-431-1 |language=en |access-date=2021-01-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105165038/https://books.google.com/books?id=cBDkVEmLf0cC&newbks=0&printsec=frontcover&pg=PA12&dq=athara+cutchery&hl=en |archive-date=2021-01-05 |url-status=live}}</ref>{{sfn|M. Fazlul Hasan|1970|p=242}}{{sfn|Ba. Na. Sundara Rao|1985|p=372}} Additionally, the palace was at a distance from [[Bangalore Cantonment|the British cantonment]], and the scattered nature of offices in the palace campus was considered a nuisance.<ref name="Sankey">{{Cite book|url=https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=PaEEAAAAQAAJ&printsec=frontcover&pg=GBS.PA11-IA8|title=Professional Papers on Indian Engineering (Second series)|publisher=Thomason College Press|year=1873|isbn=|editor-last=Lang|editor-first=A. M.|location=|pages=1–7|chapter=''No. LXIII—Offices of the Mysore Government at Bangalore by [[Richard Hieram Sankey|Lieut-Col. R. H. Sankey]], [[Royal Engineers|R.E.]], Chief Engineer, Mysore''|access-date=2021-01-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210630173946/https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=PaEEAAAAQAAJ&printsec=frontcover&pg=GBS.PA11-IA8|archive-date=2021-06-30|url-status=live|via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>
[[File:RH Sankey.jpg|thumb|Richard Hieram Sankey, the chief engineer of the project]]
Plans for a new building housing all offices under one roof had been drawn up in 1857, but the project could not proceed because of the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857|Indian Rebellion]] that year. Further plans had been drawn up in 1860, but were rejected by the Government of India. A revised plan by [[Richard Hieram Sankey|Richard Sankey]], the chief engineer of Mysore, was accepted, and Bowring ordered the construction to begin.<ref name="Sankey" /><ref name=":3">{{Cite web|date=2012-02-13|title=Why we shouldn't forget Sankey...|url=https://www.deccanherald.com/content/226898/why-we-shouldnt-forget-sankey.html|access-date=2021-01-01|website=Deccan Herald|language=en|archive-date=2020-01-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200102064352/https://www.deccanherald.com/content/226898/why-we-shouldnt-forget-sankey.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite news|last=Shekhar|first=Divya|title=Bengaluru's Sankey Tank: The water body built to beat famine in 1870s|work=The Economic Times|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/bengalurus-sankey-tank-the-water-body-built-to-beat-famine-in-1870s/articleshow/49756164.cms|url-status=live|access-date=2021-01-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105165104/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/bengalurus-sankey-tank-the-water-body-built-to-beat-famine-in-1870s/articleshow/49756164.cms|archive-date=2021-01-05}}</ref>

The contract for building the structure was awarded to Messrs. Wallace and Co., who sub-contracted the work to [[Arcot Narrainswamy Mudaliar]] and Bansilal Ramrathan.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web|date=2012-08-13|title=A journey from rags to riches|url=https://www.deccanherald.com/content/271338/a-journey-rags-riches.html|access-date=2021-01-01|website=Deccan Herald|language=en|archive-date=2020-12-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201201061837/https://www.deccanherald.com/content/271338/a-journey-rags-riches.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Construction began in October 1864. The site, originally chosen by [[Mark Cubbon (army officer)|Mark Cubbon]], facing the parade grounds of the [[Bangalore Cantonment]], had several boulders and nullahs (large ravines), and Sankey initially found it seemingly "hopeless to do more than provide standing ground for the work". Solutions were found in building a foundation fourteen feet deep where the nullahs once were, and using large stone slabs (each around six to nine feet long) to distribute the weight of the building. Sankey reported facing some difficulties with the workers on the site, who poured mortar down the plumbing "once or twice... when the walls were well up, thus giving most serious trouble".<ref name="Sankey" /> Nevertheless, construction was completed in April 1868, at a total cost of Rs. 4,27,980,<ref name="ET" /> of which Rs. 3,68,981 was for the construction and the rest for purchase and levelling of the land.<ref name="Sankey" /><ref name=":3" /> An [[equestrian statue of Mark Cubbon]] was installed in front of the building during construction, in March 1866.{{sfn|M. Fazlul Hasan|1970|p=242}} There were two expansions of the building — an annex was built in 1917 and a major extension of the entire building took place in 1995, in the same architectural style as the original.<ref name=":8">{{Cite web|last=Dasharathi|first=Poornima|date=2008-11-10|title=Reminder of a bygone era|url=https://bengaluru.citizenmatters.in/596-high-court-attara-kacheri-596|access-date=2021-01-05|website=Citizen Matters, Bengaluru|language=en-GB|archive-date=2021-01-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210107043940/https://bengaluru.citizenmatters.in/596-high-court-attara-kacheri-596|url-status=live}}</ref> Cubbon's equestrian statue was moved to the Band Stand inside Cubbon Park in 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fathima |first=Iffath |date=2019-10-29 |title=Lord Cubbon’s new home will now be park bandstand |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/bengaluru/2019/Oct/29/lord-cubbons-new-home-will-now-be-park-bandstand-2054128.html |access-date=2024-11-12 |website=The New Indian Express |language=en}}</ref>

=== Use ===
[[File:Attara_Katcheri,_Bangalore_(Early_1900s),_Tucks_Post_Card.jpg|thumb|271x271px|Attara Kacheri in the early 1900s|left]]
Upon the completion of construction in 1868, the administrative departments of the princely state were shifted to the building, and Tipu's palace was turned over to the city's municipality. Apart from the secretariat, the building housed the Chief Court of Mysore and the office of the Commissioner of Mysore. In 1881 came 'Rendition' — the British Indian government returned the administration of the Mysore state to the Wadiyars. The responsibilities of the Commissioner were taken over by the [[List of Diwans of Mysore|''Dewans'' of Mysore]], who maintained their office in Attara Kacheri.<ref name="Sankey" /><ref name=":8" /><ref>{{Cite book|last=Gopakumar|first=Govind|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n6TXDwAAQBAJ&q=offices+of+the+mysore+government&pg=PA44|title=Installing Automobility: Emerging Politics of Mobility and Streets in Indian Cities|date=2020|publisher=MIT Press|isbn=978-0-262-53891-6|language=en|access-date=2021-02-10|archive-date=2021-06-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210630174014/https://books.google.com/books?id=n6TXDwAAQBAJ&q=offices+of+the+mysore+government&pg=PA44|url-status=live}}</ref>{{Sfn|M. Fazlul Hasan|1970|pp=244, 245}} The Mysore Legislative Council was carved out of the hitherto unicameral Mysore Representative Assembly as an [[upper house]] in 1907; it held its meetings on the third floor of Attara Kacheri.<ref name="Nair2002" /><ref name="gazetteer">Rao, C. Hayavadana (ed.). (1929). ''Mysore Gazetteer'', Vol. IV, Bangalore: Government Press, pp.96-97.</ref>{{sfn|M. Fazlul Hasan|1970|p=245}}

Eventually, the government offices outgrew Attara Kacheri as well; some of them were moved to another building – the [[New Public Offices, Bengaluru|New Public Offices]] on Nrupathunga Road – which was opened in 1921.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Iyer |first=Meera |date=9 February 2023 |title=How this secretariat building came to be |url=https://www.deccanherald.com/india/karnataka/how-this-secretariat-building-came-to-be-1189204.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240501134510/https://www.deccanherald.com/india/karnataka/how-this-secretariat-building-came-to-be-1189204.html |archive-date=1 May 2024 |access-date=1 May 2024 |work=[[Deccan Herald]]}}</ref>

==== After Indian independence ====
The building continued to house the High Court and secretariat after Mysore acceded to India in 1947.<ref name=":10">{{Cite news|last=Shekhar|first=Divya|title=The story behind Vidhana Soudha|work=The Economic Times|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/the-story-behind-vidhana-soudha/articleshow/60950153.cms|access-date=2021-01-01|archive-date=2018-04-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180408112713/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/the-story-behind-vidhana-soudha/articleshow/60950153.cms|url-status=live}}</ref> Bangalore became the capital of the new Mysore State; on 24 October 1947, Attara Kacheri was a site of great public jubilation as a new cabinet composed of elected representatives was sworn in.{{sfn|M. Fazlul Hasan|1970|pp=245-246}} Each house of the [[Karnataka Legislative Assembly|Legislative Assembly of Mysore]] held its sessions in the third floor of Attara Kacheri, with joint sessions being held in the [[Bangalore Town Hall]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kushalappa |first=Mookonda |date=24 October 2017 |title=The people's palace |url=https://www.deccanherald.com/content/639023/peoples-palace.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201026090539/https://www.deccanherald.com/content/639023/peoples-palace.html |archive-date=26 October 2020 |access-date=1 January 2021 |work=[[Deccan Herald]]}}</ref> The court occupied the entire building after the legislature and the secretariat shifted to the newly built Vidhana Soudha in 1956.{{sfn|M. Fazlul Hasan|1970|p=242}}

The court was renamed the High Court of Karnataka when the name of the state of Mysore was changed to ''Karnataka'' in 1973.<ref name="ET" />

=== Threats of demolition ===

==== 1950s ====
In the early 1950s, [[K. Hanumanthaiah|Kengal Hanumanthaiah]], [[Chief Minister of Karnataka|Chief Minister of Mysore]], wanted to demolish the Attara Kacheri, seeing it as a vestige of [[colonialism]].<ref name=":11">{{Cite web|last=Bar & Bench|title=Reporter's Diary: The Indianness and Wisdom of the Constitution|url=https://www.barandbench.com/columns/reporters-diary-the-indianness-and-wisdom-of-the-constitution|access-date=2021-01-01|website=Bar and Bench – Indian Legal news|date=18 December 2018 |language=en|archive-date=2021-01-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105165100/https://www.barandbench.com/columns/reporters-diary-the-indianness-and-wisdom-of-the-constitution|url-status=live}}</ref> Lacking the requisite permission, he instead ordered the building of the monumental [[Dravidian architecture|Dravidian-style]] [[legislature]] building, the [[Vidhana Soudha]], at a slight elevation directly opposite the Attara Kacheri.<ref name="Nair2002" /><ref name=":10" /> A government committee probing concerns of overspending on the Vidhana Soudha deduced that Hanumanthaiah did so in order to "vanquish visually the Attara Kacheri building, a symbol of imperial power, in length, height and majesty."<ref name="Nair2002" />

==== 1980s ====
{{Quote box
| quote = "[The Attara Kacheri is] precious cultural heritage and a part of an ancient legacy which any city would treasure... a symbolic connecting chord for the future, and its destruction snaps an emotional experience vital to a sense of belonging to this beautiful city."
| source = The petitioners in ''B. V. Narayan Reddy v. State of Karnataka''
| align = right
| width = 20%
| bgcolor = AliceBlue
}}

On 24 March 1982, the Government of Karnataka approved the demolition of the Attara Kacheri and the construction of a new court building on the site.<ref name="Nair2002" /> A [[Public interest litigation in India|public interest litigation]] (PIL) was filed in the Karnataka High Court, pleading for the demolition to be cancelled. The case – ''B. V. Narayan Reddy v. State of Karnataka'' – was heard in the same building that was slated to be demolished.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Singh |first1=Paramand |date=1985 |title=Public Interest Litigation |url=http://14.139.60.116:8080/jspui/bitstream/123456789/3486/1/008_1985_Public%20Interest%20Litigation.pdf |journal=[[Annual Survey of Indian Law]] |volume=XXI |issue= |page=171 |access-date=10 April 2024}}</ref><ref name=":13">{{Cite news|title=Will take legal route if Telangana government tries to dismantle Osmania General Hospital: INTACH|work=The Economic Times|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/will-take-legal-route-if-telangana-government-tries-to-dismantle-osmania-general-hospital-intach/articleshow/48412041.cms|access-date=2021-01-01|archive-date=2021-01-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105165137/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/will-take-legal-route-if-telangana-government-tries-to-dismantle-osmania-general-hospital-intach/articleshow/48412041.cms|url-status=live}}</ref>

The High Court struck down the petition on the basis that it could not change the law to make it a duty for the government to protect heritage buildings. Hearing the appeal against the High Court's decision, the [[Supreme Court of India]] asked the state government to reconsider its proposal. In 1985, the proposal to demolish the building was dropped, and repair and expansion work begun.<ref name="ET" /><ref name=":8" /><ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-01-05|title=The battle for Attara Kacheri – BANG – The Hindu|website=[[The Hindu]] |url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/the-battle-for-attara-kacheri/article3191027.ece|access-date=2021-01-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105110344/https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/the-battle-for-attara-kacheri/article3191027.ece|archive-date=2021-01-05}}</ref>

== Architecture ==
[[File:High_Court_of_Karnataka.jpg|thumb|280x280px|Rear facade]]
The Attara Kacheri has two storeys. The walls of the bottom story are built of [[Gneiss|gneiss stone]] in [[chunam]] (a kind of Indian [[cement]]), and those of the upper story are built of [[brick]] in chunam. The main structure of the building is surrounded on all sides by [[portico]]es and [[veranda]]hs. The entire building is surfaced with [[plaster]] and painted with red [[ochre]]. The verandahs prevent direct sunlight from reaching much of the main body of the building; despite this, the rooms are well-lit and well-ventilated.<ref name="Sankey" />

The building is built in the [[Neoclassical architecture|neoclassical]] style, with [[Ionic order|Ionic]] porticoes on the facades of every wing, and with the wings connected by [[Arcade (architecture)|arcade-style]] lengths.<ref name=":6">{{Cite book|last=Gadagkar|first=Rajita|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=olVuAAAAMAAJ&q=attara+kacheri|title=Bangalore & Karnataka|date=2005|publisher=Infinitum Pub.|isbn=978-81-902505-0-4|language=en|access-date=2021-01-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105165058/https://books.google.com/books?id=olVuAAAAMAAJ&newbks=0&printsec=frontcover&dq=attara+kacheri&q=attara+kacheri&hl=en|archive-date=2021-01-05|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Jayapal|first=Maya|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UEluAAAAMAAJ&q=Attara+Kacheri+ionic+porticos|title=Bangalore: The Story of a City|date=1997|publisher=Eastwest Books (Madras)|isbn=978-81-86852-09-5|language=en|access-date=2021-01-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105165056/https://books.google.com/books?id=UEluAAAAMAAJ&newbks=0&printsec=frontcover&dq=Attara+Kacheri+ionic+porticos&q=Attara+Kacheri+ionic+porticos&hl=en|archive-date=2021-01-05|url-status=live}}</ref> The porticoes on either sides of the central wing each have twelve Ionic columns.<ref name="Nair2002" /><ref name=":9" /> The tops of the roof tiles of the wings are modelled in the style of Grecian tiles.<ref name="Sankey" />

== References ==
{{reflist}}
== Bibliography ==
*{{Cite book
|last = M. Fazlul Hasan
|title = Bangalore Through The Centuries
|date = 1970
|publisher = Historical Publications (Republished in 2023 by Metaform Design)
|isbn = 978-81-963415-0-3
|location = Bangalore}}
*{{Cite book
|last = A. Satyanarayana
|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=3jduAAAAMAAJ&q=athara+kacheri
|title = History of the Wodeyars of Mysore, 1610–1748
|date = 1996
|publisher = Directorate of Archaeology and Museums
|language = en
|archive-date = 2021-01-05
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210105165112/https://books.google.com/books?id=3jduAAAAMAAJ&newbks=0&printsec=frontcover&dq=athara+kacheri&q=athara+kacheri&hl=en
|url-status=live}}
*{{Cite book
|last = Ba. Na. Sundara Rao
|title = ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿನ ಇತಿಹಾಸ
|publisher = Ankita Pustaka
|year = 1985
|location = Bangalore
|language = Kannada
|trans-title = A History of Bengaluru
|lccn = 2012351011
|author-link = Ba. Na. Sundara Rao}}

[[Category:Bengaluru Urban district]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures designed by Richard Hieram Sankey]]
[[Category:Karnataka High Court]]

Attara Kacheri - Revision history

JeffreyChallis6 at 14:44, 22 March 2026