The city of Bangalore assumed much importance during the early colonial period under the East India Co that established the cantonment here for two reasons - its cool weather and close access to their arch rival Tipu Sultan' kingdom who hated the British. Under the Crown administration after 1858, the British gave priority to Bangalore city and its growth. The congenial weather of the city attracted lots of British families who took up a job or started business here. The city saw massive improvement under the administration of Mark Cubbon. Like Chennai (Madras), Kolkata (Calcutta) and Mumbai (Bombay), one can see lots of colonial buildings and statues in Bangalore. The marble statue of king Edward VII is an interesting one.
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| Statue of King Edward XII, Bangalore, India en.wikipedia.com |
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| Statue of King Edward XIIand queen Victoria, Bangalore, India Deccan herald.com |
Located at Queen's Park, next to Cubbon Park, Bangalore Cantonment, at the junction of Queen's Road and Cubbon Road (Karnataka state), the statue of Edward VII was unveiled on 28 November 1919 by none other than then Viceroy and Governor-General of India, Frederic John Napier Baron Chelmsford. (August 12, 1868-April 1, 1933: English colonial administrator and statesman who served for several years as governor of Queensland and New South Wales in Australia before becoming viceroy of India). This statue is one of the few original statues installed in British India that still is in the same place, standing well above the near-by flowering frangipani tree. To meet the cost of the statue and its installation the fund was raised among the residents of the Bangalore Civil and Military Station. The work was entrusted to Leonard Jennings of Chelsea, London who designed and carefully sculpted it. This statue is quite impressive and the royal aura of the king is well frozen in the marble stone.
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| King Edward XII, en.wikipedia.com |
Edward VII reigned as the King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India for a brief period between 1901 and 1910. He took up the control after the death of his mother Queen Victoria in 1901.
He goes down in the British History as a peacemaker and is believed to have played a vital role in the re-organisation of the British Army and modernization of the British Home Fleet. This unexpected transformation of the British forces, it is said, developed their over confidence and German paranoia, leading to the World War I I4 years after his death. Before becoming the ruler in 1901, in 1875, he toured British India - Indian subcontinent as the Prince of Wales. It was a long tour roughly eight months and he toured other countries as well. He strongly believed that native Indians should be treated well without any racial superiority on the part of British officers. He never visited India again. His son George V ascended the throne upon King Edward's death in 1910. His reign was a period of peace and considered as the golden age for the upper classes of Europe and America. Edward VII was one of the first rulers to have socialized with the masses, as he believed in seeing and being seen by the people. After hi father's demise Edward married Alexandra of Denmark at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, on 10 March 1863. He was 21; she was 18. He died on the 6th of May 1910 and his funeral took place on 29th May. King Edward was buried at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.
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| Bangalore, statue of Edward VII en.wikipedia.org |
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| Edward VII Inscription en.wikipedia.org |
Above image: The inscription says: EDWARD VII, KING OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND AND EMPEROR OF INDIA 1901-1910. ERECTED BY PUBLIC SUBSCRIPTION,
1914...........
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location map Bangalore, wikipedia
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Presently this colonial statue of King Edward VII is covered with layers of dirt and lies largely ignored and neglected. Part of the reason is the city is undergoing various civil work; the metro is already constructed and additional civil work is on. Upon appeal from various sections of the communities, the Horticulture Department, Government of Karnataka is keen to restore the King Edward VII's marble Statue, along with the Statue of Queen Victoria and statue of past Mysore Maharajah Chamaraja Wodeyar IV. Further, it suggested polishing the statue of Edward VII, and pruning of surrounding trees to make the statue more visible to the visitors. On the pedestal one can see inscriptions in Kannada, Tamil and Urdu and the foot of the pedestal, carries English translations.
Certain linguistic chauvinistic group wanted the statue of Edward VII removed in the 1960s, However, well-known historians, and heritage lovers of Bangalore City were in rage over the removal of such heritage statues that were part of history and raised their opposition. Way past members of the Cubbon Park Walkers’ Association garlanded the statue of Mark Cubbon in open defiance of these demands to desecrate history. Cubbon's contribution to Bangalore during the colonial period was vast.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_Edward_VII,_Bangalore
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