The Mysore Bank Circle remains one of Bengaluru’s most familiar landmarks, etched into the collective memory of generations of Bengalureans. Though the Mysore Bank itself no longer exists as an independent institution, the circle continues to bear its name, serving as a reminder of the city’s early banking and administrative history. Located in the Old City area, the circle once housed the Bengaluru branch of the Bank of Mysore Limited, one of the earliest indigenous banks in the region.
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| Bank of Mysore,Bengaluru .thehindu.com |
Above image: The Nenapu museum in the Mysore Bank building houses State Bank of Mysore memorabilia post its merger with SBI..........
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| The Nenapu museumold Mysore building tripadvisor.com |
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| Bank of Mysore, Postal coverFacebook.com |
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| Bank of Mysore building Bengaluru indianexpress.com |
The Bank of Mysore was established in 1912 in Mysore under the patronage of the progressive Wodeyar rulers, particularly Maharaja Krishna Rajendra Wodeyar IV, and under the visionary guidance of his Dewan, Sir M. Visvesvaraya. The Bengaluru branch opened the following year, in 1913, initially functioning from a modest location in Chamrajpet. As the bank expanded, a permanent structure was constructed in 1923 near the present-day Mysore Bank Circle, on land that had earlier housed a lunatic asylum.
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| landmark building Bangalore Mysore bank building facebook.com |
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| 1920 Bank of Mysore Bengaluru,Facebook.co |
Architecturally, the old Mysore Bank building reflects a restrained colonial-era civic style, blending solidity with understated elegance. Built of stone, the structure was designed to convey stability and trust—qualities essential for a financial institution. Its most distinctive feature was the large central hall, once a dim, cavernous space lined with graceful arches. The thick walls, high ceilings, and symmetrical layout were suited to Bengaluru’s climate while also echoing institutional architecture common to early 20th-century public buildings.
Over the decades, the Bank of Mysore evolved into the State Bank of Mysore in 1954, becoming an associate of the State Bank of India. After more than a century of service, it was finally merged with SBI in 2017, marking the end of a significant chapter in Karnataka’s banking history. Today, a modern SBI branch operates from the premises, its bright interiors and digital infrastructure sharply contrasting with the building’s historic shell.
Though altered internally, the old stone structure still survives quietly within the compound. Once home to a small museum called “Nenapu” (Memories), which documented the bank’s legacy, the building now stands as a subdued but powerful symbol of Bengaluru’s transformation—from a princely-era town to a modern metropolis—while retaining echoes of its institutional and architectural past.
https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/bangalore/know-your-city-the-mysore-bank-a-historical-bank-lives-on-as-a-landmark-in-bengaluru-8129686
https://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/museum-of-memories/article22396994.ece
https://starofmysore.com/104-year-old-state-bank-mysore-merged-state-bank-india
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