Newindpress

Bangalore, May 19: The next time you refer to an Oxford product, remember that the reputed institution is also prone to goof-ups, that too monumental ones.

Or, you will end up believing Bangalore is “a city which takes its name from the fact that it was founded as a mud fort in 1537 by Kempe Gowda, a local chief in the Hoysala kingdom, in an area where the population spoke mainly Bengali. The Bengalis took their name from a chief called Banga.” In short, that’s how Bangalore got its name!

In what seem to be callously cobbled ‘facts’ that have crept into the Oxford Concise Dictionary of World Place Names (2005) edited by John Everett-Heath, meanings of names of Bangalore, Hubli, and Mysore to an extent, have been distorted so badly that one can’t help thinking if outsourcing would have helped dig out facts.

Kannadigas have been brought up on interesting tidbits about Bangalore’s past, especially about how its name evolved. Like the tale of the old woman who offered a tired King Ballala boiled beans (benda kaalu).

And so Bendakalooru (the City of Boiled Beans), later anglicised to Bangalore. Another version says Bangalore was dotted with huge deposits of bengallu, or stone as soft as butter, and thus the name Bengalluru.

Similarly, we all believed Mysore derived its name from demon Mahishasura and that several 17th century inscriptions refer to Mysore as Mahishuru. However, according to the dictionary, Mysore is ‘Baffalo Town’ although it refers to the “legend of the slaughter of the buffalo-demon king Mahishasura by the Hindu goddess....”

Further, Hubli has been called ‘Old Village’, mocking at traditional knowledge which says it is ‘hoo-balli’ (a flower-bearing creeper). All this has justifiably incensed many Kannada organisations who are now seeking the dictionary’s withdrawal.

Writer H S Krishnaswamy Iyengar and Hi Shi Ramachandragowda, director Kuvempu Institute of Kannada Studies and special officer, Folklore Museum, Mysore, said the reference to Mysore as Buffalo Town might be correct but they preferred the popular belief for its etymology.

In Hubli, the misinterpretation has left several linguists and literary experts fuming. Terming it ‘unscientific’, Dr B R Hiremath, HoD of Kannada, Karnataka University, said: “The names of our places are more scientific and are derived from primary and secondary words. The primary words refer to the names of incidents or a person; the secondary word includes water, plants or even orchards. For example, the historical Aihole was known as ‘Aiyana polal’ (the City of Aiya, or probably Aiyappa).”

Author and MLC Chandrashekar Kambar termed the entire episode typical of British arrogance. “They always thought they can write better history of India than us. We must protest such irresponsible acts.”

Historian and author Prof M Chidananda Murthy added: “We must condemn the work and get the entries withdrawn with an apology.”