Actually, there are several different versions of the origin of 'bengalura'. One, which seems more obvious to me, is 'city of gold'.
To quote from Janaki Nair's history of Bangalore: @There is a popular tale about an old woman who served boied beans to Veera Ballala, the Hoysala king, some time in the twelfth century: her grateful and illustrious guest then names the region after his frugal meal of 'bendakaalu'. ... With the discovery of nonth century Begur insciption in 1915, which included the name Bengaluru, we know this is no more than a charming story." Other suggestions that she notes: Kempegowda named the new settlement after the hamlet Hale Bengaluru near Kodigehalli ... there are several other such stories, none of them can be confirmed All we know is that present day Bengaluru was a creation of Kempe Gowda (note 7, p 357, Promise of the Metropolis, OUP, 2005) carol > Rishab Aiyer Ghosh wrote: > > what are these cooked beans the economist goes on about? > > Apparently, Bengaluru, the upcoming name for Bangalore, is a shortened version > of "Benda Kalooru," which translates to "city of cooked beans." :) >
