Bengaluru’s rich history spans centuries, with its strategic location attracting a succession of South Indian dynasties. The Western Gangas, Cholas, and Hoysalas all held sway over the region before Kempé Gowdā, a feudal ruler under the Vijayanagara Empire, established a pivotal mud fort in 1537 CE. This act is widely regarded as the foundation of modern Bengaluru.

The city then witnessed a series of power shifts. In 1638, the Marathas took control, ruling for nearly five decades. Subsequently, the Mughals captured Bengaluru, eventually selling it to the Mysore Kingdom under the Wadiyar dynasty. The British East India Company entered the scene, finally securing the city after their victory in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War in 1799, though control was soon returned to the Maharaja of Mysore.

During this period, Bengaluru began to flourish. The old city grew to become the capital of the Princely State of Mysore, which operated under the British Raj. A significant turning point came in 1809 when the British moved their administrative and military base to Bengaluru, leading to the rapid growth of a distinct British Cantonment town. This era fostered the development of crucial institutions like the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), established in 1909, which became a cornerstone for skilled engineers and scientists, nurturing a robust culture of research and development. Visionary leaders like Sir M. Visvesvaraya, the Diwan of Mysore, actively championed industrialization in the early 20th century. Notably, Bengaluru received its first electricity supply on August 3, 1905, making it the first city in Asia to feature electric streetlights, initially illuminated at KR Market (then Siddikatte).

Before India gained independence, Bengaluru had already established itself as a significant industrial hub. Pioneering Indian industries emerged, including The Mysore Lamp Works Limited, incorporated on August 26, 1936, and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), founded on December 23, 1940, by the visionary industrialist Walchand Hirachand as Hindustan Aircraft Limited. Other notable pre-independence ventures included textile giants like Binny Mills and Minerva Mills.

Following India’s independence in 1947, Bangalore became the capital of Mysore State, and later, of Karnataka in 1956. The distinct urban settlements of the city and the cantonment formally merged in 1949. Sri K. Chengalaraya Reddy served as the first Chief Minister of Karnataka. Even before the monumental IT boom that earned Bengaluru its “Silicon Valley of India” moniker, the city possessed a robust and diverse industrial base, heavily reliant on Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) and traditional manufacturing. Prominent PSUs like Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML), Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), and Indian Telephone Industries (ITI Limited) provided employment to hundreds of thousands of locals, laying crucial groundwork for the future.

The true “IT boom” took off with the arrival of Texas Instruments in 1985, a widely recognized pivotal moment. As the first major multinational IT company to establish a development center in Bengaluru, TI paved the way for others. Soon, Bengaluru-headquartered companies like Infosys and Wipro scaled significantly throughout the 1990s. The global dot-com boom of the late 1990s further accelerated this growth, transforming Bengaluru into a vibrant hotbed for startups and attracting talent from across the globe.

Today, Bengaluru remains a global economic powerhouse. It is home to a significant number of India’s most valuable companies, with the Hurun India 500 list (as of December 2024 data) featuring 45 Bengaluru-based companies (each valued at a minimum of Rs 9,580 crore, or $1.1 billion). Furthermore, approximately 103 companies headquartered in Bengaluru are listed on the NSE & BSE. It’s no surprise that the Bengaluru Metropolitan Area now spans 7,005 square kilometers (2,705 sq mi), inhabited by an estimated 1.25 crore (12.5 million) people, making it one of the most dynamic and populous urban centers in the world.