Discover the Panchalingeshwara Temple in Begur, a stunning 900 CE temple complex with five ancient lingas. In this short from Jimmy Jimmy the Show aka Jimmy da Jimmy, accidental historian Udaya Kumar from The Mythic Society tells us about this temple thats Older than Tirupati and even the temples of Hampi, this architectural marvel stands quietly in Bengaluru, holding centuries of history.
If you love exploring Bengaluru’s heritage, inscription stones, or ancient temples, this is a must-watch!
About this episode
How old is Bangalore… really? Is Bengaluru a 1990s IT boomtown? A 1960s public-sector city? A Kempegowda creation? Or something far more ancient?
In this fascinating deep-dive with Uday Kumar — researcher, epigraphist and the force behind preserving Bengaluru’s inscription stones — we uncover the real Bengaluru age, from 250 million years ago to the hero stones of Hebbal to the inscription at Begur that first mentions Bengaluru in 900 CE.
This conversation completely reframes what we think we know about Bangalore history and the origins of localities like Indiranagar, Rajajinagar, Begur, HSR Layout, Jayanagar 4th Block, Hebbal, and beyond.
🪨 The TRUE Age of Bangalore
Bangalore didn’t begin in the 90s — or even with Kempegowda.
Uday explains how the Lalbagh rock dates back 3 billion years and how the land that is now Bengaluru once sat near Antarctica before drifting north. Bengaluru is the only major urban city in the world sitting on rock this ancient.
But when did people arrive?
From 2500-year-old dolmens in places like Kannur, Ragi Gudda, Tippasandra and Jakkur, to 200,000-year-old human evidence, the Bengaluru region has been alive with history long before modern settlement.
📜 Begur & the First Written Mention of “Bengaluru”
The earliest written reference to the word Bengaluru appears in a 900 CE inscription found in Begur — marking Bengaluru as at least 1100 years old in recorded history.
This same region includes Electronic City today, showing how modern tech Bangalore is rooted in ancient settlements.
🏘 How Old Are Bengaluru’s Most Loved Localities?
Think Indiranagar is from the 80s? Or HSR is brand new?
Think again.
● Indiranagar → Built around the thousand-year-old village Binnamangala, mentioned in a 12th-century Domlur inscription.
● Rajajinagar → Centred around Kethmaranahalli, with inscriptions dating back to the 14th century.
● HSR Layout, Jayanagar 4th Block, Koramangala → Each ties back to medieval village names found in centuries-old inscriptions.
The Bangalore we know is built on layers of history hidden beneath modern blocks, mains, and crosses.
⚔️ Hero Stones & the Story of Hebbal’s Kittayya
Bengaluru has almost 90 hero stones — memorials to everyday people who died protecting their villages.
One of the oldest is in Hebbal, telling the story of Kittayya, who died defending the settlement around 725 CE. Today it sits beautifully restored in a mantapa crowdfunded by Bengalureans.
🏛 The Mythic Society: Bengaluru’s Legacy Keepers
Founded in 1909, the Mythic Society has preserved inscriptions, archaeology, linguistics, and local history for over a century. Its legendary epigraphy collections — including works like Epigraphia Carnatica by B.L. Rice — form the backbone of what we know about Bengaluru history today.
🔍 Why This Episode Matters
Bangalore’s identity isn’t just IT parks and startups. It’s ancient temples older than Hampi, hero stones that document everyday courage, inscriptions that record lakes, battles, donations, and settlements, and localities whose names stretch across millennia.
This episode is for anyone who loves:
● Bangalore history / Bengaluru history
● How old is Bangalore / how old is Bengaluru
● Inscription stones, hero stones (hero kallu), and epigraphy
● The story of localities like Indiranagar, Rajajinagar, HSR Layout, Jayanagar 4th Block, Koramangala, Begur, Hebbal
● Urban archaeology and the Mythic Society
Bangalore is not just a modern cosmopolitan tech city — it is a living museum, layered with stories waiting to be rediscovered.
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