Paper written by: Historical Significance- Ameeshi Goenka Aesthetic Significance- Roshan Shakeel Social Significance- Urvika Chhabra

1. This paper seeks to assess the heritage significance of
the Mayo Hall building in Bangalore, located at the
junction of Mahatma Gandhi Road and Residency
Road. Divided into three sections, this paper
provides an overview of the history, aesthetics and
social relevance of the building, respectively. The
historic significance of the Mayo Hall is brought out
through its evolution over the years. This section
also discusses the political and educational reforms
brought in by Lord Mayo who served as a viceroy of
India. The section for the aesthetic significance of
the Mayo Hall building features a detailed analysis
of the elements which feature on the structure,
linking it to the Greco- Roman style of architecture
that was prevalent at the time. This style of building
is explored, along with its significance in the context
of the British era in India. The integrity of the fabric
is also discussed, wherein the impact of weathering
on the building, and subsequent restoration work
are examined. Lastly the paper discusses the social
significance of the Mayo Hall since 1883 that has
continued to be used as a public building for the
everyday runnings of the city till date. It explores
the idea of the building being associated with people
of historic importance and further introduces the
efforts taken by the Corporation to convert the
building of heritage value into a museum.
Historic Significance
The construction of Mayo Hall was started in 1875
and completed only by 1883. The British resident
in India in 1874 instituted the fund used to build
Mayo Hall. The total cost of construction was Rs.45,
000 that included Rs.25, 000 of public subscriptions.
Mayo Hall is a memorial structure of Lord Mayo,
the 4th Viceroy of India. The following timeline lists
the important years in history of Mayo hall and its
uses over the years.
People of Bangalore formed the
Bangalore City Municipality
Cantonment area municipality
formed, namely Bangalore Civil and
Military Station1
Lord Mayo became the 4th Viceroy of
India
Lord Mayo was assassinated2
The fund was instituted for the
construction of Mayo Hall
The construction of Mayo Hall started
The construction of Mayo Hall
completed. Bangalore Civil and
Military Station occupy the space
India gets independence from the
British Raj
Bangalore City Municipality and
Bangalore Civil and Military Station
merge to form the Corporation of the
City of Bangalore
Corporation of the City of Bangalore
name changed to Bangalore City
Corporation and then to Bangalore
Mahanagara Palike (BMP)
Restoration and renovation work on
Mayo Hall started by INTACH, PWD
and other departments involved3
BMP was renamed to BBMP (Bruhat
Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) due
to the inclusion of neighboring towns
and villages
BBMP moved their offices to
Sampangirama Nagar and Mayo Hall
was converted into Kempegowda
Museum4
1862
Date not
known
1869
1872
1874
1875
1883
1947
1949
Date not
known
1990
2007
2011
Seminar 2: Assessing Heritage
Significance of the Mayo Hall
Ameeshi Goenka, Roshan Shakeel, Urvika Chhabra

2. 2Seminar 2: Assessing Heritage Significance of the Mayo Hall (Ameeshi Goenka, Roshan Shakeel, Urvika Chhabra)
Along with Mayo Hall in Bangalore, Mayo Hospital
in Bangalore and Mayo School in Ajmer and more
buildings came up as memorial institutions all over
India in the memory of Lord Mayo who was an
extremely significant figure in the history of British
India.5
Richard Southwell Bourke, 6th Earl of Mayo, and
the third most powerful person in the British
Empire, popularly known as Lord Mayo, became
the 4th Viceroy of India.6
Despite being a British
Official, he initiated reforms for the betterment
of the Indian citizens. Lord Mayo was a man who
encouraged education, socio-economic reforms
and infrastructure development in British India.
The extension of the railways was carried out by
him with the help of government funds, as he did
not encourage privatization. He also believed the
localization of funds would aid the growth of self-
government, and facilitate pleasant association
between the citizens and the British. During his
tenure, he conducted the first census of India in
1871 and also arranged a Statistical Survey of India.
Military expenditure and expenses related to civil
administration was reduced greatly by Lord Mayo.
He instrumented salt duty and hiked income
tax. In June 1871, he established The Department
of Revenue, Agriculture and Commerce and
also introduced the Land-Improvement Act. He
recommended that instead of collecting uniform
land revenue from the different provinces, it should
be based upon the productivity and fertility of the
land. Lord Mayo stressed upon the importance of
primary school among Indian citizens with the
importance of education of the Muslim children.
The European-oriented Mayo College at Ajmer was
founded for the education of young native chiefs
from Britain. His intention was to transform the
Andaman Islands into a self-sufficient prisoner
colony, and reduce the mortality rate on the islands.
He believed that the prisoners be made self-reliant
and carry out productive tasks which included
various forms of agricultural activities like cattle
breeding, budding of cotton etc. In 1872, Lord
Mayo made a visit to Andaman Islands to review
these amendments, wherein a convict named Sher
Ali assassinated him.7
Photograph of the Mayo Hall,
east face (1878), courtesy
oldindianphotos.in

3. 3Seminar 2: Assessing Heritage Significance of the Mayo Hall (Ameeshi Goenka, Roshan Shakeel, Urvika Chhabra)
Aesthetic Significance
The Mayo Hall is a two-storeyed building made
of brick and mortar, painted red with white
highlights. It features ornamentation that draws
from a vocabulary of decorative and constructive
elements which emphasise both the horizontality
and verticality of the structure. Described by the
historian Kora Chandy as ‘one of the most elegant
public buildings of the era in Southern India,’ 8
the building displays a remarkable symmetry. The
main façade, facing west, is divided into three bays.
Behind the façade are two additional layers which
form two half-bays on either side; when viewed
from the elevation these become the two end bays
of the Mayo Hall. The central bay takes prominence
and provides the building its most distinguishing
features: a Classical entablature supported by
Corinthian columns on the upper level, built onto
the façade, and a one-storey portico below it. (The
east side of the building mirrors this arrangement,
porticoincluded,althoughwithasmallerentablature
and a slightly different arrangement for the end
bays). The entablature features heavy molding;
and the dentils that run along its frieze alternate
between two types: short and unembellished; and
longer, ornamented ones which take up the height
of the frieze. These continue out onto the molding
across the rest of the building, providing it a rhythm
of nine dentils a bay. The columns which support
the entablature are arranged in what seem to be
blocks of four on each side, although only the front
columns are complete with flutes— the other two
are projections from the façade. They take up the
height of the first floor, and under the plinths the
transition is made into the block columns which
support the portico. The portico, near-square when
viewed from above, is an attractive entrance to the
building. It features a decorative arch and keystone
below a balustraded ledge on each open side. On the
first floor, a door opens out onto a balcony on top of
the portico. All of the openings on the upper level
feature pediments; they alternate between curved
and pointed, marking the transitions between the
bays along the surface of the building. Window
ledges are supported by balusters, and the aedicule
on each opening is heavily ornamented, featuring
a combination of geometric and floral motifs. In
contrast, the openings on the ground floor are
noticeably simpler: the window tops are flat, and
the frames feature minimal ornamentation. The
North and South faces of Mayo Hall, with one
window on each level, also reflect this contrast;
they are differentiated from the East and West faces,
however, with the doubled length of the openings.
On the whole, the eye is drawn to the upper levels
with its sheer amount of detailing and volume,
while the lower levels are more discreet; as such, the
building also rests on a thin, short base.

4. 4Seminar 2: Assessing Heritage Significance of the Mayo Hall (Ameeshi Goenka, Roshan Shakeel, Urvika Chhabra)
The Mayo Hall comes under the canon of the
Neoclassical or Greco-Roman style of architecture
that was employed for public buildings by the
British in India. As with all of the elements that
feature (the entablature, columns, pediments and
architraves), the proportioning of these are also
very much in line with that of ancient Greece and
Rome. The Neoclassical style, derived from the
architecture that was established in the Classical
period, gained popularity in northern Europe
predominantly during the mid -18th to the end of
the 19th century.9
This style of building soon found
its way into India through the British East India
Company, with individual European merchants
expressing their wealth with grand, classical houses,
in addition to the public buildings that were erected
Kolkata and Chennai.10
As Chrisopher Pinney
writes, ‘little thought had been given to what
form British architecture in India should take: the
prevailing classical models that prevailed in Britain
were simply imported with pragmatic adjustments
made for climatic difference.’ Greek and Roman
structures thus served as templates for many
buildings in cities which had a British presence.11
The Classical aesthetic, of course, had a significance
of its own. Greece and Rome served as ideals of
political organization to the Western world, and its
architecture, with its geometric harmony, simplicity,
and symmetry, came to represent the height of
civilized society.12
The British found it apt for the
structures they would build. ‘The transformation of
Kolkata and Chennai (Madras) from commercial
trading enclaves into elegant neo-classical cities
coincided with changing perceptions of British
activity in India. Trade remained important, but
the conscious reflection of the values of Greece and
Rome in the monumental civic architecture of the
period reflected a growing awareness of a wider
political and imperial role.’ 13
The same process
can be traced in Bangalore, too, through its growth
into a British Cantonment, and the construction
of the Mayo Hall. It is worth noting, however,
that in the case of the Mayo Hall, the image that
the building creates is not that of purely power or
grandeur. Probably due to its functioning as a civil
public office, it has been built on a smaller scale
(in fact, one can liken it to a mansion) —especially
in contrast to the Karnataka High Court building
and the complex around it, or the Vidhan Soudha
building. The columns span only one level, as does
the portico under it; there is neither a colonnade,
nor a set of steps that lead up to the entrance. The
overall image that is created is one of a structure
that is approachable and elegant, and yet also holds
within it a strain of power.
The building remains in excellent condition today.
Restoration work on the Mayo Hall had been
carried out in 1990 by the Indian National Trust for
Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), providing
the exterior of the building a clean-up and a fresh
coat of paint. From an image taken of the site during
its construction in 1878, it is evident that all of the
exterior detailing has remained intact. A notable
change to the structure came about in 1904 with
the addition of a public office adjacent to the Mayo
Hall. The portico on the East face was modified to
connect to the new building, and two more block
columns were brought in to extend its length. As a
result, the arch on the outer end has been re-fitted
to the new set of columns, while on the sides two
smaller arches have been added to fit the gap. The
interiors, too, have undergone restoration work,
although its condition does not seem as pristine as
the exterior. Certain sections of the molding on the
upper floor seem be damaged, possibly as a result
of water seepage. However, the rest of the detailing
within the building—columns, stairway and arches
have been very well kept. One can conclude that the
integrity of the fabric has been preserved admirably.

5. 5Seminar 2: Assessing Heritage Significance of the Mayo Hall (Ameeshi Goenka, Roshan Shakeel, Urvika Chhabra)
1. View of the Mayo Hall facade,
west face
2. Portico link to the public office
(painted red)
3. Entrance to the Kempegowda
museum on the first floor
1
2
3

6. 6Seminar 2: Assessing Heritage Significance of the Mayo Hall (Ameeshi Goenka, Roshan Shakeel, Urvika Chhabra)
Social Significance
The assassination of Lord Mayo had a deep effect
all over India and led to a number of memorial
institutions like Mayo Hall, Mayo College and Mayo
school of Arts of Lahore. Mayo Hall was completed
in 1883 and housed Municipal offices for the
Cantonment, several public offices and law courts.
The upper storey was designed for Public meetings
andexhibitions.Until2010,theMayorofBengaluru’s
meetings were held on the first floor.14
In 2011
with the efforts of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagra
Palike (BBMP), the building was converted into a
museum showing a brief look at Kemepgowda’s
life history, the founder of Bangalore and showing
how Bangalore came to be. A museum housed in
Mayo Hall built as a memorial to Lord Mayo and
ironically named after the city’s founder brings out
the fact that the hall has been associated with people
of Historic Importance who pioneered educational
reforms. Lord Mayo vigorously advocated the
importance of primary education among the Indian
citizens.15
Kempegowda museum in this building
associated with Lord Mayo still carries on his vision
and propogation of education that would make
people aware about the founder of the city who has
been an important figure in the history of Bengaluru
and hasn’t been given much of recognition. Mayo
Hall has always been used as a public building for
the everyday running’s of the city, from municipal
offices to Legislative meetings. It continues to serve
as a background for the everyday functioning of
the courts where the museum turns into a waiting
room for people visiting the courts. In 1883, The
hall was handed over to the Bangalore Municipal
Corporation, on a condition that the upper storey of
the hall should at all proper and reasonable times be
available to the public for exhibitions and meetings
of a public nature, free of any charge.16
The museum
presently housed on the first floor still carries on the
same idea and has made their entrance ‘ free of cost’.
Constant efforts put together by INTACH in 1990
and the corporation presently has kept the building
intact. Restoration work was carried out over the
ceiling and the pillars on the first floor in order to
set up the museum. The museum is a reminder to
the people of the city about their city. It presently
houses the first Bangalore survey map by the British
and photos of temples and lakes from the time of
Yelahanka Dynasty. The Corporation has plans to
expand the museum on the ground floor as well
by adding interactive elements and a library. The
execution of the museum only started when a
samithi – Kempegowda Smaraka Vastu Sanghralaya
was founded in 2005.17
Mayo Hall, being considered
Heritage has never been a part of Bangalore’s tourist
circuit and thus the museum lacks in audience.
Corporation has thus approached the tourism
department for it to be included on the map, which
features other buildings of state importance such as
Vidhan Soudha, Fort, Venkatappa Art Gallery and
Visveswariah Science Museum.18
Despite it being
Heritage, the Everyday Administrative building was
considered important by the Corporation only after
it became a site that showed Kempagowda’s History
and not for the intrinsic value of the building itself.
Nevertheless Mayo Hall being recognized for its
heritage value already has an acknowledged role
in the community’s life. A museum housed in this
building can turn into a great asset for the building
that involves the community for its survival.

7. 7Notes
1. “History on Bangalore and BBMP Draft”, BBMP,
2015, accessed September 27, 2015, http://bbmp.
gov.in/en/bbmp
2. “Lord Mayo, Viceroy of India”, IndiaNetZone,
2011, last modified June 7, 201, http://www.
indianetzone.com/42/lord_mayoo.htm
3. Suchith Kidiyoor, “Mayo Hall buries its
white under red,” Bangalore Mirror, February
21, 2015, accessed September 20, 2015. http://
www.bangaloremirror.com/bangalore/others/
Mayo-Hall-buries-its-white-under-red/
articleshow/46317246.cms
4. “History on Bangalore and BBMP Draft”
5. “Mayo Hall buries its white under red”.
6. “The murder of Mayo: why Britain kept quiet
about a Viceroy’s assassination,” Mjs76, 2011,
University of Leicester, last modified September
7, 2011, http://www2.le.ac.uk/news/blog/2011-
archive/september/the-murder-of-mayo-why-
britain-kept-quiet-about-a-viceroys-assassination
7. “Lord Mayo, Viceroy of India”.
8. Janardhan Roye, “Mayo Hall: Still a Picture of
Elegance,” Deccan Herald, July 12, 2004, accessed
September 21, 2015, http://www.sify.com/movies/
boxoffice.php?id=13519574&cid=13212621
9. “Art 101: What is Neoclassicism?” accessed
September 21st, 2015, https://mashrabiyya.
wordpress.com/2011/05/06/art-101-what-is-
neoclassicism/
10. “Neo-Classical Architecture in India”, accessed
October 3, 2015, http://www.indianetzone.com/43/
neoclassical_architecture_india.htm
11. Christopher Pinney, “Material and Visual
Culture” in India and the British Empire, ed.
Douglas M. Peers, Nandini Gooptu (Oxford:
Oxford University Press, 2012), 242-243.
12. “What is Neoclassicism.”
13. “Neo-Classical Architecture in India.”
14. “Reliving Kempegowda’s legacy, ” Shruthi
Srinath, Deccan Herald, June 24, 2014
15. “Lord Mayo, Viceroy of India”.
16. Priyanka, Rao, “From Lord Mayo’s memorial to
Kempegowda Museum,” The New Indian Express,
January 21, 2012.
17. “Less a museum, more a gallery,” Bangalore.
citizenmatters, last modified May 18, 2011,
http://bangalore.citizenmatters.in/articles/3013-
bangalores-history-at-kempegowda-museum
18. Efforts taken by Corporation, as told by
Krishne Gowda (Curator of Kempegowda
Museum)