In 1537 CE, Kempe Gowda I, a feudal ruler under the Vijayanagara Empire, established a mud fort which is considered the foundation of the modern city of Bengaluru and its oldest areas, or petes, which still exist.

In 1638 CE, a Adil Shahi army defeated Kempe Gowda III, and the city became a jagir (feudal estate) of Shahaji Bhonsle.

After the death of Krishnaraja Wodeyar II in 1759 CE, Hyder Ali seized control of the kingdom, and the administration passed subsequently to his son Tipu Sultan.

[15][16][17] Stone Age artefacts discovered at Jalahalli, Sidhapura and Jadigenahalli on Bengaluru's outskirts indicate human settlement around 4000 BCE.

[20] According to Edgar Thurston, twenty-eight kings ruled Gangavadi from the start of the Common Era until its conquest by the Cholas in the early eleventh century CE.

[21] Veera Ballala appointed a civic head at Hudi (suburb of the city) to administer the region, and promoted the village to the status of a town.

[25] In the early 16th century CE, Achyuta Deva Raya built a dam across the Arkavati river near Hesaraghatta, whose reservoir was used to supply water to the region.

[26] The city proper was established in 1537 CE by Kempe Gowda I, a local governor and chieftain aligned with the Vijayanagara Empire under emperor Achyuta Deva Raya.

He led a campaign against Gangaraja, whom he defeated and expelled to Kanchi, and built a a mud-brick fort at the site, which later became the central part of the modern city of Bengaluru.

[37][38] The British found the city as an appropriate place to station its garrison and therefore it was moved in 1809 from Seringapatam to Ulsoor, about 6 km (4 mi) northeast of the original pete.

Regulations for building new houses with proper sanitation facilities came into effect, a health officer was appointed, and the city was divided into four wards for better co-ordination.

[48] Bengaluru's reputation as the "Garden City of India" began in 1927 with the silver jubilee celebrations of the rule of Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV.

[58] Since the late 1980s, many information technology companies were set up in the city and by the end of the 20th century, Bengaluru had established itself as the Silicon Valley of India.

[67][68] The topography is generally flat, with the highest point at Doddabettahalli, located 962 m (3,156 ft) above sea level on a ridge on the western part of the city.

Due to its high elevation, Bengaluru usually enjoys a more moderate climate throughout the year, although occasional heat waves can make summer somewhat uncomfortable.

[161] Other popular festivals include Ugadi, Ram Navami, Eid ul-Fitr, Ganesh Chaturthi, St. Mary's feast, Dasara, Deepawali and Christmas.

[164] As per the 2011 census, Kannada is the mother tongue of 42.1% of the city's population with 3,574,226 speakers, followed by Tamil (1,388,305) Telugu (1,166,338), Urdu (1,104,124), Hindi (476,673), Malayalam (268,780), and Marathi (174,451).

Other languages with a sizeable numbers of speakers include Konkani, Bengali, Marwari, Tulu, Odia, Gujarati, Kodagu, Punjabi, Lambadi, Sindhi and Nepali.

Performances of Carnatic and Hindustani music, and dance forms like Bharat Natyam, Kuchipudi, Kathakali, Kathak, and Odissi are popular in the city.

[186] Art theatres that stages English and Kannada language plays in the city include Chowdiah Memorial Hall, Ranga Shankara, and Ravindra Kalakshetra.

[187][188] British Council, Alliance Française de Bangalore, and Max Müller Bhavan also organise foreign language plays including those of drama companies that tour India.

[205] Major industrial sectors include information technology, automobiles, aerospace, textiles, heavy machinery, biotechnology, electronics, and communication, agriculture, and food processing.

[225] Major crops include rice, maize, ragi, horse gram, oil seeds, coconuts, and fruits such as mango, papaya, banana, grapes, and pomegranate.

[239] The corporation earlier operated three more landfill sites at Mavallipura, Mandur, and Doddaballapura, which were closed after complaints from local residents, and reports of diseases due to unsanitary conditions.

[247] A evaluation of Bengaluru's physical, biological and socioeconomic parameters indicated that the city's air quality and noise pollution were poor.

[271] Namma Wifi is a free municipal wireless network launched on 24 January 2014 by the Government of Karnataka, and is available in select areas in the city.

[276] As of 2022[update], the major dailies with a circulation of more than 100,000 copies per day include The Times of India, Vijaya Karnataka, Prajavani, and Vijayavani.

[291] During World War II, Walchand Hirachand sought to build and repair planes in India, and partnered with American businessman William Pawley to set up an airfield in Bengaluru.

[358][359] The oldest institution of higher learning in the city, the Central College, was established as a high school affiliated to Madras University in 1858.

[439] The city also hosts a British deputy High Commission,[440] and honorary consulates of Finland,[441] Ireland,[442] Maldives,[443] Peru,[444] and Switzerland.