Bengaluru’s Namma Metro has long followed a tradition of honouring certain historical figures by carrying their names on some stations. Examples include Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Station (Majestic), Sir M Visvesvaraya Station (Central College) and Dr BR Ambedkar Station (Vidhana Soudha).
Published Sep 15, 2025 | 5:00 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 15, 2025 | 5:00 PM
Netizens questioned why the station was not being named after the late Kannada actor and cultural icon Shankar Nag.
Synopsis: The Karnataka government’s proposal to name the under-construction Shivajinagar metro station in Bengaluru after St Mary, the patron saint of the nearby St Mary’s Basilica, has drawn sharp criticism from BJP leaders, who termed it “appeasement politics.” Bengaluru’s Namma Metro has long followed a tradition of honouring historical figures by naming stations after them, but the BJP has claimed that the latest proposal is being advanced on religious grounds.
The Congress-led Karnataka government has drawn political fire after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah proposed naming an under-construction metro station in Shivajinagar, Bengaluru, after St Mary, the patron saint of the historic St Mary’s Basilica located nearby.
Leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Karnataka, along with ministers from Maharashtra, have condemned the move and called it “appeasement politics.” Shivajinagar, named after Shivaji Bhonsle, the founder of the Maratha kingdom and an icon for the Hindu right, is a Muslim-dominant neighbourhood.
The controversy began on 8 September, during the inauguration of the annual feast at St Mary’s Basilica, when Siddaramaiah announced that the metro station would carry St Mary’s name.
His statement came after a proposal put forward by Shivajinagar MLA Rizwan Arshad and Archbishop of Bengaluru Peter Machado, which was first floated in 2024.
The underground station is part of the much-anticipated Pink Line of Namma Metro, which will run north to south across Bengaluru. It is scheduled to open in two phases by September 2026.
South First looks back at the legacies of Shivaji Bhonsle and St Mary’s Basilica in Bengaluru’s history.
Bengaluru’s Namma Metro has long followed a tradition of honouring certain historical figures by carrying their names on some stations.
Examples include Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Station (Majestic), Sir M Visvesvaraya Station (Central College) and Dr BR Ambedkar Station (Vidhana Soudha).
This is also not the first time the state government has acted on requests from specific communities.
In July 2025, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar assured the Kodava community that the proposal to name a metro station after Field Marshal KM Cariappa, the first Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army, would be placed before the state cabinet.
The BJP, however, has opposed the Shivajinagar proposal, claiming that it is being advanced on religious grounds.
“This is an insult to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj by the Congress government. The party has a tradition of insulting Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj since the days of Jawaharlal Nehru. I pray to God to give good sense to the Congress Chief Minister. The country saw ‘Swarajya’ because of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj,” said Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Responding to the criticism, Siddaramaiah told reporters: “Let him (Fadnavis) speak to the Union government. We will send our recommendation to the Centre.”
Meanwhile, as the row intensifies between Karnataka and Maharashtra, netizens on social media questioned why the station was not being named after the late Kannada actor and cultural icon Shankar Nag, who was among the few visionaries to propose a metro system for Bengaluru.
“The man who dreamt of Bengaluru Metro is still waiting for a station in his name. This is pure injustice for Shankar Nag,” one user said.
The tall, white-towered St Mary’s Basilica, with its striking Gothic-style architecture, is among the oldest and most revered churches in Bengaluru. Its origins can be traced back to the Sultanate of Mysore under Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan.
The church’s website states that a small group of Christians from Ginjee (in present-day Tamil Nadu) settled in the fertile plains of Bengaluru in the 17th century. They named the area Bili Akki Palli (white rice village) after the variety of white rice they cultivated, which attracted flocks of white birds to the paddy fields.
The settlers built a small thatched-roof chapel and named it Kanikkai Madha Chapel in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Historian Maya Jayapal, in her book Bangalore: Roots and Beyond (2014), noted that this chapel was built between two Hindu temples.
In 1832, communal riots broke out, and an angry mob destroyed the chapel. Fr Beauchaton, the parish priest at the time, narrowly escaped death thanks to the quick thinking and support of the local Christian community.
In the aftermath, government troops were deployed to maintain order, and the church was guarded by European soldiers and Indian sepoys for several months.
A much-retold episode in Bengaluru’s history is how, during the plague of 1898, people of all faiths—Hindus, Muslims and Christians—flocked to the small Catholic church seeking divine intervention. Many were believed to have been cured, and the church was renamed Annai Arokiamarie, or Our Lady of Good Health.
Construction of the present church began in June 1875, under the then Parish Priest Rev Fr EL Kleiner, who later became Bishop of Mysore. It took seven years to complete. Until 1948, the British administration in Delhi provided an annual grant for its maintenance.
Successive chief ministers of Karnataka, across party lines, have attended the annual feast of St Mary’s Basilica on 8 September, including Siddaramaiah and veteran BJP leader BS Yediyurappa.
Shivaji Bhonsle is believed to have spent part of his childhood in what is now Shivajinagar, between 1640 and 1642.
Historical records suggest that 12-year-old Shivaji was summoned to Bengaluru with his mother Jijabai by his father, Shahaji Bhonsle, who was then the Jagirdar of Bengaluru under the Bijapur Sultanate.
“His (Shahji’s) main aim was to see that his son joined military service in Bijapur; this was probably to atone for his prolonged neglect of him till then,” writes Jayapal in her book.
She also notes that Shivaji’s later ambition to acquire Bengaluru “can be traced back to his formative years during which he began to love the city.”
His marriage to Saibai Nimbalkar was arranged in Bengaluru, although the precise duration of his stay remains scarce in historical records.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
