What’s in a name?

Is it Cubbon Park or Chamarajendra Park?

Whatever be it, the quintessential Bangalorean has known this park as Cubbon Park, named after Sir Mark Cubbon, the Commissioner of Mysore Princely State, though it was renamed long ago.

Despite it being renamed after Sri Chamarajendra Wadiyar, the ruler of Wadiyar dynasty in the 1920s and later gazetted in 1948, the Horticulture Department has retained it as Cubbon Park.

However, in a curious turn of events in the department that manages this popular sprawling lung space, a move to officially announce this park as Chamarajendra Park through the erection of three arches has been swiftly withdrawn, and officials have denied the move.

As the news about the changes trickled in, enquiries with officials drew a terse response. While one senior official said that any change in name needs to be thoroughly discussed and records had to be considered, another official dismissed it outright stating that there was no such move.

“It will be a controversial. Please focus on development issue,” one official said while acknowledging the move. However, the officials at Cubbon Park did not comment.

In fact, the park, which was first laid out in 1864 was opened in 1870, was first named as Meade’s Park, after Sir John Meade the Commissioner of Mysore, only to be renamed after Cubbon.

In 1927 when the Mysore Princely state was celebrating the silver jubilee of the Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar’s rule, the park was renamed after Chamarajendra Wadiyar during whose rule the park came into existence.

The renaming is not an issue about the park, but the focus has to be on the developments to improve the park, a walker said.