HSR and Indiranagar non-existent? 1983 Bengaluru map goes viral, shows Jayanagar at city’s centre

A 42-year-old map of Bengaluru shared online has gone viral, revealing that areas like HSR Layout did not exist and Indiranagar was barely marked in 1983.

A 42-year-old map of Bengaluru has gone viral on X after a city resident shared images of the 1983 edition purchased from a collector.

The map has sparked curiosity and debate among Bengalureans. (X/@dravishakatoch)

The map has sparked curiosity and debate among Bengalureans, especially after it showed that HSR Layout did not exist and Indiranagar was barely marked, while Jayanagar appeared almost central to the city.

The woman who posted the map wrote, “We bought Bengaluru’s map (1983 edition) from a collector. And it turns out, HSR & Indiranagar are non-existent. Jayanagar is almost central of the city. Now, onto finding our fav places on the map and see if they existed back then.”

She later clarified in a follow-up post that the map covered the entire city and not just South Bengaluru, as some users initially assumed. According to her breakdown, the map included landmarks such as MG Road, Shivajinagar, Cantonment, Ulsoor Lake, as well as stretches towards Whitefield, Hebbal, Yelahanka, Tumkur Road, and Bellary Road. South Bengaluru, however, appeared denser due to planned layouts like Jayanagar, Banashankari and JP Nagar, while northern areas were still semi-rural in the early 1980s.

How did X users react?

The discovery triggered a wave of reactions online. One user urged the woman to scan and open-source the map in high resolution for research purposes, while another remarked, “This is the map to refer while buying a house, if there was a lake there, don’t buy it.”

Some also contested her claim about Indiranagar’s absence, pointing out that the locality existed in the 1970s, with residents recalling BDA sites, HAL’s presence, and even cricket legend Rahul Dravid’s childhood home. Responding to this, the woman noted that Indiranagar does appear in the map, but only faintly at the top-right corner, unlike its prominent presence today.