TBT Philanthropy Tales - Gubbi Thotadappa

Gubbi Thotadappa (1838-1910) was a prosperous businessman. He did not have children and spent all his wealth for charitable purpose. Thotadappa was born as the son of Sri Rudrappa and Chennamma in 1838. His father who originally hails from Gubbi, Tumakuru district, started a business in Mamul pete, Bangalore.

As a merchant , He used to frequently visit Bengaluru for his business related work, traveling from Gubbi in Tumakuru. His business forced him to stay in the city and even in those days, it was no easy task finding affordable accommodation.

It was then that Thotadappa struck on the idea of providing shelter to travelers and merchants like him and built the Chatra near the railway station. Even though Thotadappa a childless person, he bought a 2.5 acre plot of land next to the Bangalore railway station in 1897 and started the Dharma Chatra with 10 rooms in order to provide shelter to those who had come to Bangalore in this manner. The good Samaritan went on to start a hostel for poor students from the Veerashaiva community.

For students coming to Bangalore for education, Thotadappa’s initiatives became the shelter. Day by Day the businessmen who came from far away began to stay here only. . It was officially inaugurated on 11 February 1903, by Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar iv.

In addition, Thotadappa set up a trust and wrote all his assets to the trust and made KP Puttanna Chetty as president of the trust. Thousands of students have been making use of it ever since. Sree Sri Shivakumara Swamiji of Siddaganga mutt was educated here. S Nijalingappa, one of the chief ministers of Karnataka, also made use of this facility. . By identifying these contributions of Thotadappa, The Maharaja of Mysore honored him with the title of “Dharmapravarta” and the British Government honored him with the title of “Rao Bahadur”.

Gubbi Thotadappa renovated many temples and handed over a big house in Mamulpet to the municipality of Bangalore to run a school. 

Presently the Chatra is surrounded by buildings which have covered the aesthetic look. It is said once upon a time it was one of the architectural jewels of Bangalore next only to the Attara Kacheri. 

The Executive Officer, Rao Bahadur Dharmapravartha Gubbi Thotadappa's Charities (RBDGTC) has said: "Thecommunity hall is a shelter for hundreds of poor tourists. The Chatra has 150 rooms and can accommodate 300 people. It is open to poor people from all castes. We charge only Rs XXX from visitors."

Please visit the place and be surprised by the amount charged per day for visitors

A legacy beyond your lifetime

And how is the Chatra run? "Thotadappa had no children. He owned huge properties in Bengaluru which he donated to a trust named after him before his death. Most shops surrounding Bengaluru city railway station and some in commercial areas like Mamulpet are owned by the trust. The rent we collect from these shops touches Rs 40 lakh a month which is used to fund the free hostel in the city and in other districts in Karnataka," To encourage meritorious and poor students who pursue post-graduate andprofessional courses, scholarships of Rs 10,000 to Rs 25,000 is provided bythe trust. Every year Rs 25 lakh is reserved for the purpose of providing scholarships,.

"Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world. "

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