ET BureauFraternity came to India 260 years ago & has a temple in city.
In the Middle Ages, operative craftsmen, especially cathedral builders, travelled across the world for work. After a day's toil, these men gathered for an evening of relaxation and repartee. Soon, they formed Masonic guilds. As cathedral building constructions came to an end in the 17th and 18th century, non-masons were granted membership. This marked the beginning of Freemasonry.
The fraternal organisation, as we know it today, came to India 260 years ago. “Masonry is an organisation where men are bound together by philosophy, mutual understanding and a brotherhood that has a sense of charity and community service,“ said V Jayashankar, a former president of Bangalore Club who has been a Freemason since the 1980s.
A group of like-minded Freemasons form a Lodge and their meeting place is the Temple. Today , there are 17,000 Freemasons in India, including 1,000-odd from the city. Lodge Bangalore was the first to be formed in the city in 1864, followed by Lodge United Services in 1897. Earlier, Lodges were either under the English, Scottish or Irish constitutions. Most of them realigned to the Grand Lodge of India in 1961. “There are 14 Lodges here and the Freemasons Hall on Primrose Road is our Temple,“ said MS Bopanna, worshipful master of Lodge Star of the South.
Jayashankar explained that the Primrose Road land was given to the organisation by the British. The Freemasons Hall was built in October 1884. While membership was initially restricted only to the British and affluent Anglo-Indians, they gradually opened doors to Indians. The land measured 250 ft x 598 ft. “In 1987-88, when we found it difficult to survive only with mem ber fees and contributions, we redeveloped the land into a commercial property and now occupy only 40% of the total area,“ Jayashankar said.
Many prominent politicians, administrators, statesmen and corporate executives including George Washington, Motilal Nehru, Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, Swami Vivekananda, C Rajagopalachari, JRD Tata, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, BVK Iyengar and Srikantadatta Wadiyar were Freemasons.
Membership is by invite, usually on the recommendation from a senior brother. The newcomer has to go through multiple rounds of interviews and rituals, the details of which the members keep guarded.Freemasons across the world recognise each other through a secret handshake, one of the many symbols used by them. “This does not mean that we are a secret cult,“ clarified Bopanna. “We get together to do charitable work, medical camps and blood donation drives.“
In the Middle Ages, operative craftsmen, especially cathedral builders, travelled across the world for work. After a day's toil, these men gathered for an evening of relaxation and repartee. Soon, they formed Masonic guilds. As cathedral building constructions came to an end in the 17th and 18th century, non-masons were granted membership. This marked the beginning of Freemasonry.
The fraternal organisation, as we know it today, came to India 260 years ago. “Masonry is an organisation where men are bound together by philosophy, mutual understanding and a brotherhood that has a sense of charity and community service,“ said V Jayashankar, a former president of Bangalore Club who has been a Freemason since the 1980s.
A group of like-minded Freemasons form a Lodge and their meeting place is the Temple. Today , there are 17,000 Freemasons in India, including 1,000-odd from the city. Lodge Bangalore was the first to be formed in the city in 1864, followed by Lodge United Services in 1897. Earlier, Lodges were either under the English, Scottish or Irish constitutions. Most of them realigned to the Grand Lodge of India in 1961. “There are 14 Lodges here and the Freemasons Hall on Primrose Road is our Temple,“ said MS Bopanna, worshipful master of Lodge Star of the South.
Jayashankar explained that the Primrose Road land was given to the organisation by the British. The Freemasons Hall was built in October 1884. While membership was initially restricted only to the British and affluent Anglo-Indians, they gradually opened doors to Indians. The land measured 250 ft x 598 ft. “In 1987-88, when we found it difficult to survive only with mem ber fees and contributions, we redeveloped the land into a commercial property and now occupy only 40% of the total area,“ Jayashankar said.
Many prominent politicians, administrators, statesmen and corporate executives including George Washington, Motilal Nehru, Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, Swami Vivekananda, C Rajagopalachari, JRD Tata, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, BVK Iyengar and Srikantadatta Wadiyar were Freemasons.
Membership is by invite, usually on the recommendation from a senior brother. The newcomer has to go through multiple rounds of interviews and rituals, the details of which the members keep guarded.Freemasons across the world recognise each other through a secret handshake, one of the many symbols used by them. “This does not mean that we are a secret cult,“ clarified Bopanna. “We get together to do charitable work, medical camps and blood donation drives.“
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