Our Heritage
SLN Dharmapatashale (1906)
Free education for every child, regardless of background
Founding vision
In 1906 Janopakari Doddanna Shetty founded the Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Dharmapatashale to give free education to children of every caste and community in Bangalore — at a time when schooling was largely a privilege of the upper classes.
Royal inauguration
The school was formally inaugurated on 11 March 1906 by Maharaja Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV of Mysore, on 5.5 acres of land personally donated by Doddanna Shetty near KR Market.
Growth into SLN College
The Dharmapatashale grew steadily over the decades and in 1966 expanded into the SLN College of Arts and Commerce, which continues to serve thousands of students from modest backgrounds today.
Living legacy
More than a century later, the SLN trust still runs schools, a college and this hostel — a direct continuation of the 1906 promise that no child in KR Market should be turned away from learning for want of money.