Bangalore Medical College (Kannada:ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು ವೈದ್ಯಕೀಯ ಮಹಾವಿದ್ಯಾಲಯ), now renamed Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute (Kannada:ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು ವೈದ್ಯಕೀಯ ಮಹಾವಿದ್ಯಾಲಯ ಮತ್ತು ಸಂಶೋಧನಾ ಕೇಂದ್ರ), popularly known as BMC, is a medical college run by the Government of Karnataka. It is located on K.R. Road, near City Market. It is the only government medical college in Bangalore and one of 10 in Karnataka. BMC is an autonomous institution under the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Jayanagar, Bangalore. It was established in 1955 by Dr. Shivram and Dr. Mekhri in what was then the fort police station ground. The college was initially run by the Mysore Medical Education Society and was later handed over to the Government of Karnataka. It was built by civil engineer & architect, Mr. V. Ramamoorthy, who built it in a record time of 6 months. From its inception, the college has been associated with some of the most eminent doctors in India. It has become the most coveted destination for medical aspirants in the state of Karnataka to study medicine and has been consistently ranked among the top fifteen medical colleges in India. It was ranked 14 in 2007.