The 108 feet statue of Nadaprabhu Kempegowda at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru after being inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. PTI
Amid much fanfare, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the 108-foot tall statue of Nadaprabhu Kempegowda at Bengaluru airport. The inauguration of the structure, also known as the ‘Statue of Prosperity’, is one of the key highlights of Modi’s visit to the state before it goes to polls next year.
A similar statue will also be installed inside the Vidhana Soudha premises within a year, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has announced.
Who was Kempegowda?
Nadaprabhu Hiriya Kempegowda was a 16th century chieftain of the Vijayanagara empire. He is credited as the founder of Bengaluru. A descendant of Morasu Gowda lineage, Kempegowda is considered one of the most educated and successful rulers of his time. He belonged to the dominant agricultural Vokkaliga community in south Karnataka.
According to The Indian Express, it is said that he conceived the idea of a new city while hunting with his minister, and later marked its territory by erecting towers in four corners of the proposed city.
Kempegowda’s initial plan for the city was to have temples, a fort, water tanks, and a cantonment. After receiving permission from emperor Achyutharaya, the chieftain built the Bangalore Fort and town in AD 1537, according to The Times of India.
It is also believed that he was responsible for developing around 1,000 lakes in the city to cater to drinking and agricultural needs.
Besides these achievements, Kempegowda has been credited for abolishing the practice of cutting the fingers of the left hand of an unmarried woman during a custom known as Bandi Devaru.
It is said that Kempegowda knew multiple languages, besides Kannada, and even authored a Yakshagana play in Telugu named Gangagaurivilasa.
Kempegowda’s birth anniversary celebrations are organised by the state government every year across Karnataka on 27 June. It is observed as Kempegowda Jayanthi.
After having ruled for about 56 years, he died in 1569. A metal statue of his was installed in 1609 at Gangadhareshwara temple at Shivagange.
State governments have dedicated important landmarks after him – the Kempegowda International Airport, the Kempegowda Bus Stand, and even the main metro station in the city is called Nadaprabhu Kempegowda metro station.
An arterial road in the old city is called the K G Road or the Kempegowda Road.
The 108-ft Kempegowda statue
The 108-foot-tall statue, which has earned the honour of being the “first and the tallest bronze statue of a founder of a city”, has been constructed in a 23-acre heritage park at the Kempegowda International Airport, where the new Terminal 2 was also inaugurated.
Called the ‘Statue of Prosperity’, it weighs 218 tonnes — 98 tonnes of bronze and 120 tonnes of steel — and also carries a sword weighing four tonnes, which was brought to the Bengaluru airport from Delhi last month in a special truck.
The statue has entered the World Book of Records for being the first and tallest bronze statue of the founder of a city. PTI
The cost of the statue is approximately Rs 84 crore and has been created by renowned sculptor and Padma Bhushan awardee Ram Vanji Sutar — the man responsible for the Statue of Unity in Gujarat and the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Bengaluru’s Vidhana Soudha.
The ‘Statue of Prosperity’ has also made it to the Guinness Book of World Records for being the first and tallest statue of a city’s founder.
The announcement of the statue setting a world record was made by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on 9 November.
The plan to install the statue at the airport was announced by the previous chief minister, BS Yediyurappa, in September 2019. The announcement was made after the Vokkaliga community led a massive protest in Bengaluru over the alleged targeting of its members, including Congress leader D K Shivakumar and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy by central probe agencies.
Why is the BJP installing Kempegowda statues?
After Lingayats, Vokkaliga is the second most dominant community in Karnataka and Kempegowda is its most iconic figure. Since the BJP has never won a clear majority in the 223-member Karnataka Assembly, it will try to attract the Vokkaligas this time.
The Vokkaliga community has usually supported former Prime Minister HD Devegowda’s JD(S) and the Congress party.
With inputs from agencies
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