Kempegowda statue in Bengaluru: Foundation to be laid on June 27

Team Udayavani, Jun 6, 2020, 1:42 PM IST

Bengaluru: Foundation will be laid for the 108-ft tall mammoth bronze statue of city”s founder Kempegowda near international airport here named after him, on June 27.

The decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of the Kempegowda Development Authority on Friday.

“As June 27 marks the 511th birth anniversary of Kempegowda, so the date has been fixed, after discussing with the Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa it will be finalised,” Deputy Chief Minister C N Ashwath Narayan, who is also the the vice-president of the Kempegowda Development Authority, said on Friday evening.

He said famous sculptors Ram V Sutar and Anil R Sutar, who designed and constructed 27-ft Mahatma Gandhi statue between Vidhana Soudha and Vikas Soudha here have been given the contract and an agreement would be signed with them at the earliest.

The 597 feet statue of Sardar Patel, “the statue of unity” in Gujarat, considered to be the worlds tallest, was designed by Ram V Sutar.

Noting that the statue of Kempegowda is expected to cost about Rs 66 crore, the DCM said, the model of the statue was ready and it would be finalised once the Chief Minister has a look at it.

“We want to complete the work in one years time.” A 23-acre land in front of the Kempegowda International Airport has been identified for the construction of the statue and the Bengaluru International Airport Ltd has also agreed to it, he said.

“The area around the statue will be specially developed. The total cost will be about Rs 80 crore and it will be one of the prime attractions,” he added.

Ashwath Narayan also said a plan worth Rs 41 crore has been prepared to develop Kempegowda”s tomb at Kempapura in Magadi taluk in Ramanagara district, and the area surrounding the tomb, including the village lake, will be developed.

“For this, we need to acquire some land that will cost an estimated Rs 17 crore.” Kempegowda, referred as “Nadaprabhu”, was a feudatory ruler under the erstwhile Vijayanagara Empire who founded Bengaluru in 1537.

He is revered by the Vokkaliga community that is dominant in Old Mysuru and other parts of southern Karnataka.

The move is being seen as an attempt by the BJP to reach out to the dominant Vokkaliga community, seen as vote of JD (S), and to Congress to some extent.