After several delays, the statue of Jayacha- marajendra Wadiyar, the 25th and last maharaja of the erstwhile Mysore State, will be unveiled at Handige Circle by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday, a day before the 97th birth anniversary of the maharaja.
The Mysuru City Corporation (MCC), which has installed the nine-foot tall statue of the erstwhile ruler, had set its first deadline as last Dasara, in response to a long-pending demand of various organisations. Finally, the statue was mounted inside a canopy, on an ornate pedestal under a decorative dome, at Hardinge Circle, popularly known as ‘Aar Gate’ as six roads converge there, in the second week of June.
The MCC had announced the unveiling of the statue by Siddaramaiah on June 19, a week before the wedding of Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar. However, the programme had to be cancelled following the political developments due to the Cabinet reshuffle.
The initial estimate of Rs 40 lakh for the statue was revised to Rs 5 crore to beautify the wide circle. It includes a garden and an artificial waterfall on the space available next to the BSNL building. Ornate lamp posts have been erected around the circle to give it a heritage look. The MCC has also taken a decision to rename the circle as Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar Circle.
With the unveiling of the statue, it comes in a row of circles that are already decorated with the statues of the erstwhile rulers Chamarajendra Wadiyar X (at Chamarajendra Wadiyar Circle) and Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar (at KR Circle) starting from the end of Mirza Ismail Road, on Albert Victor Road. The statue is sculpted by Arun Yogiraj and his team in white Australian marble, which was procured from a trader in Rajasthan.