The Karnataka government has approved the construction of a 30-foot statue of Goddess Bhuvaneshwari, the presiding deity of the Kannada identity, in Bengaluru.
Kannada & Culture Minister V Sunil Kumar has approved the statue project, which is estimated to cost Rs 2 crore.
The bronze statue will come up on a half-acre plot on Kalagrama in the Jnanabharathi campus.
The Karnataka Shilpakala Academy has been tasked with building the statue, whose design will be approved by experts.
Apparently, this will be the first major statue dedicated to Goddess Bhuvaneshwari. The 30-foot statue will stand atop a 10-foot base. Design elements showcasing the state’s culture will accompany the statue.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai will flag off the project in November. Kumar has directed officials that the statue and its site should be ready by Sankranthi next.
The statue will be seen as the BJP government playing to the pro-Kannada gallery. Kumar’s argument is that while Karnataka has idols of and memorials for several personalities, no government has built a statue for the Kannada goddess.
Once the statue comes up, the government plans to promote the Kalagrama as a tourist destination. Kumar has directed officials to draw up daily programmes that can be organised at the Kalagrama auditorium.
“Thus far, the government hadn’t built a statue for Bhuvaneshwari, the Kannada mother. It was in this backdrop that we took the decision. I’ve asked officials to complete the work in three months,” Kumar said.
The government is already spending Rs 85 crore on a 108-foot statue of Bengaluru founder Kempegowda. It is coming up on a 23-acre space near the Kempegowda International Airport in Devanahalli, which will be a heritage park dedicated to the 16th century chieftain. The statue is expected to be ready this year.