Historic villages crave for bridging the divide
The two villages share a rare chemistry - if Rudrapatna is famous to its innumerable number of musician families, the Basavapatna is called the Vedagrama, a village of scholars in Vedas. But, both are still craving for a bridging the gap between the villages.
The two villages are separated by River Cauvery flowing quietly, inspiring musicians and pandits. For more than two decades now, the people of both the villages have been demanding a bridge on Cauvery to connect the small distance. But, their demand is yet to realise.
Rudrapatna and Basavapatna share a rare trait as the villages of musicians and Vedic pandits. Historically, the people of two villages have bonded well through the ages, sharing their expertise in music and Vedic scriptures with each other. The rulers of these villages, Basappa Nayaka of Basavapatna and Rudrappa Nayaka of Rudrapatna shared a very good tie between them. It enabled for a strong bond between the two regions into develop ties in trade, cultural and educational exchange and others.
However, the two villages are on the brink of losing all their old ties. The rich cultural exchange is only reminiscence now. The villagers of these two villages have to travel about 26 kilometres to reach other side of the Cauvery bank through Ramanathapura or Keralapura. The Rudrapatna villagers are also dependent on Ramanathapura which is 26 miles away for their purchases, though Basavapatna could offer them the market service.
The villagers of Rudrapatna and Basavapatna have to depend on the boats if the Cauvery is in spate. During the summer, the villagers cross the river on foot over the stone arranged on the river bed, a route which is being used for centuries. During the sangeethotsava between March 2 and March 6, many villagers from Basavapatna travelled 26 kilometres to attend the festival, but many others could not make it despite having an urge to attend due to the distance. The villagers have once again reiterated their demand urging the Government to construct a bridge along the cauvery to help easy connection between the two historic villages.