<p>The Karnataka government has approved the construction of a 30-foot statue of Goddess Bhuvaneshwari, the presiding deity of the Kannada identity, in Bengaluru.</p>.<p>Kannada & Culture Minister V Sunil Kumar has approved the statue project, which is estimated to cost Rs 2 crore.</p>.<p>The bronze statue will come up on a half-acre plot on Kalagrama in the Jnanabharathi campus.</p>.<p>The Karnataka Shilpakala Academy has been tasked with building the statue, whose design will be approved by experts.</p>.<p>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.</p>.<p>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.</p>.<p>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.</p>.<p>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.</p>.<p>“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.</p>.<p>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.</p>
<p>The Karnataka government has approved the construction of a 30-foot statue of Goddess Bhuvaneshwari, the presiding deity of the Kannada identity, in Bengaluru.</p>.<p>Kannada & Culture Minister V Sunil Kumar has approved the statue project, which is estimated to cost Rs 2 crore.</p>.<p>The bronze statue will come up on a half-acre plot on Kalagrama in the Jnanabharathi campus.</p>.<p>The Karnataka Shilpakala Academy has been tasked with building the statue, whose design will be approved by experts.</p>.<p>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.</p>.<p>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.</p>.<p>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.</p>.<p>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.</p>.<p>“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.</p>.<p>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.</p>
