Bommai’s Karnataka plays Hanuman To UP’s Ram

Karnataka is finalising a masterplan to develop the Anjanadri Hill in Koppal, the fabled birthplace of Hanuman, into a global tourist destination that will be ready just in time for the unveiling of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who is personally supervising the project, has said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be invited for the inauguration.

“The birthplace of Hanuman is famous as ‘Kashi of the South’,” Muzrai Minister Shashikala Jolle said. “We have started work on the comprehensive development of Anjanadri Hill into a grand Kashi. The master plan will be finalised soon.”

Jolle added that she has received a proposal to acquire 13.34 acres of private land for the development of the temple located in the Anegundi village of Gangavathi taluk.

The Anjanadri project will be Karnataka's link to Ayodhya, which has been the BJP's most effective poll plank on the national stage. In fact, the Centre has planned a Ramayana Circuit for tourism that spans multiple locations across nine states: Ayodhya, Nandigram, Shringverpur and Chitrakoot (Uttar Pradesh); Sitamarhi, Buxar and Darbhanga (Bihar); Chitrakoot (Madhya Pradesh); Mahendragiri (Odisha); Jagdalpur (Chhattisgarh); Nashik and Nagpur (Maharashtra); Bhadrachalam (Telangana); Hampi (Karnataka) and Rameshwaram (Tamil Nadu).

The Anjanadri Hill overlooks Tungabhadra river. On the other side of the river stands Hampi, the world heritage site that is believed to be ‘Kishkindha’, the mythological kingdom of vanaras or monkeys. Anjanadri Hill and Hampi are some 20 km apart.

There are mythological references to Anjanadri, the birthplace of Hanuman, and the reference to Kishkindha in Ramayana. With many places in and around Hampi that have references in the epic, it is believed that Kishkindha and Hampi are the same.

Bommai’s push for the Anjanadri Hill project comes even as the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) claimed last year that Hanuman was born in the Anjanadri Hill in Tirumala, which Karnataka clearly disagrees with.

The plan to develop Anjanadri Hill was first announced by Bommai’s predecessor B S Yediyurappa in the 2020-21 state budget. He earmarked Rs 20 crore for the development of the hill temple, which is an ‘A’ category Muzrai shrine.

“Footfalls at the temple has increased considerably in the last two years,” Koppal Deputy Commissioner Suralkar Vikas Kishor told DH. “Numbers touch 25,000 on Saturdays.”

Kishor said he received a phone call from Bommai, who gave oral instructions to arrange for the required land for the development of Anjanadri Hill. “We have sent a proposal to the Muzrai department for land to be acquired in order to provide amenities for devotees,” he said. In his letter to the Muzrai department, Kishor has pointed out the importance of the site in that the Centre has prepared a plan to link it with Ram Janmabhoomi. “Because of this, the site’s popularity has increased and pilgrims are visiting in large numbers. But the region lacks roads, accommodation and other basic infrastructure,” he stated.

The Anjanadri Hill falls under the Hampi World Heritage Area Management Authority (HWHAMA). “There are regulations. So, getting relaxation is an issue. We have sent a proposal on this as well. For example, we’d like locals themselves to take up development works,” Kishor said.

Bommai’s keenness on this project, political pundits say, is in line with the BJP’s Hindutva agenda, which he has pushed ever since he took charge six months ago. As Home Minister earlier, Bommai was unabashed in cracking down against anti-CAA protesters; he even defended a sedition case that was booked against a school in Bidar.

As Chief Minister, Bommai justified moral policing by right-wing groups, oversaw the passage of a law that gives protection to shrines that are illegally occupying public spaces, and another to regulate religious conversion (anti-conversion bill). He has also announced a law to free Hindu temples from State control, a long-pending demand of the Sangh Parivar.

Bommai's 'communal' stance on issues has given rise to speculation that he is doing so to keep his position safe. There is no denying that the BJP’s performance has been rather underwhelming in four elections Karnataka has seen after Bommai took over.

“Undoubtedly, given the CM’s position and stakes, it may be important for him to align himself with the larger developments the BJP is pursuing at the national level,” political scientist Sandeep Shastri said.

“The Ram temple is becoming a place to showcase as an achievement. And, you have a site for Hanuman to celebrate down in the south. It’s a very interesting strategy where you showcase an action as promoting tourism destinations. And, over the last few years, we’ve seen an increasing national focus on cultural tourism,” Shastri explained.

He further said that the Congress is merely countering the BJP’s narratives rather than building one of its own. “If you're setting the narrative yourself, then you also define the boundary.”

Senior Congress leader B L Shankar admitted, and defended, what Shastri suggests is his party’s weakness. “We can’t compete with the BJP (on emotional issues), however advantageous it is for them, because we have a commitment to the people. We may end up losing elections because of our stand, but we can’t compromise on constitutional values,” he said, adding that the BJP has been playing with people’s emotions for almost a decade. “It works since 99% of people are believers.”

The tell-tale sign is that whenever the BJP can’t solve people’s problems — unemployment, price rise and so on — they divert attention, Shankar pointed out. “When a party gets elected into government, the role of the leaders becomes different, and they have to act in line with the Constitution. But, this Lakshman rekha has been erased, he said. “The PM inaugurates temples and does pujas, something that should be left to priests to do.”

Check out latest DH videos here