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- The Prime Minister unveiled the 108-feet high bronze statue of Bengaluru founder Nadaprabhu Kempegowda. It is installed at the Kempegowda International Airport.
- It is “Statue of Prosperity,” and it has been built to commemorate the contribution of Kempegowda.
- The statue has been designed by renowned sculptor and Padma Bhushan awardee Ram Vanji Sutar. Sutar had built the ‘Statue of Unity’ in Gujarat and the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Bengaluru’s Vidhana Sabha.
About Nadaprabhu Kempegowda
- Nadaprabhu Kempegowda, a 16th century chieftain of the Vijayanagara empire.
- He is credited with laying the foundation of what is today known as Bengaluru city in 1537.
- It is said that he conceived the idea of a new city while hunting with his minister, and later marked its territory by erecting towers in four corners of the proposed city.
- He is also known to have developed around 1,000 lakes in the city to cater to drinking and agricultural needs.
- Kempegowda’s initial plan for the city was to have temples, a fort, water tanks, and a cantonment. After receiving permission from emperor Achyutharaya, the chieftain built the Bangalore Fort and town in AD 1537.
- He is revered, especially by the Vokkaliga community that is dominant in Old Mysuru and other parts of southern Karnataka.
- Kempegowda has been credited for abolishing the practice of cutting the fingers of the left hand of an unmarried woman during a custom known as Bandi Devaru.
Source:HT
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