The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Kempe Gowda statue to be ready in November

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Mar 31, 2006

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Kempe Gowda statue to be ready in November

Special Correspondent

There are very few authentic images of him

STANDING TALL: The Kempe Gowda statue in front of the main offices of the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike. — Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P.

Bangalore: Another statue of city's legendary founder Kempe Gowda is getting ready. This 10-foot tall bronze statue will be installed at Gavipura Circle, a kilometre away from one of the watch towers built by him four centuries ago. It will be close to the now reclaimed Kempambudhi Tank, which too he planned.

The Nadaprabhu Kempe Gowda Prathima Samiti, which includes residents of the locality, decided on the statue because very few today know who built the tank, which was in a pathetic state for decades.

The statue is expected to be in place by November.

The statue has been sculpted by 38-year-old B.C. Shivakmar. He took 18 months to complete the work on the Kempe Gowda statue because there are very few authentic images of the city's founder, except for statues and sketches in some history books. The sculptor says he studied books to get an idea.

Mr. Shivakumar has sculpted other statues, some waiting to be installed in public places. These include statues of all seven Jnanapith awardees of Kannada.

He has also sculpted statues of Kengal Hanumanthaiya, who planned the Vidhana Soudha, and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. The statue of Rajiv Gandhi is now in Hanumanthnagar.

The statues of Jnanapith awardees was the idea of K. Chandrasekhar, Basavanagudi MLA, he says. There are plans to install these in or around the Bugle Rock Park.

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