On June 27 every year, the city of Bengaluru comes alive to celebrate its architect Nadaprabhu Kempegowda. His contributions to transforming Bengaluru into a modern city are remarkable.
Highlights:
- Bengaluru celebrates the 513th birth anniversary of Nadaprabhu.
- Kempegowda’s statue is to be unveiled soon at Bengaluru airport.
- The first edition of the Kempegowda International Award will take place in Bengaluru.
The 513th birth anniversary of Nadaprabhu Kempegowda is celebrated on a grand scale in Bengaluru every year. The significant contributions of the chieftain to the development of the city are unparalleled. To mark this day, the first edition of the Kempegowda International Awards will be held in Bengaluru today.
The early history:
Nadaprabhu Hiriya Kempegowda, also known as Kempegowda was the chief of Yalahanka(now Yelahanka) Nadu under the Vijayanagara Empire. The chieftain was responsible for the fortification of the city of Bengaluru in 1537. He also erected several Kannada inscriptions in the region.
Kempegowda was the son of Kempananje Gowda had ruled Yelhankanadu for over 70 years. Commencing his reign in 1513, he ruled for 46 years and laid the foundation for the current city of Bengaluru. The state government of Karnataka organizes the Kempegowda Jayanthi every year on June 27 to commemorate the contributions of the chieftain.
The concept of a big futuristic city is said to have occurred to Kempegowda during a hunting expedition towards Shivanasamudra from Yelahanka. He visualized a city with a central fort, water reservoirs(tanks), and cantonments. With a dream to envision a city where people of all professions and trade live in it, Kempegowda conquered Sivaganga principality on the Bangalore-Pune highway. Further, he captured Domlur on the old Bengaluru airport road, and with the necessary permission of the Vijayanagara emperor, he built Bangalore Fort and the town in AD 1537.
The cheiftain later moved his capital from Yelahanka to Bengaluru Pete(town). Roads were constructed in cardinal directions with entrance gates at the end of the roads. Temples were built at the north and south gate of the fort. Dodda Basavannanagudi, famously known as the Bull temple, was built on the southern side of the fort. Thousands of lakes were built to cater to the needs of people for agriculture. The infamous Kempambudhi tank and Samp-igambudhi tank were constructed for irrigation purposes. In addition, he encouraged the construction of temples, tanks, lakes, and well-planned residential layouts and sculpted the way for a modernized Bengaluru.
An ode of the Nadaprabhu:
The contributions of the cheiftain are noteworthy. To celebrate his birth anniversary, the first edition of the Kempegowda International award is held today in Bangalore. The State Government of Karnataka has named former Chief Minister S.M. Krishna, Infosys N.R. Narayana Murthy, and former Indian badminton player Prakash Padukone to receive the award. The Chief Minister of Karnataka Basavaraj Bommai will be presenting the award to the achievers on the occasion of the 513th birth anniversary of Kempegowda.
As an ode to the architect of the city, a 108 bronze statue will soon be unveiled at the Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru. The statue being constructed in a 23-acre park on the airport premises is said to weigh around 220 tons with a sword of 4000 kgs. Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said, “the statue of Nadaprabhu is in its final stages and unveiled at the earliest.”
The foundation laid by Kempegowda led to the modernization of Bengaluru. In 2013, the Bangalore International Airport was renamed as KempeGowda International Airport to honor his contributions. Several communities are organizing events to respect the architect, Nadaprabhu Kempegowda. Karnataka Government 2021 announced a three-day Bengaluru Habba(festival) to mark Kempegowda Jayanthi from 2022.
