Recalling the contributions of Kempe Gowda, the 16th Century ruler, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said he was a visionary and a secular ruler.
Addressing the gathering at the 514th birth anniversary of Nadaprabhu Kempe Gowda in Hassan on Tuesday, Mr. Siddaramaiah said if Bengaluru was recognised as a garden city or a silicon city, it was because of Kempe Gowda. “He does not belong to any particular caste. He is not an asset to Vokkaligas alone. He belongs to all seven crore people of Karnataka,” he said.
Mr. Siddaramaiah said Kempe Gowda visited the Vijayanagara empire with his father at a young age, and then he thought of building Bengaluru on the lines of Vijayanagara. After he came to rule in 1531, Kempe Gowda built four Mahadwaras (gateways) at Ulsoor, Yeshwantpur, Kengeri, and Yelahanka. He knew how to create jobs and hence, he encouraged entrepreneurship by setting up different markets, which continue to exist even now.
Mr. Siddaramaiah said he ordered the birth anniversary celebrations of Kempe Gowda during his previous tenure as Chief Minister, considering his contributions to the land. “It is the duty of the State to remember such visionaries. Hence, the State government decided to celebrate his birth anniversary. Such events help us convey their contributions to the people. We need to know history to understand the present better,” he said.
Adichunchanagiri Mutt seer Nirmalanandanath Swami, Minister for Cooperation K.N. Rajanna, Kannada and Culture Minister Shivaraj Tangadagi, former Minister H.M. Revanna, and senior officers of Hassan were present at the programme.
