Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has said it would be proper to name the Freedom Park in Shivamogga after Allama Prabhu, the mystic poet of the 12th century, who presided over Anubhava Mantapa.
The Chief Minister made this statement at the programme to launch the Yuva Nidhi scheme, held at Freedom Park in Shivamogga city, following a request from Madhu Bangarappa, Minister for School Education.
In his preliminary remarks, Madhu Bangarappa, who is also Minister in charge of Shivamogga district, requested the Chief Minister name the park after Allama Prabhu, a native of Balligavi in Shikaripur taluk.
In his speech, Shivamogga MLA S.N. Channabasappa of the BJP, who presided over the event, said that the freedom park, where once the district prison functioned, had been named after freedom fighter Chandrashekhar Azad. Former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa declared it long ago in an open function. He suggested to the Chief Minister against changing the name and favoured retaining it as Azad’s Park in commemoration of his (Chandrashekhar Azad’s) sacrifice for the nation at a young age.
However, the Chief Minister maintained that Allama Prabhu would be a suitable name for the park. “He is a native of Shivamogga. He presided over the Anubhava Mantap in the 12th century,” he said. He also added that the place was named Freedom Park after shifting the district prison to a new place during his tenure as the CM.
