1. Jayalakshmi Vilas Mansion in Mysuru gets over ₹30 crore for restoration
The nearly 120-year-old Jayalakshmi Vilas Mansion, belonging to the University of Mysore, will be restored to its original glory at a cost of around ₹30 crore. While the Harish & Bina Shah Foundation (HBSF) has agreed to contribute ₹30 crore, the US government’s Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) will chip in with nearly ₹2.5 crore ($300,000).
The restoration will be carried out by Deccan Heritage Foundation, which specialises in conservation of historic structures and has worked on projects in Hampi, Hyderabad and Kalaburagi. The mansion, built in 1905 as a residence for princess Jayalakshmi Ammani, daughter of Chamaraja Wadiyar, was restored once around 20 years ago with funding from Infosys Foundation. But, over the years, degeneration set in, and a portion of the roof collapsed. There was a threat of complete collapse during the monsoon.
2. Unseasonal rains lash coastal Karnataka on January 4
Rains lashed the coastal belt of Karnataka, including Mangaluru and Udupi, on January 4 due to low pressure area over southeast Arabian Se, according to Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC). Rains are likely to continue for the next five days.
The KSNDMC said that the coastal area — Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Uttara Kannada districts — recorded an average 5.5 mm rainfall in the last 24 hours ending at 8.30 a.m. on January 4, against the normal average rainfall of 0.1 mm for the period.
3. 10th century Kadamba inscription written in Kannada, Sanskrit found in Goa
An inscription written in Kannada and Sanskrit and said to be of 10th century A.D. Kadamba period has been discovered in the Mahadeva temple at Cacoda in southern Goa.
T. Murugeshi, a retired associate professor of ancient history and archaeology, Mulki Sundar Ram Shetty College, Shirva in Udupi district, studied the inscription. According to Mr. Murugeshi, its epigraph is engraved in Kannada and Nagari characters.
4. Sakleshpur police arrest 5 persons for unauthorised handover of newborn
Sakleshpur Rural Police arrested five persons on the charge of unauthorised handover of a newborn male baby. The arrested persons are Girija, mother of the baby; Sumithra, an anganwadi worker, Usha of Hassan who took the baby; and Shrikanth and Subramanya, who allegedly played a part in the incident.
Girija gave birth to a baby in the government hospital at Hettur in Sakleshpur on November 15, 2023. This was her third child. During questioning, she told the police that she decided to hand over the baby to Usha as she is unable to take care of the newborn given her financial condition.
