A festive atmosphere has enveloped Lakkundi village, located 12 km away from the district headquarters Gadag. The village is gearing up for Lakkundi Utsav – the two-day annual cultural extravaganza.
Historical monuments in Lakkundi, once known as ‘the village of hundreds of wells and temples’, have been decorated for the event. Buntings and banners adorn the streets. Already, several rounds of meetings have been held to oversee the smooth conduct of the festival with H.K. Patil, district-in-charge Minister, B.R. Yavagal, chairman, Reception Committee, and other elected representatives along with Deputy Commissioner Manoj Jain. In all, 16 committees are involved in conducting the festival.
The main stage, erected with historical temples as the background, has been named ‘Daana Chintamani Attimabbe Vedike’ after 11th century queen Attimabbe. Lakkundi was the ‘karmabhoomi’ of Attimabbe, an ardent follower of Jainism, who was known for her philanthropic works. It is said that she built many temples, Jain basadis and sank wells.
For the first time, another stage, named after 12th century vachanakaras ‘Ajaganna and Muktayakka’ has been erected, where sessions on history and culture of Lakkundi and Gadag will be held. Apart from various cultural programmes in which famed artistes from across the State and local talent, will participate, there will be exhibitions, art camps and indigenous and adventure games.
Lakkundi, known for its architectural wonders, has a prominent place in the history of Karnataka. The village, once known for its cultural and literary opulence, was called Lokkigundi and finds mention in the inscriptions dating back to 11th and 12th centuries. It was also known for its ‘tankashale’ (mint).
Lakkundi was under the rule of the Chalukya, Yadava and Hoysala kings. It was also the capital of Hoysala king Eradane Ballala (Veeraballala) in 1192 AD.
Lakkundi also gave shelter to the 12th century sharanas such as Shivasharana Ajaganna and Sharane Muktayakka, who propagated Basaveshwara’s message. Many architectural wonders no longer exist in Lakkundi. The Mumbai State Gazetteer mentions only 13 temples – Kashi Visveshwara, Mallikarjun, Halagunda Basavanna, Virupaksha, Laxmianarayana, Manikeshwara, Virabhadara, Nanneshwara, Someshwara, Neelakanteshwara, Kumbar Siddeshwara or Nadayadeva, Nagaradeva, and Vishwantha. Even the wells, such as Chateer Bavi, Kanne Bavi and Musukina Bavi are known for their carvings.
Minister for Kannada and Culture Umashree, Mr. Patil and others will participate in the inaugural function, that will be preceded by a huge cultural procession, on Saturday evening.
