Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday laid the foundation stone for Vishnuvardhan memorial at Mylasandra village, near Kengeri, on the outskirts of the city.
The memorial will come up on 2 acres of land — near the Abhiman Studio where the actor was cremated on December 30, 2009 — at a cost of Rs. 11 crore. The work will be completed in 18 months.
The memorial complex will have a 350-seat auditorium, a museum, and a library.
Mr. Siddaramaiah said the work on the memorial was delayed owing to several reasons. “Now, there is no hurdle for the memorial work.”
Vishnuvardhan memorial would become a tourism place. “It will be developed as a training centre for upcoming artistes,” Mr. Siddaramaiah said.
Earlier, Bharathi Vishnuvardhan paid floral tributes to her husband at his ‘samadhi’.
Housing Minister and film actor M.H. Ambareesh, who became emotional, recalled his association with Vishnuvardhan.
Congress MLA S.T. Someshekar presided over the programme. Minister for Transport and Bengaluru district in charge Ramalinga Reddy and Minister of State for Kannada and Culture Umashree were present.
