The statue of Bengaluru founder Kempegowda, which will be unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the city on November 11, 2022, has found its way into the Wold Book of Records, London.
Dubbed the “Statue of Prosperity” or “Pragatiya Prathime” by the BJP government led by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, the mammoth statue of the founding architect of Bengaluru, Nadaprabhu Kempegowda, is located on the Bengaluru International Airport premises.
According to the World Book of Records, it is the first and tallest bronze statue of a founder of a city. The citation by WBR said the statue stands 108 feet in height with a sword weighing 4 tonnes.
The Chief Minister took to Twitter to share the news and called the record “a matter of pride” for Karnataka. He said the statue symbolised Kempegowda’s vision of a “Global City”.
The World Book of Records Limited, UK is an organization that catalogues and verifies extraordinary records across the world with authentic certification in United Kingdom and Europe.
As part of a slew of events during his visit to the city of Friday, the Prime Minister is expected to unveil the Kempegowda statue and open Terminal 2 of Kempegowda International Airport. He will also flag off Vande Bharat Express from Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna railway station.
Strengthening Vokkaliga voter base
With the state gearing up for Assembly elections in mid-2023, the Statue of Prosperity has been seen as an attempt by the BJP government to woo Vokkaliga voters, a politically powerful land owning community in Karnataka.
Former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa had announced plans to install a bronze statue of Kempegowda at the international airport at the cost of ₹100 crore in the year 2019. More recently, the State government had also launched a 45-day campaign to collect mud from lakes, ponds, kalyanis, rivers, pushkarinis and streams in all the villages of Karnataka. The mud would be used to develop a theme park on the 23 acres of land that also houses the statue.
