BENGALURU: Ramanagara, 50km from Bengaluru, seems to be aiming high. It is emerging as a land of tall statues. After former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy-led coalition government announced the project to build a 111-foot-tall bronze statue of Siddaganga mutt (Lingayat) seer late Shivakumara Swami, the BJP government initiated the project for Vokkaliga seer late Balagangadharanatha Swamiji.
Now former Congress minister D K Shivakumar has taken up a project to have the biggest statue of Jesus Christ in the country, expected to come up on a 10-acre land at Kapali betta in Harobele village of Kanakapura taluk. It will be carved out of single stone.
Shivakumar had laid the foundation stone for the project on December 25. However, the project has run into rough weather after the state government raised objection over using the government land and Revenue Minister R Ashoka sought a report from the district administration. The former minister, however, maintains that they have got all the required approvals from the authorities concerned.
If the project is cleared by the government, it will join the list of the other two tall statues coming up in the district. The statue of Shivakumara Swami will be installed at his birthplace Veerapura in Magadi taluk. The seer, who was known as the ‘walking god’, passed away at the age of 111 in January this year. Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa has allocated Rs 25 crore for the proposed statue.
‘Money could be used for infrastructure’
The bronze statue of Balagangadharanatha Swamiji will come up at his birthplace Banandur in Bidadi of Ramanagara. Yediyurappa government is also taking up this work at a cost of Rs 25 crore. Though authorities have not yet decided on the height of the statue, several other statues of gods will come up along with the seer’s. This place is expected to be developed.
Expressing his displeasure, a senior official from the government, who didn’t want to be named, said that instead of spending money on statues, the same amount could be used to address water woes, better roads or develop the villages. “But for any government, wooing certain class of people is important which is not a good practice,’’ the official said.
Shivakumara Swami statue (Bronze)Veerapura in Magadi taluk
Jesus statue (Stone)Veerapura in Magadi taluk
Balagangadharanatha Swamiji statue (Bronze) Bananduru in Bidadi