Nadaprabhu Kempegowda

Source: The Hindu

Context:

A bronze statue of Nadaprabhu Kempegowda, credited to be the founder of Bengaluru, will be unveiled soon at the premises of the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA).

About:

About Nadaprabhu Kempegowda:

• Nadaprabhu Kempegowda was a 16th century chieftain of the Vijayanagara Empire, is credited as the founder of Bengaluru.
• He approached the Vijayanagara kings for the requisite permission and laid the foundations for what would become Bangalore City in
• Kempegowda is also known to have developed around 1,000 lakes in the city to cater to drinking and agricultural needs.
• He was from the dominant agricultural Vokkaliga community in south Karnataka.
• Kempe Gowda was a patron of the arts and authored ‘Ganga-Gouri Sallapamu’ in Telugu. 

Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Statue:

Marking the 511th birth anniversary of Kempegowda, former CM BS Yediyurappa had laid the foundation for the project in June 2020.

The 108-ft bronze statue is being constructed in a 23-acre heritage park on the airport premises.

It has a 4,000 kg sword.

Vokkaliga Community:

The Vokkaliga caste originates in the Indian state of Karnataka.

In the former princely state of Mysore, the Vokkaligas were the largest community.

As a community of warriors and cultivators, they have historically wielded tremendous demographic, political, and economic dominance in Old Mysore.

The term Vokkaliga comes from the word Vokku, which means to thresh grains from crops.

In 1906, the Vokkaligara Sangha was founded in Bangalore.

Byanna was the Sangha's first president, and the Maharaja of Mysore, Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV, and Diwan V.P.Madhava Rao were the association's patron and vice-patron, respectively.