Sushma to inaugurate Krishnadevaraya’s 500th Coronation anniversary
From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bangalore, Jan 23: The 500th anniversary celebrations of the coronation of Sri Krishnadevaraya, who ruled the Vijayanagara empire hailed as the `Golden Era’ of prosperity, pomp and glory, will be inaugurated by BJP’s opposition leader in lok sabha Sushma Swaraj at Hampi in Bellary district on January 27.
Karnataka’s Tourism and Infrastructure Minister G Janardhana Reddy, who is also in charge of Bellary district, said all arrangements have been made to hold celebrations in a grand manner from January 27 to 29 at Hampi.
Union Home Minister P Chidambaram will also be attending the programme as the chief guest, while Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa will be presiding over the inaugural function
Chidambaram will be releaseingbooks titled `Hampi, The Splendour that Was,’ and `Vijayanagara: Through the Eyes of,’ in the presence of Sri Ravishanker of Art of Living Foundation.
Reddy said about 15,000 students visited the Hampi, which has been declared by UNESCO as a ``World Heritage Site,’’ during the last few days and more would visit in the next few days.
A sum of Rs 13 crore would be spent on holding the celebrations. Artistes from across the country would participate in the three-day event, he said.
BJP senior leader and former Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi would participate in the valedictory programme at Hampi on January 29.
Advani would also lay the foundation stone for a theme park at Hampi which would depict the glory of the Vijayanagara Empire. Among the structures planned in the theme park is a 25-foot-tall bronze statue of Sri Krishnadevaraya, Reddy said.
Kannada University, Hampi, and the State Government would provide the Bellary district administration with land for setting up a permanent exhibition recreating Hampi’s grandeur as the jewel of the Vijayanagara Empire during the reign of Sri Krishnadevaraya. The university has handed over 80 acres.
Researcher Dr M Chidananda Murthy, historians Suryanath Kamath, Sindagi Rajashekar, A Sundar and S R Rao of Archaeology Department would be felicitated for their work on Vijayanagara Empire, the minister said
Krishnadevaraya, who was coronated in 1509 and ruled the Vijayanagar empire for 21 years, is hailed as a ruler far ahead of his times as a champion of the democratic process, religious tolerance, linguistic harmony and promotion of arts and culture five centuries ago.
Known as a formidable warrior, great general and brilliant military strategist, Krishnadevaraya’s empire extended from Nellore to Udayagiri and from Kanyakumari in the South to Kalinga in the East and stretched upto Goa in the West.
Widely acknowledged by historians as an emperor par excellence and compared with the legendary Ashoka, Samudra Gupta and Harsha Vardhana, he was a benevolent and egalitarian ruler known as a renowned poet and scholar.
Despite his Kannada-speaking background, Krishnadevaraya is known for his encouragement to all languages and even patronage to poets and literary scholars from other countries besides patronizing Sanskrit pundits. The way he treated scholars and respected talents by showering them with pearls and gems in addition to conferring highest honours is borne by the abundance of poetic verses recalling his largesse.
He was instrumental in starting Dasara-Sharana festivals and institutionalizing the Vasanthotsava celebrations with great fanfare.
Krishnadevaraya encouraged people of all faiths to freely practice their faiths though he himself was a Vaishnava and had Tenali Ramakrishna. Allasani, Rudra Bhatta and many others stalwarts in his court. His mega poetic work, ``Amuktha Malyada,’’ dedicated to Lord Venkateshwara, and ``Madalasa Charitra’’ and ``Jananachintamani Sakalakathasangraha’’ are considered testimonies to his literary talents.
The 100-pillared Vittalaya temple was built in 1519 during Krishnadevaraya’s reign at Hampi, where gems, pearls and even diamonds were sold in the open market, reminding one of the greatness and glory of the bygone era.