Kannada activists bat for Jakkali Bhuvaneshwari as official portrait

GADAG: Members of the Gadag District Kannada Sahitya Parishat and pro-Kannada organisations have opposed the decision of a five-member committee for a new portrait of Nada Devathe Bhuvaneshwari.

They have been demanding that the government finalise the oil painting of Goddess Bhuvaneshwari that was prepared in 1953 at Jakkali village. Last year, when the planning to finalise the portrait of the goddess commenced, some writers and Kannada activists requested the state government to use Jakkali’s picture and invited KSP president Mahesh Joshi to see the portrait.

They explained that the photo also had images of Hampi, Shravanabelagola, Banavasi, Sringeri, Gol Gumbaz, the Hoysala emblem, Mysuru Chamundeshwari, Jog Falls, Karavali, and the Banashankari temple, highlighting the idea of Karnataka. However, the government did not consider this photo, prompting the people of this region to demand a review of the decision for a new Goddess Bhuvaneshwari photo, as per the committee.

Some activists said, “The photo of Goddess Bhuvaneshwari which has been used for the last seven decades has many strong points. The goddess is standing with a book and her head is tilted on the right side, which looks like the head of the Karnataka map. There are some pictures on the borders, which cover major parts of the state.”