Bidar (Karnataka): Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa on Wednesday laid the foundation stone for the Anubhava Mantapa at Basavakalyan, which is considered to be the birthplace of 12th century poet and social reformer Basaveshwara.
Addressing the gathering here, Yediyurappa said that whenever he commits anything to anyone, he fulfils it and the construction of the modern Anubhava Mantapa at a cost of Rs 500 crore is one such commitment.
“I had assured this project will be taken up and today I am fulfilling it. It is done with the blessings of Lord Basaveshwara. I come from the land of our beloved saints Akka Mahadevi and Allamma Prabhu and with their blessings, I became the Chief Minister of the state,” he said.
Yediyurappa further said that he firmly believed in the philosophy propagated by these saints of equality and equal opportunities. “Our sharanas (saints) have taught us about equality and they were the first to identify the need of the world’s first parliament (Anubhava Mantapa),” he explained.
The CM added that the burning zeal of Basava to place religion on a democratic basis, his love for God and his untiring energy in serving humanity added to the glory of Anubhava Mantapa.
He said that the Anubhava Mantapa in those days placed more emphasis on evolution by change of mind rather than dictating the terms of change.
Recalling that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had highlighted the role of Anubhava Mantapa while laying the foundation stone for the new Central Vista project last month, Yediyurappa said that he intends to invite Modi to inaugurate this building after two years.
“I have taken steps to release Rs 200 crore for this project already. Tender modalities are being worked out and once they are finalised in the next couple of weeks, we will invite the tender,” he said.
He added that the progress of the project will be monitored by Basavaraj Patil Sedam. Former Rajya Sabha member Sedam is a veteran BJP leader and RSS pracharak since 1954, who has served as the BJP state unit president.
The Rs 500 crore six-storey mini-parliament, Anubhava Mantapa, will be built on 25 acres of land and will have a 770 seating capacity conference hall while the underground hall would accommodate 1,000 people.
The structure will also have a 100 feet huge ‘Linga’ constructed on a lotus shaped gopura (tower).
The Anubhav Mantaps will be spread across 7.5 acres of land and it will be 182 feet in height and 2,884 sq metre wide structure. The entire structure will be erected on 770 pillars. The project will be built using cements and marbles. The Linga placed on the top of the tower will also be built using cement.
