Karnataka government plans to honour Sri Basaveshwara, the 12th century reformer saint poet, by coining his name on Vijayapura district.
A government order issued recently seeks suggestions and objections from people to a proposal to rename the district. The order says that the government plans to rename the district as either Basava Nadu or Basaveshwara district. Members of the public may either accept or reject these names, or suggest a new name. However, the suggested name should be centred around Sri Basaveshwara, the order informs.
In 2014, the State Government had changed the name from Bijapur to Vijayapura. It was among several districts whose names were changed.
Historian Krishna Kolhar Kulkarni has objected to the plan. “The government should strive to develop the district. Very little will be achieved by changing names. I had objected to the State Government’s move to change the name from Bijapur, which was used for over three centuries, to Vijayapura,’‘ he said.
Minister in favour of name change
After KPCC chief and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar proposed renaming Ramanagara as ‘Bengaluru South’, on October 27, his Cabinet colleague and Industries Minister M.B. Patil proposed renaming Vijayapura after 12th century social reformer Basavanna.
Mr Patil went a step further and proposed calling Karnataka ‘Basava Nadu’ at a time when the State is celebrating the golden jubilee of renaming Mysore State as Karnataka.
To be discussed with CM
Mr Patil, who belongs to the Veerashaiva-Lingayat community and represents the Babaleshwar constituency in Vijayapura district, said he would discuss renaming Vijayapura with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. “There are some technicalities. We will discuss the merits and demerits with the CM, and then decide,” he told reporters at his residence in Bengaluru on October 27.
Vijayapur was known as Bijapur until 2014 when the Union Government approved changing the names of 12 cities in Karnataka, including its capital from Bangalore to Bengaluru. “Many people have demanded that Vijayapura be renamed as Basaveshwara district. The district that gave birth to Basavanna,” Mr Patil said.
Embrace Basava samskruti
When asked about the demand to rename Karnataka as ‘Basava Nadu’, the Minister said, “There is nothing wrong... It was Basavanna who gave us the Anubhava Mantapa, the first parliament of the world. We keep saying that our land should become Basava Nadu.... that we must embrace Basava samskruti.”
