Bengaluru: Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has declared seven places in Karnataka as ‘Seven Wonders’ similar to ‘Seven Wonders of the World’. The iconic Mysore Palace figures among the list and the related award was received by Mysuru Deputy Commissioner Dr. K.V. Rajendra at the event that was held at a private hotel in Bengaluru last evening.
Bommai unveiled ‘Seven Wonders of Karnataka,’ representing the best of the State’s land and water, forest and sea, faith and science, architecture and sculpture and history and heritage. The ‘Seven Wonders’ showcase only the very best Karnataka has to offer. The ‘Seven Wonders of Karnataka’ are:
Hirebenakal Rock Tombs: Dating back to the period between 800 BC and 200 BC, it is estimated, this prehistoric site in Koppal district’s Gangavati taluk, is declared to be the ‘Mega Stone Age Wonder’.
Hampi: Built between the 14th and 16th centuries, Hampi stands as a stellar example of the Vijayanagara Empire’s glorious rule. Still standing beautiful in Vijayanagara district, Hampi has been declared the ‘Architectural Wonder.’
Gomateshwara statue: The 57-foot-tall towering statue of Gomateshwara was built in the 10th century atop the Vindhyagiri Hill in Hassan district’s Shravanabelagola. It has been declared as a ‘Philosophical Wonder’.
Gol Gumbaz: Built by Sultan Mohammed Adil Shah during the 17th century in Bijapur (now Vijayapura), the massive Gol Gumbaz has been declared the ‘Architectural Science Wonder’.
Mysore Palace: Dating back to the 19th and 20th century, the world-famous Amba Vilas Palace, which the Wadiyar Dynasty envisioned, was declared as the ‘Royal Heritage Wonder’.
Jog Falls: Considered among the most beautiful waterfalls in India, water gushes from a great height of 830-feet in Shivamogga district’s Jog Falls. This world-famous visual treat has been declared a ‘Natural Wonder on Land’.
Netrani Island: Symbolic of love itself, this heart-shaped island on the Arabian Sea off Murudeshwar in Uttara Kannada district has been declared a ‘Natural Wonder on Water’.
Addressing the gathering, the CM said that the ‘Seven Wonders of Karnataka’ has created a fresh tourism model for the State. The Deputy Commissioners of each of the ‘Seven Wonders’ have been asked to submit a blueprint development report to upgrade the facilities at these places, he added.
Tourism Minister Anand Singh, and popular actor Ramesh Aravind, who is also the ambassador of the ‘Seven Wonders of Karnataka’ project also spoke.
‘Kannada Prabha’ Daily newspaper and ‘Asianet Suvarna News’ channel collaborated with the Karnataka Tourism Department to undertake this mega project of identifying and promoting the ‘Seven Wonders of Karnataka’.
As part of the project, Kannadigas sent in as many as 5,000 nominations and an internal jury filtered the list to 100. These 100 places were put for public voting and 82 lakh votes were registered and 21 places emerged as finalists. A seven-member panel of tourism and history experts critically evaluated these places and finalised the ‘Seven Wonders.’
Ambavilas Palace now recognised as one of the Seven Wonders of Karnataka will be a boost to destination Mysuru.A true salute to the wadiyars for building such a beautiful palace , and with it a well planned city with wide roads .my only request to the government is make the area inside ring road as heritage city and please avoid metro inside this area.Because once metro pillars come up in the middle of the road the beauty of this city will be lost forever. Instead plan metro along the 43km ring road. with metro stations and bus stations at the junction of major roads and ring roads and let people travel to city center by bus. Or if you need then plan this autonomous train bus hybrid https://youtu.be/G8cGwYfr6vg. to center of the city.
Not surprising that @Sanjay Kinin comes up with his ideas, for tourism, the occupation in which he is engaged. Yes, anything for an income!
If one studied the original 7 wonders of the world, each wonder was noted for a function it served, not merely, an architectural edifice.
Bangalore was the first city in Asia, where the electric street lighting was introduced. That was possible because of the Shivasamudram Hydroelectric project, arguably the first hydroelectric project in Asia. That surely should count as an important landmark-a wonder, if you like.
But then, talk of these wonders does nothing to the each wonder itself. For example, Hampi has been looted over the decades, not only by the Muslim-ruler supporting vandals, but also vandals of Karnataka in recent times, its artefacts sold to private collectors around the world.
The Mysore Palace is currently under the control of the private landlord-Pramoda Devi, who claims as the Maharani, she is not. In order to preserve this Palace, an an example of Indo-Saracenic architecture, it must have been taken over by the government, and presented as a national treasure. It is not.
Not surprising that @Sanjay Kinin comes up with his ideas, for tourism, the occupation in which he is engaged. Yes, anything for an income!
If one studied the original 7 wonders of the world, each wonder was noted for a function it served, not merely, an architectural edifice.
Bangalore was the first city in Asia, where the electric street lighting was introduced. That was possible because of the Shivasamudram Hydroelectric project, arguably the first hydroelectric project in Asia. That surely should count as an important landmark-a wonder, if you like.
But then, talk of these wonders does nothing to the each wonder itself. For example, Hampi has been looted over the decades, not only by the Muslim-ruler supporting vandals, but also vandals of Karnataka in recent times, its artefacts sold to private collectors around the world.
The Mysore Palace is currently under the control of the private landlord-Pramoda Devi, who claims as the Maharani, she is not. In order to preserve this Palace, an an example of Indo-Saracenic architecture, it must have been taken over by the government, and presented as a national treasure. It is not.
I fail to understand the purpose of this list of wonders.
I first visited Mysore Palace, a few decades ago, and could see that in places the structure was badly maintained. During my recent visited, I checked those places, and was shocked to see that this delicate architecture is slowly giving away to poor structural . The collapse of the Fort wall is an example too.
This Palace needs thorough checks and planned maintenance, and only a state a government can do it, with a dedicated department.
But then , the descendants of Wadiyars, it appears ae the owners.
In Goa, the Portuguese while they ruled, kept the iconic buildings well maintained, and after its liberation, these buildings have gradually seen neglect, and now, they are almost collapsing.
The Instrument of Accession signed in 1947 by the then Maharaja of Mysore is an international treaty. The Mysore Palace was among the properties reserved as the private property of the Maharaja Jayachamaraja Wadiyar. It has gone by inheritance to his wife. This cannot be touched by any domestic law because international law cannot be modified by domestic legislation. Sovereign equality of states is a core jus cogens norm to which even international treaties should conform. These facts should be kept in mind before commenting.
It is a private property covered by an international treaty,the Instrument of Accession. signed inn 1947
Government should have come up with 2 lists – Natural Wonders and Man Made Wonders. How can we not have the numerous Hoysala temples in the list? One of the first things that come to mind when one thinks of tourist places in Karnataka are the temples of Belur and Halebid. Karnataka has numerous wonders which many are unaware. So we wouldn’t run out of options even if we had 2 lists.
May be we could have had something as below. It may not be perfect list but it encompasses almost all major tourist spots in Karnataka.
7 Man Made Wonders
1. Hampi
2. Badami, Pattadakal, Aihole
3. Hoysala Temples
4. Mysore Palace
5. Gol Gumbaz and other monuments in Deccan
6. Statue of Gomateshwara
7. Vidhana Soudha (It is a political building but it can’t be denied that it is an imposing and magnificent building.)
Natural Wonders (Some of them overlap each other)
1. Agumbe or Mountains in Chikamagalur
2. Jog Falls
3. Kabini/Nagarhole/Bandipur/Any other rich and diverse forest/sanctuary
4. Coastal Karnataka
5. Yana Rocks
6. Boulder strewn landscape of Hampi
7. Kaveri river