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.’
This post was published on February 26, 2023 7:59 pm