Mysuru: Participants of the 83rd Akhila Bharatha Kannada Sahitya Sammelana can visit Udayaravi, the house of Kuvempu (Kuppalli Venkatappa Puttappa), who is our Rashtrakavi. He is also the first Kannada writer to win the Jnanpith award.

Former Vice-Chancellor Dr. K. Chidananda Gowda, son-in-law of Kuvempu, the present occupant of Udayaravi, also called ‘Kuvempu Mane’ in V.V. Puram in city, said that the visitors can see the Vaagdevi idol and citation of the Jnanpith award and, also, trophies and citations of other awards that were bestowed upon Kuvempu.

Speaking to Star of Mysore this morning, Dr. Chidananda Gowda said that last week, Deputy Director of Tourism Department, Mysuru, H.P. Janardhan had visited him and had requested him to allow visitors to see Kuvempu’s house. “We told him to communicate us the time so that arrangements could be made for the visitors to see the landmark house as we too will be busy in attending the three-day mega event,” he said.

A half-day literary tour has been organised by the Tourism Development Corporation in association with Mysuru Travels Association. The visitors to the Sammelana can avail it from Nov. 24 from the Maharaja’s College Grounds, the main venue of the Sammelana. Open jeeps will be operated from 10 am to 1 pm till Nov. 27 to ferry the visitors on the tour.

The tour includes a visit to the house of R.K. Narayan at No. D-14, Yadavagiri that has been developed into a museum at a cost of Rs. 30 lakh on the lines of the memorial of Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon; Kuvempu Institute of Kannada Studies at Manasagangothri campus, besides Kuvempu’s house Udayaravi.