Maps of Vijayapura | Bijapura | Karnataka | India

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Vishwaguru Basavanna

Lord Basava the great social reformer. He was born in Bagewadi(Basavana Bagewadi), a small village in Bijapur District, in North Karnataka, also called as Ingaleshwara Bagewadi. Agrahara was an important place in town. The house of Madiraja the chief of the township was situated here. Basaveshwara was born to Madiraja and Madambike on third day of Vyshakha month of Anandanama year in Rohini star, according to the hindu calendar. [The year coincides with 1134 A.D.] Basavanna was a great saint, is considered Guru by some and some believe in him as an incarnation of Nandi, Lord Shiva's greatest devotee. This great soul lived in the 12th century. A true visionary of his time and a revolutionary who started a new religion Ligayatism or also known as Veershaivism, which literally means 'The brave followers of Shiva'. Basavanna's ultimate aim was to make this fundamental right available to each and everyone. Basavanna, keeping Welfare as the ultimate aim, he expedited programmes to take religion to the people. By preaching and writing religious literature in (Kannada). His samadhi is at Kudalasangama.

Gajanan Temple in Viajayapura, Karnataka, India

A modern temple dedicated to the elephant headed god - Ganesha. This mansion was constructed by Ali Adil Shah I in 1561. It served as a royal palace for some time.There are three magnificent arches, the central one being the widest. The ground floor was the Durbar Hall and the first floor, now in ruins, was the private residence of the Royal family.

Lord Shiva Statue ( Basanta Vana ) in Bijapur

The 85-foot (26 m) tall statue of Lord Shiva installed by the T.K. Patil Banakatti Charitable Trust in Bijapur at Shivapur on Sindagi Road is gradually developing as a pilgrimage place.1,500 tonnes statue considered as the second biggest statue of Lord Shiva in the country was prepared by sculptors from Shimoga for more than 13 months and the civilian design was provided by Bangalore-based architects. The statue weighs around 1,500 tonnes. A small idol of Shivalinga is installed beneath the big statue. "Shiva Charite" will also be inscribed in Kannada on the inner walls of the temple to help the devotees learn the mythological stories related to Lord Shiva.

NTPC awaits forest dept nod for wind project in Bagalkot district

NTPC, the country's largest power generator, plans to foray into wind energy sector with its first project in Karnataka. The company will soon float tenders for first such project with a capacity of 100 Mw, a top company official said.

"We have identified a couple of locations at Guledagudda in Bagalkot district to set up our first ever wind power plant at an estimated cost of Rs 650 crore. We are awaiting nod from the state forest department for this project as the location falls within the reserve forest area," R Venkateswaran, NTPC"s regional executive director (South) told Business Standard.

He said the company has been in talks with the state forest department for approvals.

"The area identified for the wind power plant falls within the reserve forest area and we need to take the clearance from the state forest department before we could start work on the project. We also need to complete the micro siting study and only after that a formal application will be made for beginning the work," S S Mani, general manager, renewable energy, NTPC said.

Kudgi super thermal project

Meanwhile, NTPC is awaiting coal allocation for the second stage of 4,000 Mw super thermal power project at Kudgi in Bijapur district. The second stage will have a capacity of 1,600 Mw with two units of 800 Mw each, Venkateswaran said.

He said work on the first stage with a capacity of 2400 Mw (three units of 800 Mw each) at a cost of Rs 15,166 crore is progressing as per the schedule and will be commissioned by January 2016. Commercial operations are scheduled from May 2016 and subsequent units are to be commissioned with an interval of six months.

Till September 2014 the company has spent Rs 5,900 crore on the first stage project. NTPC has placed orders with Doosan, Toshiba, GE, Siemens, Yokogawa and Indian PSUs like BHEL. Private sector companies like L&T, IVRCL and Simplex are also associated with the project.

With the rise in cost of coal in the domestic market, Venkateswaran said the final cost of power for the state electricity supply companies is likely to go up marginally.

It would be in the range of Rs 5 per unit as against the price worked out earlier in the power purchase agreement, which stood at Rs 4.50 per unit. "We are yet to work out the final power purchase cost. It depends on the coal price at the time of supply of power to state government," he said.

Kudgi Super Thermal Power Plant is the first power plant being set up by NTPC in Karnataka.

Out of 4,000 Mw, the Karnataka government will get 50 per cent (2,000 Mw) power from Kudgi plant, while the balance will be allocated to other southern states such as Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala.

Mysore zoo to promote research in the wild

After its success with the captive breeding of threatened species, the management of the century-old Mysore zoo has set its eyes on carrying out research on these animals in the wild.

The zoo is at present engaged in conservation breeding of Indian grey wolves, wild dogs (or dholes) and lion-tailed macaques (LTMs), which have been listed as endangered speciesIt is now thinking of conducting studies on these animals in the wild to get an actual account of the status of these animals, including their numbers, in the wild to further its conservation programme.

The lion-tailed macaque is found in the Western Ghats, while the grey wolf is found in Chitradurga, Bijapur and nearby areas, whereas the wild dog is found in Nagarahole and Bandipur forests.

Chief Conservator of Forests and Zoo Executive Director B.P. Ravi told The Hindu, “We must have accurate statistics on hand to develop new strategies for the conservation programme. It is helpful and essential to have data on the species (identified for captive breeding) in the wild. Therefore, the zoo is thinking of funding research on wolves, wild dogs and LTMs after taking approval from the competent authorities.”

Mr. Ravi felt that community involvement in conservation plays a key role, and current information field studies would be valuable in spreading awareness. “Through research and population studies, we get a larger dimension,” he added.

The zoo’s successful breeding of endangered species in captivity has earned it the recognition of being one of the country’s key centres for conservation. The Mysore zoo has introduced a new strain of gene to produce stronger, healthier offspring of tigers, Indian grey wolves, sloth bears, giraffes and baboons. The zoos, according to the Central Zoo Authority, have not only to sustain their own population, but also augment the depleting population of endangered species in the wild.

Keywords: Mysore zoo, conservation breeding, lion-tailed macaques

Bijapur roads to get facelift

With the major part of first phase of the master plan road-widening project over, the City Municipal Corporation is now focussing on the second phase under which the stretch between M.G. Road and Siddeshwara temple will be demolished from Saturday.

The Master Plan project for widening of roads began about a month ago. As part of the project, buildings between Basaveshwara circle and Shivaji circle were demolished.

“With over 95 per cent of demolition completed in the first phase, we are now planning to begin demolition of shops located on the either side of M.G. Road and Siddeshwara temple,” said Harsha Shetty, Deputy Municipal Commissioner and special officer for the implementation of the Master Plan.

Speaking to The Hindu, he said that the demolition for the second phase would be easier for the Corporation, since over 95 per cent of the properties belong to the Corporation and were earlier leased out to private persons.

He said that since the property belonged to the Corporation, no notice would be served nor compensation given to the shop owner before demolition.

“We are only giving them information to vacate the shops, nothing else,” Mr. Shetty said.

With regard to the construction of road on the demolished area between Basaveshwara Circle road and Shivaji Circle, he said that the district administration may call short-term tender for taking up the work.

Mr. Shetty said the tender process and allotment of work is expected to be completed within a month. “We are making every effort to ensure that road work is executed within a month as the job of demolition is largely over,” he said.

He said that the district administration has also planned to take up road widening at Naubagh area.

“This is a critical road, which, if widened, would greatly resolve traffic congestion. However, taking up demolition is challenging since the road has a slum which has been occupied for decades,” he said.

Mr. Shetty however hoped that with the help of the Mayor and the city MLA, they would be able convince the people to relocate to other places by rehabilitating them.