Nadaprabhu Hiriya Kempe Gowda
#GS-01 Indian History, Indian Heritage
For Prelims:
Who is Kempe Gowda:
- Nadaprabhu Hiriya Kempe Gowda, was a chieftain under the Vijayanagara Empire and ruled over most parts of Karnataka in the 16th century.
- He was a just and humane ruler credited as the founder of Bengaluru in 1537.
- Kempe Gowda’s planned city had eight access gates and wide roads.
- He authored the play called Gangagourivilasam or Ganga Gouri Sallapamu in Telugu.
- In the 1550s, Kempe Gowda struck coins known as Pagodas.
- This act of his incurred the displeasure of the Vijayanagara kings and he was imprisoned for five years.
- Kempegowda is also known to have developed around 1,000 lakes in the city to cater to drinking and agricultural needs.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday (November 11) unveiled a 108-feet tall bronze statue of ‘Nadaprabhu’ Kempegowda.
About Vande Bharat train:
- South India’s first Vande Bharat Express between Mysuru and Chennai via Bengaluru was flagged off on Friday.
- It is equipped with advanced state-of-the-art safety features including an indigenously developed Train Collision Avoidance System – KAVACH.
- In the new design of Vande Bharat Express, a photo-catalytic ultraviolet air purification system is installed in the Roof-Mounted Package Unit (RMPU) for air purification.
About Bharat Gaurav Kashi Yatra train:
- Karnataka is the first state to take up this train under the Bharat Gaurav scheme in which the Government of Karnataka and the Ministry of Railways are working together to send pilgrims from Karnataka to Kashi.
- The pilgrims will be provided comfortable stay and guidance for visiting Kashi, Ayodhya and Prayagraj.
- The objective of this theme is to showcase India’s rich cultural heritage and magnificent historical places to the people of India and the world, through Bharat Gaurav Trains.
- This scheme also aims to leverage the core strengths of the professionals of the tourism sector to run theme-based trains to tap the vast tourism potential of India.
