BU's Jnanabharathi campus to house Kempegowda Museum

The Kempegowda Museum at Mayo Hall is all set to be relocated to the Kempegowda Study Centre, which will be constructed on Bangalore University's Jnanabharathi campus.

Tenders for the Rs 100-crore study centre on a three-acre land on the BU campus will be invited next week. Officials have set a deadline of 18 months for the completion of the project from the day the contract is awarded.

“We will shift the museum in its present form and later add other features to it. After the relocation, the museum will depict the heritage of Bengaluru. The latest research by historians on Bengaluru's founder Kempegowda will be showcased in the museum. The committee will take a call regarding this," BU vice-chancellor Venugopal K R told DH.

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has sanctioned Rs 100 crore for the project. Besides the museum, the building will also house a study centre, a Kempegowda statue, 12 seminar halls, four classrooms and an auditorium to seat 1,500.

The project will take place in three phases, including electrical, interiors and landscaping. "The new building will also make us financially self-sustaining. A separate committee will be formed for the all-round development of the study centre. Adichunchanagiri Mutt seer Nirmalananda Swami will also closely monitor the work and share several inputs for the Kempegowda Study Centre. Politicians, education experts and historians will be part of the body,” the vice-chancellor added.

With prior permission from the forest department, 42 eucalyptus trees have been chopped on the project site. "They are all eucalyptus trees, which are known to deplete groundwater. But we will compensate for this by planting 100 saplings after the completion of the project," he said.

Sixty days will be given for bidders to apply for the tender. The project is likely to begin by the end of December.