JOIN USPampa was Kannada’s great poet, called Aadikavi in Kannada, and known for works such as Aadipurana and Vikramarjuna Vijaya. The great man’s birthplace was Annigeri in Navalgund taluk of Dharwad district. It was the desire of most locals here, and lovers of literature to build a memorial for the poet at his birthplace. And work is in progress. Just that it has continued to remain in progress! Blame it on the lack of political will by people’s representatives.
The state government has allotted two acres of land for the memorial near the Annigeri cross adjacent to the Raichur-Karwar National Highway. A library has been constructed. The compound surrounding the building has been half done, so far. A total of Rs 15 lakh has been expended. But the library’s windows are not done properly, and they are made of thin metal! And wild shrubs and weeds are what occupy the space earmarked for the actual memorial. There is not even a small name board to suggest that it is Pampa’s memorial.
Originally from Andhra Pradesh
Pampa’s ancestors are known to have hailed from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh’s Vengipola.
Pampa was under the refuge of King Arikesari, a Chalukyan king.But according to an edict that was discovered at Kurkiyala in Karimnagar district, Pampa has mentioned that he was born at Annigeri, his mother’s maternal home, and that his brother’s name was Jinavallabha.
Pampa’s mother’s name was Abbanabbe. Immediately after details of the edict were announced, scholar M M Kalburgi visited Kurkiyala and brought back a copy of the edict. Later, attempts were made to trace the descendants of Pampa at Annigeri. It was this quest that led to the Deshpande family, who have the name Beemappayya in their lineage. Beemappayya was the father of Pampa, who later converted to Jainism.
Seminars
In 1985, a two-day seminar on Pampa’s literary works was held at Annigeri. Some of the biggest scholars in the state and elsewhere participated in the seminar. Dr Siddalinga Swamiji, president of the Pampa Foundation, held a series of seminars across Chennai, and Mumbai Universities to create awareness about the greatness of Pampa. The Working President of the Foundation, Chembanna Hubballi, points out that programmes are held in the first week of every new year to commemorate Pampa.
Memorial
It was thanks to M M Kalburgi that the memorial idea was mooted. When he was honoured with the Pampa Prashasti in 1998, the government also gave him a cash award of Rs one lakh. He dedicated this money towards construction of a memorial for Pampa on the stage where he was presented the award, at Banavasi.
Later, Kalburgi wrote several letters to the government urging that the memorial be completed at the earliest. But, the project seems to be moving at a snail’s pace. Kalburgi is aghast at the sloth.
Foundation’s proposal
The Pampa Foundation submitted a proposal to the government in the year 2002, and Rs 97 lakh was allocated for the memorial. But the funds released were only Rs 30 lakh. This had stayed in the treasury of the district commissioner till about five years ago. It was only recently, that the Rs 15 lakh was released.
A 800-seat auditorium, park, installation of Pampa’s statue, a huge arch and a guest house are works that still need to be completed. The government has earmarked Rs one crore for these works in its budget. The funds, though, are yet to be released.
The great man’s lineage
Rajendra Deshpande now heads the Pampa lineage in Annigeri. His father’s name is also Beemappayya. Deshpande is among the well-to-do in Annigeri. His family home has a 400-year-old history. “During the British times, our family had 5,000 acres of land,” he points out. The ancestral home is indeed a beautiful one. There is a room entirely dedicated to mill stones. There are at least a dozen of them, and they are still used.
This ancestral home also needs renovation, and it is important that the government declares it a memorial.
Meanwhile, Kannada literature lovers wait and watch for the memorial of their greatest poet to take shape.
(Translated by Savitha Karthik)