Nadaprabhu Kempegowda was a gem among the Yelahanka kings, said writer C Naganna. He was speaking during the celebration of Kempegowda jayanti here on Tuesday.

“Historians have appreciated the administration, personality, pride, culture and traditions of Kempegowda and his successors. History holds evidence to the fact that the Yelahanka kings would not budge in times of distress. Kempegowda was an expert in Dharmashastra, literature, grammar, philosophy and use of arms and armaments as he was a student of Shivagange gurukula,” he said.

“He was assisting his father at a tender age of 18 and gained good experience along with his sound educational background. This helped him lay the foundation for the town of Bengaluru. Basavanagudi was the first building to come up in Bengaluru. This was followed by four lakes at the four corners of the town for water supply. Besides the main market, Akkipete, Aralipete, Balepete and Chikkpete were developed with a view to encourage business and trade.

Artisans were brought from different parts for production of handicrafts. By 1537, Bengaluru had transformed into a beautiful town,” said Naganna.

“Kempegowda raised armies in various camps and sent the soldiers to join the Vijayanagar army. Thus, he maintained a good relationship with Krishnadevaraya. The Vijayanagar king conferred the title of ‘Raya’ and presented 50,000 gold coins to him,” he said.

MLA Sa Ra Mahesh said he was invited to the preparatory meeting for the celebration of the jayanti.

“For the function also, I did not have an invitation. Even the tahsildar did not call me. If the DC is too busy, at least the additional DC could have spoken to me,” he said.

MLAs Vasu, G T Devegowda and M K Somasekhar, seers Someshwaranatha Swami, Shivanadapuri Swami, and Purushothamananda Swami, Zoo Authority of Karnataka Chairperson Mallige Veeresh, Mysore Paints and Varnish Limited Chairman H A Venkatesh, Mayor M J Ravikumar, Corporators K V Mallesh and B L Lingappa were present.

Earlier, a procession with a portrait of Kempegowda accompanied by folk art troupes was taken out in the main streets of the city.