Indian High Commissioner to the UK pays tribute at Basaveshwara statue in London

Indian High Commissioner to the UK Gaitri Issar Kumar paid floral tribute to Basaveshwara, the 12th-century Indian philosopher and social reformer, at his statue on the bank of the River Thames here to mark his 887th birth anniversary.

Kumar, accompanied by the Deputy High Commissioner, Charanjeet Singh paid floral tribute at the statue on Friday.

The statue was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 14, 2015 and it is the first "conceptual" statue approved by the British Cabinet in the vicinity of the UK Parliament.

The event was organised by former Mayor of Lambeth Neeraj Patil and the Lambeth Basaveshwara Foundation, a non-profit organisation based in the UK that had erected the statue.

Basaveshwara (1134-1168) was an Indian philosopher, social reformer and statesman who attempted to create a casteless society and fought against caste and religious discrimination.

India has recognised Basaveshwara as one of the pioneers of democracy and his statue was installed in the Indian Parliament during the tenure of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.