Government panel finalises Kannada Goddess's image

A five-member committee appointed by the Karnataka government has finalised the image of the Goddess Bhuvaneshwari, the deity representing the Kannada identity, which will be used in all official programmes.

The committee was headed by former Lalitha Kala Academy Chairperson D Mahendra.

The image of the deity has the outline of Karnataka in the backdrop and has several elements, including a representation of the Chalukyas and Hoysalas.

The committee was constituted in September 2021 to come up with one defining image of the Naadadevi, which lacked uniformity. Images of Goddesses Durga, Saraswati, and others were being used as the Kannada deity.

Once accepted by the government, this image will be used in all official programmes and on the walls of public schools. Also, it would form the basis for the Naadadevi statue coming up on the Jnanabharathi campus.

The committee had as members Choodamani Nandagopal, H H Myadar, Babu Nadoni, and V S Kaademani.