Karnataka too soon get a new name? Congress govt want to rename K'taka as 'Basava Nadu'
One of Karnataka"s politically dominant communities, Lingayats, which are about 7 per cent of the state"s population, finds its origins with Basavanna.
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In a surprising development, Karnataka Minister, MB Patil, has ignited a debate by expressing his support for renaming the entire state of Karnataka as 'Basava Nadu,' meaning the 'land of Basava.'
Patil's statement has stirred discussions about the potential renaming of the state, as well as the possibility of renaming the Vijayapura district in honour of the 12th-century social reformer Basaveshwara (Basavanna).
Responding to queries about his views on renaming Karnataka as 'Basava Nadu,' Congress Minister MB Patil on Friday stated, "It's natural, what's wrong in it? It was Basavanna who gave 'Anubhava Mantapa-the first Parliament of the world. He gave the social concept. We keep saying that our land should become 'Basava Nadu' and that we must embrace 'Basava Samskruti'."
Regarding the proposed renaming of Vijayapura district, he explained the historical context: "During the 'Hoysala' period, the region was known as Vijayapura, later under Adil Shahi dynasty's rule, it became Bijapur. The name was changed back to Vijayapura. Now, many people have demanded that it be renamed as Basaveshwara district. It is natural as this district is the birthplace of Basavanna, and there is nothing wrong in it."
However, Patil acknowledged that there might be some challenges in effecting such a change. He stated, "There are some technical issues though. Bijapur became Vijayapura, and if it has to become Basaveshwara, there will be some inconvenience, as a change in nomenclature will have to be done in a lot of places. There are such concerns raised. I will discuss with the chief minister and after considering pros and cons, we will decide."
Notably, discussions around renaming are not new in Karnataka. Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar recently proposed renaming Ramanagara district as 'Bengaluru South, Notably, Karnataka has experienced changes in city names as well. In 2014, the Union government approved the renaming of 12 cities in the state, including the capital, which changed from Bangalore to Bengaluru. Similarly, Bijapur was renamed Vijayapura as part of this initiative
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