Meet Chief Kempegowda

Bangalore Airport Nov. 23, 2023

Researching who airports are named after can at times give us a glimpse into the history of a locality. Of course, many airports simply carry the name of the city or town where they are located, such as the Los Angeles airport in California. Some airports are named after easily recognizable figures such as Ronald Reagan airport in DC; Indira Gandhi in Delhi. Some airports are officially named after a historical figure, but the name does not stick and the airport is popularly referred to by its location. A case in point is Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport, named after a Catalonian politician who is known in Catalonia as “the first president of the government of Catalonia”. Another is Guarulhos airport, known for the town on the outskirts of São Paulo, despite being officially named after André Franco Montoro, a politician and former governor of São Paulo. In an interesting twist, Dulles airport, named after John Foster Dulles, gave its name to the surrounding community. Other airports sport unusual names, such as ones from this list, including Batman Airport in Batman, Turkey and Mafia Airport on Mafia Island in Tanzania.

The airport in Bengaluru is named after the city’s sixteenth century founder: Chieftain Kempegowda of the Vijayanagara Empire. He ruled for fifty six years and is possibly one of the most educated rulers of the era. He was a multilingual social reformer, an architect, and a playwright. He stopped the custom of amputating two left fingers of unmarried women. As strange as this custom seems, it is not unheard of in other countries, such as Nigeria and possibly even Japan.

Kempegowda planned the city and is credited for building water reservoirs, temples, and fortresses. He built the famous Bull Temple which stands today as one of the oldest cultural icons of Bengaluru, with its famous statue of Nandi, Shiva’s bull, whose name means joy. It is purported to be the biggest statue of Nandi in the world.

Apart from the Bull temple, no one flocks to Bengaluru for its historic sights. Even the Bangalore Palace, modeled after Windsor Castle, is a rather recent nineteenth century structure, built originally by the first British principal of Central High School, currently Central college. The city is regarded as the cosmopolitan city of the future; the “Silicon Valley” of India, due to the many tech companies headquartered here, and it being the leading exporter of software. It is also known as the “garden city”, with Lalbagh Botanical Gardens and Cubbon Park being a couple of the major green spaces there. When you go to Bengaluru as a tourist, people recommend its restaurants, malls, and hotels. They do not flaunt its history.

Yet, history and heritage it does have, despite the lack of iconic structures that attest to that fact. As you leave Bengaluru airport and head to the city, a recently erected gigantic statue of Chieftain Kempegowda towers over the highway, greeting its visitors as a reminder of a past they will not witness in Bengaluru - Karnataka’s modern metropolis.

Statue of Prosperity:

Statue of Chief Kempegowda at the Bengaluru Airport

Dedicated in Nov. 2022

The statue, made with steel and bronze, is 108 feet long. The number 108 is a sacred number in hinduism and Hindu prayer beads have 108 beads.

Nandi at the Nandi Temple. One of Kempe Gowda’s many legacies. The statue is possibly the largest statue of Nandi in the world. It is carved out of a single granite rock and is 4.6 meters (15ft) in height and 6.1 meters (20ft) in length. Photo from Karnataka.com -

The story of Nandi:

Nandi, which means “giving delight” or “giving joy,” is the sacred bull of the Hindu god Shiva, one of the most important Hindu gods. When the world becomes evil, Shiva destroys it to make way for beneficial change. Nandi is Shiva’s animal form, his means of transportation, and his most ardent worshiper. Sacred animals served as vahanas, or mounts for Hindu deities to travel on. Shiva and Nandi's association in Hindu scriptures and art can be traced to very early Indian culture, where dairy farming was the most important occupation, thus explaining the importance and sacredness of the cow and bull. Vahanas symbolize or complement the energy or character of their deity. The white color of the bull symbolizes purity and justice. Nandi is also believed to promote fertility; passing temple visitors may touch the image’s genitals for a blessing. A temple to Shiva would almost always have a Nandi sculpture. Nandi sculptures would often be decorated with fresh flowers and given other offerings.

Ganesha’s mount is the mouse, Mushika. Other vahanas that serve the hindu deities include: a peacock, an elephant, and a horse, a dog, a tiger, a parrot, an elephant, and various types of birds.

Source: Denver Art Museum

A Few of Bengaluru’s modern sights: