A slushy pathway strewn with rose petals and a few garlands are the only signs of celebration at Tipu Sultan’s memorial at Devanahalli, a day after his birth anniversary celebrations kicked up a storm across the State.
“A procession was held from Tipu’s memorial to the end of the road on Tuesday. I haven’t seen any such thing here before. Maybe the government’s decision to celebrate his jayanti prompted them to carry it out,” said a policeman deployed outside the memorial.
Around 35 km from Bengaluru, Devanahalli, the birthplace of Tipu, appears oblivious to the controversy that surrounds his birth anniversary. The memorial is the only structure where one can find signs that acknowledge the connection that Tipu has to Devanahalli. An illegible information board outside, erroneously displays his birth year as 1782.
“No one really celebrates his birth anniversary. People are aware that this was his birthplace, but nothing was done to mark the occasion annually. But why is there a controversy?” asks Muniyappa, a farmer and resident of Devanahalli.
Though the memorial itself is a ‘blink-and-miss’ structure, the more imposing Devanahalli Fort, which is only a stone’s throw away, sees only a sporadic number of visitors, who may have taken the pain to research the monument online. Like Venkatesh Narla, an IT professional, and his family, who were about the only visitors on Wednesday afternoon.
“Nandi Hills is not far from here, and we went there years ago. We didn’t even know the Devanahalli Fort existed until a search for tourist spots near Bengaluru revealed this,” he said. However, the “lack of maintenance” of the fort, which was further strengthened and fortified by Tipu, drew some criticism. And as debates and protests around the event continued, Tipu’s birthplace kept a low profile.
Published - November 12, 2015 12:00 am IST
