Ruling BJP holds mega event at Lord Hanuman's birth place

Bengaluru: In the run-up to the 2024 general elections, the ruling BJP in Karnataka has organised a mega event at the Anjanadri to inaugurate projects worth Rs 120 crore on Tuesday.Anjanadri is believed to be the birthplace of lord Hanuman. The push by the Karnataka government to elevate the Anjanadri as pilgrimage centre is likely to be opposed.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai will carry out a ground breaking ceremony for construction of residential complexes, ropeway and other infrastructure facilities to make it a pilgrimage hotspot to attract devotees who visit Ayodhya Ram Mandir.  The hills are said to be the birthplace of lord Hanuman. The Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanam (TTD) Trust had raised objections and claimed that the hills at the Tirumala is the birthplace of Hanuman. Maharashtra is also staking the claim that Lord Hanuman took birth in its territory.

However, Bollywood stars have been visiting the temple at the Anjanadri hills in Koppal district of Karnataka for several decades. Lakhs of devotees of Hanuman, from across the country have been taking up pilgrimage to Karnataka for hundreds of years.  The Karnataka government had announced Rs 100 crore in the state budget for elevation of Anjanadri hills as a pilgrimage and tourist centre. The government has begun a land acquisition process and started road construction work here. A theme park is also being planned here.