The ruling BJP in Karnataka on Tuesday, June 21, maintained that the Hindu deity Hanuman was born in Anegundi near Hampi, and said that Anjanadri Hills there will be developed. State Tourism Minister Anand Singh said that the blueprint for the same is ready, and that Anjanadri Hills will be developed “at any cost”. The Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanams (TTD) in Andhra Pradesh is disputing that Karnataka is the birthplace of Lord Hanuman, and claims that Anjanadri Hills at Tirumala is the birthplace.
The Karnataka government is claiming that since time immemorial, thousands of devotees are visiting Anjanadri hills in Koppal district which is regarded as the birthplace of Lord Hanuman. To counter the move by TTD, the state government of Karnataka has prepared a grand plan of turning the place as a pilgrimage centre to visit after the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.
The debate over the real birthplace of Hanuman has been ongoing for several years, and has surfaced in states across India. Recently in Maharashtra, it was claimed that Anjaneri in Nashik is the real birthplace of Lord Hanuman. Amid the row, Congress leader in Karnataka, Ugrappa, has chided that the ruling BJP is least bothered about developing the birthplace in Karnataka as “Lord Hanuman belongs to a lower caste”.
“The Karnataka government is all set to elevate the Anjanadri Parvatha (hills) as a pilgrimage centre of the world,” Anand Singh said.
The plan is being made to make Ayodhya-Anjanadri a tourism corridor. As per IANS, the Ramsetu in Kanyakumari will also be included as a part of the corridor, in connection with the Ramayana. Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had announced Rs 100 crore for the development of the birthplace of Lord Hanuman in the state budget.