Karnataka BJP Legislative Council member Raghu Kautilya has urged the state government to rename the Old Mysuru region as ‘Nalvadi Karnataka’ or ‘Nalvadi Mysuru’ and create a dedicated authority to manage and conserve the city’s heritage buildings. He made the demands at a press conference in Mysuru on Friday, asking the government to announce the proposed renaming during this year’s Dasara celebrations.
Kautilya said the region should move away from the description ‘Old Mysuru’ and adopt a name honouring Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar, the former ruler associated with the development of the Mysuru kingdom. He asked Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar to consider the proposal and said he would submit a formal representation to the government.
The BJP member referred to the naming of other regions as Kalyana Karnataka and Kittur Karnataka, saying Mysuru could follow a similar model. He described the proposed announcement as a historic step intended to preserve the legacy of Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar and the Wadiyar royal family.
Kautilya also called for the existing Palace Board to be dissolved and replaced with a statutory authority responsible for the management and conservation of Mysuru’s heritage buildings, including the Amba Vilas Palace. He proposed that the new body be placed under the supervision of an officer of secretary rank.
The demand comes as preparations continue for Dasara, when Mysuru receives large numbers of visitors and public spaces, hotels, food fairs and major gathering points come under increased administrative and policing requirements. Kautilya welcomed the state government’s decision to continue the Dasara tradition despite drought conditions and noted that Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar had chaired a meeting in Mysuru. He nevertheless said shortcomings remained in the arrangements.
On public safety, Kautilya urged the authorities to ensure law and order during the festival. Referring to the rape and murder of a girl from a nomadic family during the previous Dasara period, he alleged that the investigation had not been conducted properly and that responsibility had not been fixed. These were his allegations at the press conference.
He asked the police to establish checking points at strategic locations across the city and maintain heightened vigilance during the celebrations. He also urged the administration to ensure hygiene at hotels and food fairs and to make certain that visitors receive food of acceptable quality.
The demands were made in the presence of Maheshraje Aras, media coordinator of the BJP’s city district unit; district secretary Dayananda Patel; Backward Classes Morcha president Satish Kumar; and Morcha general secretary Nagesh Yadav. The report does not indicate that the state government has accepted the renaming proposal or announced the creation of a heritage conservation authority.
