ನಾಡದೇವಿ ಭುವನೇಶ್ವರಿ ನಡೆದುಬಂದ ದಾರಿ

A discussion of any subject related to nation and language is a challenging task, and there are emotional factors behind it. Any discussion on this matter gets complicated for this very reason. It seems to me that T.R. Anantharamu's work on Bhuvaneshwari, who is considered the goddess of the Kannadigas, transcends this challenge in its very nature. This is a historical work, but it records details with cultural insights. Even while recording, it moves forward without emotional outburst, recording faithfully, and without giving room for the argument that this is the only truth, leaving room for open discussion. Thus, the central idea of the work is achieved accurately, with details not scattered anywhere.

What seems very important to me in this work is the author's precise understanding of propriety, of how much of each subject should be included. Thus, the entire work has maintained its coherence. For example, while detailing Bhuvaneshwari as a tantric deity, the analysis of how the Vijayanagara kings and the Mysore Wodeyars perceived Bhuvaneshwari in the background, which might seem unnecessary for this work, is within this framework. The appropriate recording of the contributions of such important figures as Sakkare Balacharya and Andanappa Doddameti, who faced cultural crises for various reasons, in the context of Bhuvaneshwari, can be called a kind of poetic justice. It is a very challenging task for a historical work to also acquire cultural significance. If thought about carefully, both are different concepts, and T.R. Anantharamu has not only brought both together but has also done justice to both fields. In the contemporary context, this appears to be a very important matter. For this reason, it can be said without any hesitation that this is a work that should be in every Kannadiga's home.

N.S. Shridhara Murthy