Culture & Heritage

Puppets brush shoulders with dance costumes, masks hang on the walls beside agricultural tools and ancient texts sit beside common household items. JanapadaLoka (or Folk World) gives an insight into how the people of Karnataka have lived throughout the ages. Indoor and outdoor exhibits include a variety of brass and copper vessels, harvesting tools, restored chariots and stone sculptures that provide visitors a glimpse of days gone by.Opened in 1994 by folklorist, author and civil servant H.L. Nage Gowda, JanapadaLoka is home to an incredible 5,000 objects that explore almost every aspect of life in Karnataka. What makes this museum different is that it’s not just an exhibition space, but also gives rural artisans a platform to showcase their crafts through various festivals.

The sprawling 15-acre complex displays rural household items and agricultural tools across several spaces. One of the most impressive items is a large grinding stone at the entrance of one of the halls, so large that it needed two buffaloes to operate it during weddings. The Loka Mahal exhibition features large dolls used by folk dancers when they perform the traditional MoodalapayaYakshagana and Garudi Gombe dances. Kempegowda born place is magadi,  the most precious historical find for Bengaluru, its founder HiriyaKempegowda’s (Kempegowda I’s) tomb is claimed to have been discovered in Kempapura village near Magadi, 62 kilometres from Bengaluru, which he founded in 1537.
On Sunday, historians confirmed that the tomb found in Kempapura is that of HiriyaKempegowda or Kempegowda I. However, the tomb does not mention the date of his death.
The Kannada inscription on the tomb says it is that of HiriyaKempegowda (Kempegowda I) who died at the spot while returning from Kunigal. But a convincing confirmation still remains to be given to the find.