Bahubali statue at Karkala
He alleged that only around Rs 35 crore had been released over the past four years for various development works and that the municipality had received no additional funds. Preparations for the 10-day Bahubali Mahamastakabhisheka, scheduled for Feb 2027, have begun. Pushparaj Jain, the general secretary of Karkala Bhagavan Sri Bahubali Swami Mahamastakabhisheka Committee, said the panel expects nearly four times the number of visitors from the previous event held 12 years ago.
The delay was due to the contractor’s bitumen plant being non-operational, he said.
Karkala MLA V Sunil Kumar told TOI the tendering process had been completed and work was expected to begin next week. The MLA said the chief minister had agreed to his request for additional funds for connecting roads and tourism-related works ahead of the Mahamastakabhisheka, with the process under way. Former municipal council member Prakash Rao said several roads were damaged following Jal Jeevan Mission pipeline work recently. Jain said the preparations were being coordinated under the guidance of Dharmasthala Dharmadikari D Veerendra Heggade as president and chairperson SCDCC Bank MN Rajendra Kumar as the working president of the committee.
Work would be completed by next month. The Karkala town-Udupi road via the taluk office junction, Ananthashayana-Tellar road, roads in Banglegudde and the Udupi stretch up to Ambedkar statue are the worst affected stretches.