It's official! Seven wonders of Karnataka unveiled by CM Bommai; actor Ramesh Aravind lauds moment of glory

It's a day of pride and celebration for Karnataka as the state can now boast of its Seven Wonders, similar to that of the Seven Wonders of the World. 

In a glittering event in Bengaluru, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai unveiled the 'Seven Wonders of Karnataka', representing the best of the state's land and water, forest and sea, faith and science, architecture and sculpture, and history and heritage. The Seven Wonders showcase only the very best that this state has to offer.

The chosen wonders were awarded a state certificate in the ceremonial event, which the respective district commissioners received. The Seven Wonders of Karnataka are as follows:

1. Hirebenakal Rock Tombs: Dating back tothe period between 800 BC and 200BC, it is estimated, this prehistoric site in Koppal district's Gangavati taluk, is declared to be the 'Mega Stone Age Wonder'. 

2. Hampi: Built between 14th and 16th century, Hampi stands as the stellar example of Vijayanagara Empire's glorious rule. Still standing beautiful in Vijayanagara district, Hampi has been declared the 'Architectural Wonder'. 

3. Gomateshwara: The 57-feet tall towering statue of Gomateshwara was built in the 10th century atop the Vindhyagiri Hill in Hassan district's Shravanabelagola. It has been declared as a 'Philosophical Wonder'.

4. Gol Gumbaz: Built by Sultan Mohammed Adil Shah during the 17th century in Bijapur (now Vijayapura), the massive Gol Gumbaz has been declared the 'Architectural Science Wonder'.

5. Mysore Palace: Dating back to the 19th and 20th century, the world-famous Amba Vilas Palace, which the Wodeyar Dynasty envisioned, was declared as the 'Royal Heritage Wonder'.

6. Jog Falls: Considered among the most beautiful waterfalls in India, water gushes from a great height of 830-feet in Shimoga district's Jog Falls. This world-famous visual treat has been declared a 'Natural Wonder on Land'. 

7. Netrani Island: Symbolic of love itself, this heart-shaped island on the Arabian Sea off Murudeshwar in Uttara Kannada district has been declared a 'Natural Wonder on Water'.

Addressing the gathering on this occasion, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said that the 'Seven Wonders of Karnataka' has created a fresh tourism model for the state. "I have already set in motion the preparation of a detailed development plan for Hirebenakal, which is a part of this stellar list of wonders. The District Commissioners of each of the seven wonders are asked to submit a blueprint development report to upgrade the facilities at these places," he added.

The Seven Wonders of Karnataka were scooped out after a year of persistent effort and hard work. CM Bommai requested that the list of 5,000 nominated places be handed over to the government. He assured these places would be the blueprint for creating a state tourism promotion plan.

CM Bommai appreciated the meticulous nomination process, whittling down and finally arriving at the Seven Wonders of Karnataka. He lauded the project team for sowing the seeds for a great initiative. He asked that the project not stop here but continue as an annual event. By doing this, said the CM, more precious and lesser-known places will likely emerge.

"These are not just tourism locations but excellent opportunities to impart the true stories of our rich history, heritage and culture," said Bommai.

Karnataka state tourism minister Anand Singh said, "Since I have taken the state tourism office, several development programmes have been initiated in tourism hotspots. Still, there is much more to do. The project of the Seven Wonders of Karnataka should be eternally kept alive. But, the legislative assembly elections are upon us shortly. It is the nature of politics for parties to change and power to shift hands. There should be a commitment to continue protecting and promoting important tourism centers. In this, public cooperation is most important. It doesn't matter who is in power, the district commissioners and tourism department officials should undertake the responsibility unfailingly."

He further added that our country itself is a wonder. Our state is an even more beautiful wonder. There is no doubt that these chosen seven wonders have all that it takes to attract the most curious travellers of the world. He believes that with the right media promotion, these places will stay intact in the hearts and minds of people. 

For a long time now, citizens of the Karavali region are requesting the relaxation of the CRZ (Coastal Regulation Zone) norms to increase commercial and economic activity here. 

During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent visit, he declared a relaxation of the CRZ norms, which is a huge relief to this region. The relaxation will promote economic activity along the coastline. Moreover, tourism spots in this region will get a huge boost.

Karnataka is blessed with hundreds of wonders: Ramesh Aravind

Popular actor Ramesh Aravind, Ambassador of the Seven Wonders of Karnataka project, said that Karnataka is blessed with hundreds of wonders.

"When I was approached to wear the hat of responsibility in choosing just seven out of these hundreds of wonders, I immediately accepted as it is a work of honour. Every year, different beautiful women from across the world wear the Miss World crown. But these wonderful places have been wearing the crown of beauty for years on end. Our scriptures have the beautiful phrase of Satyam-Shivam-Sundaram, which literally translates to Truth-Godliness-Beauty. It means that the truth of existence, more than being good, is an experience of Godliness. Similarly, if an idea has to be eternally beautiful, it has to possess these qualities of truth, Godliness and essence."

The Seven Wonders of Karnataka are not just a visual treat. He explained that they also carry the essence of belonging, along with reflecting our culture, heritage and, above all, truth.

"We may have many differences in language, caste, creed and the God we worship. These Seven Wonders unite all of us with our differences of nationality, language and beliefs to agree on the beauty of these wonders. The chosen Seven Wonders have an extra edge for their great potential. They attract visitors from all over the world to our state to first plan their visit to these seven wonders. These places serve as lessons of our stories and heritage to keen students of our culture. This is the state's first brave attempt, making an official entry into the Seven Wonders," Ramesh Aravind added.

Koppal Deputy Commissioner Sundaresh Babu, Vijayanagara Deputy Commissioner T Venkatesh, Hassan Deputy Commissioner M S Archana, Vijayapura Deputy Commissioner Mahantesh Danammanavar, Mysuru Deputy Commissioner Dr. T V Rajendra, Shivamogga Deputy Commissioner's representative Assistant Commissioner Pallavi, and Uttara Kannada Deputy Commissioner Prabhulinga Kavalikatti received the certificates and official declaration for the winning Wonders of Karnataka.

Kannada Prabha daily newspaper and Asianet Suvarna News channel collaborated with the Karnataka Tourism Department to undertake this mega project of identifying and promoting the 'Seven Wonders of Karnataka'. 

The Selection Panel 

The jury that chose the Seven Wonders of Karnataka included:

- VC and social evangelist in the startup ecosystem Prashanth Prakash
- Three-time Grammy-winning musician, Global Goodwill Ambassador and environment activist Ricky Kej
- Director of films like Wild Karnataka and Gandhada Gudi, wildlife photographer Amoghavarsha
- President of the Karnataka Itihasa Academy, renowned prehistory and history expert Dr. Devarakonda Reddy
- World-renowned speed painter and young world traveller Vilas Nayak
- Managing Director of the Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation and Joint Secretary to the chief minister G Jagadeesha.
- Editor-in-Chief of Kannada Prabha and Asianet Suvarna News Ravi Hegde.

The Selection Process 

The Seven Wonders of Karnataka project was announced to identify the top Seven places within the state that truly represent the best Karnataka offers, including its land, water, forests and seas, architecture, science, sculpture, art, history and heritage. 

Enthusiastic Kannadigas sent in as many as 5000 nominations from every nook and corner of the state. An internal jury went through every nomination and whittled down the places to 100. These 100 places were put through the test of fire, that is public voting. 

Over 82 lakh votes were registered on various platforms, including Kannada Prabha newspaper, Asianet Suvarna News channel and the Website. From these votes, the top 21 places with the highest number of votes proceeded to the final stage. It took a year to conduct detailed surveys on these 21 finalists. 

A seven-member panel of tourism and history experts critically evaluated these places on seven-point criteria. The panel thoroughly discussed each place based on the seven criteria: history, making/construction and materials used, speciality and identity, beauty, artistic skills, enormity, and current state/condition. The Seven Wonders of Karnataka were arrived at unanimously by the panel.