Karnataka’s ruling BJP on Sunday, January 15, assured all support to the Isha Foundation and spiritual guru Jaggi Vasudev to develop its centre in Chikkaballapur district as an international destination for devotees. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, after inaugurating the 112-foot-tall statue of Adiyogi at Avalagurki in Chikkaballapur, about 70 km from Bengaluru, stated that the region will see all-round development.
“Our government will support activities which uphold our culture. There is conflict in the country. To maintain balance, Adiyogi is needed. Sadguru’s blessings will be there for the state. Entire Karnataka will see development. There is a force behind it,” he said. Health Minister Dr. K Sudhakar stated that his government pledges support to the Isha Foundation and all its plans in Chikkaballapur.

Jaggi Vasudev declared that Chikkaballapur is going to be an international destination. People from every corner of the world are going to arrive here for exuberance and ecstasy and to know powerful way to live, he said. Remembering his childhood at Chikkaballapur, he said that his mother visited a hill where she got initiated at the age of 11 years. “She practiced yoga and did not reveal anything about it,” he said. “I was drawn here.”
The High Court of Karnataka on January 13, permitted the unveiling ceremony of the 112-feet Adiyogi Shiva statue in Chikkaballapur district, near Bengaluru, to be held as per schedule. The court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL), which alleged that the construction undertaken by Jaggi Vasudev’s Isha Foundation was on an environmentally sensitive area.
The court said that the date of the unveiling had been decided based on the convenience of dignitaries attending it and that it had been decided before the PIL was filed. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Prasanna B Varale and Justice Ashok S Kinagi accepted the union government’s assurance that no construction or deforestation will take place outside of the area required for the event.