Politics and livelihood issues around a ‘half statue’ in Karkala Premium

The Parashurama Theme Park project, which involved the installation of a 33-ft-tall statue of Parashurama, at Bailoor in Karkala taluk is mired in controversy with allegations and counter-allegations between political parties. Meanwhile, local people who were hoping for a tourism boom are a disappointed lot. Bailoor's unfinished Parashurama statue sparks political controversy, dashed hopes of tourism and economic growth in Karkala, Karnataka.

A strange sight greets anyone who enters Bailoor, a small town in Karkala taluk of Udupi district in coastal Karnataka: a statue on a hillock with no torso. This is a portion of what was meant to be an impressive statue of Parashurama, an avatar of Vishnu in the Hindu pantheon whom the devout believe carved out the western coast with his axe. On getting closer, one realises that what was meant to be a theme park around this statue and a great tourism draw is also in disarray.

The “half statue” that has been standing at the centre of the village for over eight months now is witness to much political slugfest and hopes of better livelihood of locals being dashed.

A 33-year-old woman who sells meat (who did not wish to be named) said her business had improved significantly after the theme park was inaugurated in January 2023, as several hotels started banking on improved tourism. But about nine months later, the situation changed drastically, forcing business establishments to shut down one by one. This was thanks to politics that started brewing around the statue.

“Everyone here was jumping with joy for Karkala was finally having a major tourism spot attracting many visitors. This led to the mushrooming of shops, hotels, and eateries in the vicinity, thus creating jobs for locals. My business shot up as new restaurants started buying fish and meat and they too had good business,” she says.

Locals estimate that more than 1,000 people were visiting the park, which had a 33-foot bronze statue of Parashurama, every day. The statue was standing atop a 450-foot-tall rock. People from many parts of the State used to visit the place which also has an amphitheatre with a seating capacity of 1,000, a bhajan mandir, an art gallery, and a film studio.

In October 2023, however, the park was closed to the public and it has not opened since then, forcing the shopkeepers to leave the place.