Reddy sat on 12 kg gold throne; conducted royal durbar @home

Bangalore, Sept 13: Janardhana Reddy, the Bellary mining baron believes that he is the reincarnation of King Krishnadevaraya of Vijaynagar and used a 12 kg gold throne to conduct royal durbar at his house once in an year with courtesans, said reports.

A report in MiD DAY revealed that Janardana who is currently lodged in a jail in Hyderabad on charges of illegal mining reportedly conducted a secret King's court at his residence.

A golden throne was recovered among the valuables that were seized by the CBI in the raids that took place at his residence.

"The Vijaynagar kings used to hold royal durbar on the ninth day of navaratri during Dusshera celebrations.

Trying to emulate them, Janardana learnt to conduct similar programs on mahanavami (ninth day of navaratri) at his residence. So far, he has done it twice," said the source.

The throne was also designed keeping in mind the use of a particular chair used by Nalvadi Krishnaraja Odeyar of Mysore Empire.

Janardhana on special occasions like puja, festivals and pujas used to seat himself on the throne and also used it in his durbar. The courtesans that attended the durbar included his elite relatives and friends who according to reports benefited from him.

The royal court functioned on the lines of royal traditions with complete music and cultural programmes. Janardhana used to be paid respect by courtesans who offered him kappa(royal tribute to the king) and he in return gave them gifts.

Krishnadevaraya, who belonged to the Tulu speaking community and the famous king from Vijaynagar Empire which spread across Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh was profoundly honoured by both Telugu and Kannada speaking subjects.

Janardhana Reddy like Krishnadevaraya also though of himself to be the leader of both the regions as he belongs to the Telugu speaking Reddy community with his business interest lying in AP and political interest in Karnataka.

Reports also suggest that Janardana, who was so beguiled by king Krishnadevaraya, organised a celebration at Hampi in 2009 which cost him around Rs 60 crore to celebrate the 500th year of the King's crowning.

CBI sources also reveal that Janardana's house was no less than a palace and had 15 air conditioned rooms including a royal garden, a swimming pool and a mini theatre.

"This is just the tip of the iceberg. We are still unearthing his wealth and have seized several documents showing Janardana's money stashed at various locations in various forms," said the source.

Janardana's assets seized by the CBI is worth Rs 294 crore. The the assets included 50 kg of gold with 50 gold bangles, 15 diamond necklaces, gold plates and spoons, several diamond-studded gold necklaces, hundreds of gold and platinum chains, silver and gold puja articles and gold bracelets.

The vehicles included a Rolls-Royce Phantom, a BMW, a Land Cruiser, a Range Rover, 50 Scorpios and a luxury bus worth Rs 5 crore.

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