On the occasion of Valmiki Jayanti, Karnataka's Chief Minister paid tribute to the ancient sage who gave the world the Ramayana — and did so not in Bengaluru, but in the heart of northern Karnataka. The Chief Minister's Office of Karnataka announced on Monday, 26 October 2026, that Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar participated in the Maharshi Valmiki Jayanti programme held near the Circuit House in Belagavi, offering floral tributes to the portrait of Aadikavi Maharshi Valmiki and flagging off the traditional procession organised in his honour.

Belagavi's Circuit House becomes the stage for Valmiki Jayanti observance

The ceremony at the Circuit House, Belagavi, brought together senior members of the Karnataka government alongside the Chief Minister. Minister Satish Jarkiholi and legislators N.H. Konaredddy, C.S. Nadagowda, Smt. Lakshmi Hebbalkar, and Asif Seth were among the prominent attendees, underlining the political weight the ruling establishment attached to the event.

The CMO quoted the sage's timeless message — 'Satya, dharma, karuṇe mattu mānavīyate ye badukinā nijavaada maulyagaḷu' — 'Truth, righteousness, compassion, and humanity are the true values of life.' It is a line that frames the occasion not merely as a government function, but as an affirmation of a philosophical inheritance.

Who was Maharshi Valmiki — and why Jayanti matters

Maharshi Valmiki, revered as the Aadikavi (the first poet), is traditionally credited with composing the Ramayana, one of the oldest and most widely read epics in the world. His teachings on truth, duty, and compassion have shaped Indian thought across millennia. Valmiki Jayanti, observed on the full moon of the Ashwin month in the Hindu calendar, is marked with processions, cultural programmes, and community gatherings across the country.

For Karnataka's administration, the Valmiki community holds considerable social and political significance, particularly in the northern districts of the state — a belt that includes Belagavi. Chief ministers attending Jayanti observances is a well-established tradition that combines cultural respect with community outreach.

The choice of Belagavi — rather than the state capital — signals deliberate visibility in a region where the government's presence at community events carries particular resonance. The procession flagged off by the Chief Minister winds through local streets, carrying the message of the sage's values into the city's public life for the day.

Valmiki's ideals, the CMO noted, 'are always a guiding light for us' — a phrase that lands both as tribute and as a quiet statement of political alignment with the community's heritage.