New Delhi, April 15, 2017: President Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday inaugurated the Kempegowda Festival here, and said Kempe Gowda was a "just and humane" ruler of the Vijayanagara empire.

The festival is organised by the Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Foundation, an official release said.

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"His genius lay in the fact that he could visualise and implement planned urban development that stands out, as early as in the 16th century A.D. It is a testimony to the genius of Kempe Gowda that Bangalore, despite unprecedented challenges of population, traffic and environmental pollution, remains the Garden City even today," the release quoted him as saying.

The President was glad to learn that the Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Foundation, founded on April 17 last year, is working towards popularising the legendary king and his works.

The President also extended his good wishes to the foundation and hoped that it would achieve its objectives, the release added. (IANS)