Karnataka CM Shivakumar Chooses Renovated Guest House Over 'Jinxed' Official Residence

Since taking office as Karnataka Chief Minister earlier this month, Congress leader D.K. Shivakumar has opted not to move into 'Anugraha', the designated official residence for the state's chief ministers, which several former occupants have considered jinxed. Instead, he is renovating the historic Kumara Krupa guest house in Bengaluru to serve as his official residence.

Renovation work at Kumara Krupa is underway, with earth movers digging a trench to separate the old building from newer structures and scaffolding erected inside the two-storeyed building. The Public Works Department (PWD) is overseeing the project, which includes creating a separate approach road and a six-foot boundary wall. Officials estimate the renovation will take about three months, with Shivakumar expected to move in around October during the Dussehra festival.

'The CM has deep faith in Vaastu and astrology. Changes to the building are being undertaken in consultation with Vaastu experts,' a PWD official said.

The decision has drawn criticism from the Janata Dal (Secular), which accused Shivakumar of altering a heritage building for personal convenience. 'Converting the heritage building Kumara Krupa, where Mahatma Gandhi stayed and which holds memories of Diwan K. Sheshadri Iyer, into a home office merely for personal convenience is a great betrayal of history,' the JD(S) said in a social media post.

PWD officials, however, insisted that the building's heritage character will remain intact. 'Rooms were added to the guest house in the 1960s, and renovation work has been carried out periodically ever since,' an official said.

The belief that 'Anugraha' is jinxed stems from the incomplete tenures of several chief ministers who lived there. The residence was last occupied by the BJP's Sadananda Gowda in 2011, whose brief stint reinforced the superstition. Former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai also stayed briefly before moving to another government residence. Of the CMs who occupied Anugraha — including Dharam Singh, S.M. Krishna, H.D. Kumaraswamy, and H.D. Deve Gowda — only Krishna completed his term, though he lost the subsequent election. Two-time CM B.S. Yediyurappa, known for his belief in Vaastu, never occupied Anugraha, preferring Race View Cottage, which he considered lucky.

Shivakumar's predecessor, Siddaramaiah, also avoided Anugraha during his previous tenure, staying at a private residence. The new CM currently lives at his private house in Sadashivnagar.