Bangalore, Aug 9 - Eighteen years after it was installed, the statue of Tamil saint-poet Thiruvalluvar was finally unveiled here Sunday with Bangalore ignoring calls for a shutdown from pro-Kannada outfits opposed to the statue.

Tamil Nadu and Karnataka Chief Ministers M. Karunanidhi and B.S. Yeddyurappa pressed a button to uncover the bronze statue of the author of the Tamil classic 'Thirukkural' near Halasur Lake in the central business district. The area is largely populated by Tamil speakers.

Several Tamil Nadu ministers and central IT and Communications minister A. Raja and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader M. Venkaiah Naidu were among the hundreds who witnessed the ceremony.

Bangalore police deployed over 3,000 personnel in and around the venue as several pro-Kannada organisations had threatened protests against the unveiling saying Tamil Nadu had not been fair to Karnataka over Cauvery river waters sharing, among other inter-state issues.

Police had detained around 400 pro-Kannada activists Friday and Saturday to prevent possible disruption of the function.