Govt. wakes up to UNESCO alarm on Hampi

By S.K.Ramoo

BANGALORE, JAN. 19. The S. M. Krishna Government has woken up belatedly to the reported threat by UNESCO authorities to withdraw the World Heritage Site classification given to Hampi, in Bellary district.

The unauthorised construction activities, quarrying, building of bridges, encroachments near the historic site and the menace of ``Hippies'', have all combined to endanger and degrade the world famous Hampi. .

According to historians, Hampi, a flourishing capital of the Vijayanagar empire in the 13th and 14th centuries, was larger than ancient Rome and a bigger trading centre than Baghdad.

According to Dr. Suryanath Kamath, president of the Mythic Society and Karnataka Itihasa Academy, Hampi once had a population of two million and was one of the biggest diamond and gold trading centres of the world.

A group of historians and research scholars, including Dr. M. Chidananda Murthy, Dr. Suryanath Kamath, Dr. S. Nagaraj and Dr. H. M. Maralusiddiah, addressing a press conference in Bangalore last Tuesday, highlighted several nefarious and illegal activities taking place in Hampi.

According to them, a Hippy community, habituated to drugs, narcotics and alcohol, is reportedly living in several historic mantaps on the site. Quarrying operations for the extraction of granite also pose a threat to the Hampi ruins.

The Karnataka Government itself is adding to the woeful picture. It is engaged in the construction of two bridges near the monuments. It has also permitted the construction of several illegal structures, including hotels and holiday resorts, near the site. An MP from the district is reportedly running a holiday resort nearby.

The historians alleged that close to the Virupaksha temple a slum has come up with the help of local political patronage.

It is named after Mr. M. P. Prakash, former Minister and senior Janata Dal (U) leader of the district.

Some 15 years ago, the UNESCO authorities, realising the historical importance of Hampi, declared it a World Heritage Site.

In Karnataka, only Hampi and Pattadakal in Bijapur district - an example of the temple architecture of the Chalukyas of Badami, were given the honour of the World Heritage Sites by the UNESCO. For the current neglect and debasing of Hampi, both the State and Union Governments are to blame.

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), in charge of protecting the site and its monuments, has failed to curb several illegal activities in and around Hampi.

A UNESCO expert, after visiting the site, is reported to have recommended that the ASI authorities delete it from the list of World Heritage Sites.

Following this, a UNESCO representative, Dr. Cheerenjeevi Singh, who earlier served the Karnataka Government in different capacities as an IAS officer, is said to have written to the Union Government to take immediate steps to restore the safety and sanctity of the Hampi monuments.

The UNESCO threat stirred the Chief Minister, Mr. S. M. Krishna, into action. He established a task force headed by the State Additional Chief Secretary, Ms. Achala Moulik, a writer and historian, to recommend measures for Hampi's resurrection.

In addition to several senior bureaucrats as its members, the task force has Dr. B. Narasimaiah, a senior retired ASI official, who was involved in the restoration of the world famous Angkor Wat temple in Cambodia, and Dr. Suryanath Kamath.

According to Dr. Kamath, the excavation and restoration project at the Hampi site, launched two decades ago, ended owing to a funds crunch and the indifference of the administration.

Meanwhile, the Union Minister for Culture, Sports and Youth, Mr. Ananth Kumar, who was apprised of Hampi's state of affairs, last week announced at a public function that a special scheme worth Rs. 200 crores would be launched with the help of the State and Union Governments for the development Hampi as a a global heritage centre.

He said efforts would be made to tap Japanese and Austrian aid for the proposed Hampi resurrection project.

The Minister of State for Kannada and Culture, Ms. Rani Satish, declared that the State Government would take up the issue with the Centre to prevail upon the UNESCO authorities not to remove Hampi from its list of World Heritage Sites. She said the Chief Minister would discuss the issue with the Prime Minister during his next visit to Delhi and added that the Government was eagerly awaiting the report of the task force.

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