Travel » Hampi Travel Guide

HAMPI - KARNATAKA
Hampi Derecognition The magnificent remains of the Vijayanagar Empire (1336-1537), even after 450 years, are still the focus of all of central Karnataka. The massive capital of yore, now called Hampi, is an archaeological boulder strewn site covering 26 sq km with over 500 monuments. Reminiscent of Persepolis in the quality and range of monuments that survive the Hindu empire’s destruction in 1537, it was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and has been a major tourist draw-card for the state.

But today, it is a poignant pointer to the lack of a sense of history among the administrators and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). UNESCO had sent an expert to assess the current status, and according to a report from Paris, there is a move to derecognize the site due to poor preservation.

It is endangered by illegal encroachments and as every recent visitor knows, it has degraded into a shady area of murky deeds. The ASI and the state government authorities have been indicted for poor conservation of these monuments. The 16th century granite wheels of the stone chariot honoring Garuda could even be turned at one time. So, naturally, every visitor and, there are hundreds every day, wanted to try it out. Mercifully, the wheels have been cemented down. But the Vitthala Temple with its stepped eastern area called Dolotsava Mandapam (Hall of Musical Pillars) has columns that produce sounds when struck. So of course every visitor wants to try this out which is an onslaught upon an ancient stone carver’s art.

There are reportedly fissures in the stone chariot. The famed but mutilated Ugra Narasimha monolith was sought to be reconstructed but that spawned a controversy. Thefts, muggings, and robberies at knifepoint are common, and the police advise tourists against wandering at dawn or after sunset, particularly at Vitthala temple, Matangi Hill and by the riverside.