2. • Select a historical site in need of
conservation
• Research about its historic
significance
• Identify the threatening factors
• Suggest the ways of preserving the
geological heritage.
3. The city of Vijayanagar, commonly known as
Hampi ( Hampi ) is located on the banks of
Tungabhadra river in Karnataka, India.
Between 14th and mid of 16th Century Hampi (
Vijayanagar - city of victory ) was the South
India's wealthiest, largest and most powerful
Hindu kingdom.
Hampi is not only known for its historical
importance and magnificent ruins; Hampi's
unique landscape and its religious association
with great epic Ramayana makes it an
important destination for local and
international tourists and pilgrims.
4. According to Ramayana, Hampi
(Vijayanagar ) was ruled by the monkey
kings Vali and Sugriva. The granite boulders
of varying tones of yellow-orange, grey and
pink dominate the Hampi's landscape
, distributed either as hills or as piles of
rocks are said to be flung down by the
armies of Vali and Sugriva in a show of
strength.
For centuries, these hills provided unlimited
supply of building material
5. Between the fourteenth and sixteenth
centuries, this was the most powerful Hindu
kingdom in the Deccan. Travelers' such as
Domingo Paez, who stayed for two years
after 1520, were astonished by its size and
wealth, telling tales of market full of silk and
precious gems, beautiful, bejeweled
courtesans, ornate palaces and joyous
festivities.
However, in the mid of sixteenth
century, the dazzling city was devastated by
a six month Deccan Sultanates siege.
6. The site of Hampi as a whole has been threatened by unplanned
development, inadequate protection and seasonal
flooding, while prior to GHF involvement Chandramauleshwar
Temple was facing a number of immediate threats including:
• Collapsing gateways and fortification walls
• Deterioration of temple exterior/interior
• Misuse of temple for storage and refuse
• Animal and human feces
• Fire damage and scorching
• Water damage/leakage
• Plant growth and intrusion
• Looting and vandalism
8. FLOODING
Flooding is a
recurring
problem in
Hampi. Here,
tracks intended to
transport
materials to the
Chandramaulesh
war Temple
project has been
submerged.
9. A view of the
Chandramauleshwar
Temple support wall
before the flood
Structural instability
is another cause of
damage. Here, the
lower support wall of
the
Chandramauleshwar
Temple is rebuilt to
provide stability to the
temple above it.
10. Stone Quarrying and mining is done
near the temples and the surrounding
hill ranges.
This mining or quarrying leads to:
a) Land Slides
b) Instability in ground resources.
c) Consequent instability of temple
walls.
d) Flooding of plain in monsoon.
11. • The Hampi World Heritage Area Management
Authority conducted a survey of the declared
monuments in Hampi to identify unauthorized
constructions within the limits of the World
Heritage Site and cleared the encroachments near
the site.
• This controlled encroachment of infrastructure
and also controlled the construction of buildings
near the site.
Stone quarrying is also been banned near the site
as a step towards conserving the world heritage of
Hampi.