JOIN USAaron James, a fourth grade student from California, was wonder struck while watching a video on the mobile phone of a tourist guide at Hampi. He wore an expression of excitement and disbelief over what he saw.
“This is rock music,” he exclaimed to his parents, fascinated by a man tapping the musical pillars at the famed Vijaya Vittala Temple complex. But Aaron, like many of us, may never experience the music live, as the wondrous, but fragile complex is out of bounds to all.
The musical pillars, which once stood as a testimony to the rich architecture of the Vijayanagar kingdom, are still standing, but with the support of iron pillars, structures and tools put in place by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
In bits and pieces
“We cannot reconstruct anything here. The only thing we can do now is preserve what is left,” says Prakash Nayakanda, Deputy Superintending Archaeologist, ASI, Bangalore Circle and site manager at the World Heritage Centre, Hampi.
He and his team at Kamalapur, which is around two km from Hampi, are responsible for the excavation and conservation works carried out at Hampi. “With people touching and tapping those pillars for so many years, they have lost their strength and vibrations,” Nayakanda adds.
The plight is not restricted to the Vijaya Vittala Temple complex alone. Most of the places with historical and mythological significance in Hampi are in a dilapidated state.
If the Bahamani rulers vandalised most of the sculptures after the fall of the Vijayanagar empire in 1672, present day tourists too have done their share to besmirch the historic city.
Bounty hunters are another cause for concern for local administrators. A few years back, miscreants looking for treasure had dug a brindavan of Narahari Teertha, at Nava Brindavan near Anegundi and Galimantapa at Mathunga Hills. Such incidents have recurred several times since.
But the local police have failed to contain them despite stepping up surveillance in the 26 sq km area of the heritage centre.
Geographical conditions
Apart from this, many rocks have cracked due to weathering, triggered by drastic fluctuation in temperature (in summer the temperature shoots up to 46 degrees, while it plummets to eight degrees in winter). The Akka-Thangi Kallu (sister stones) also broke a few months back. The stones are watered during summers to avert such occurrences.
Human occupancy
Most of the mantapas that served as resting places for foreign traders during the Krishna Devaraya period (1509–1530), were occupied by locals until recently.
They had converted the mantapas into houses and shops. With the Karnataka High Court ordering evacuation of the occupants and demolition of the illegal buildings, the ASI has resumed works.
The department has already demolished illegal constructions in the 100 metre stretch from the Virupaksha Temple to the Nandi Mantapa.
Archaeologists have excavated slab-covered corridors in that stretch. They have excavated another temple next to the Veerabhadraswamy Temple, which was earlier occupied by a family. The gopura of the Virupaksha Temple, which was in deplorable condition has been plastered.
On May 23 2013, the ASI completed work on the tower, on the Kampli-Hospet road, that was destroyed by the bounty hunters in 2012. However, the renovated structure is in no way similar to the old monument that was built by Krishnadevaraya in 1528.
“Our primary aim is to bring these structures back to its original form,” said Prakash. “And we are using ancient methods and substances that were used during the construction of these buildings like lime, sand, alalekaki (kadukai) and jaggery as binding substances.”
However, the shortage of skilled workers and unearthing of ‘mesmerising objects’ have slowed down the renovation work at Vijaya Vittala complex, Virupakasha Bazaar, Mahanavami Dibba, Mint area, Lotus Palace and Queen’s Bath. “We cannot set a deadline for completion of renovation work of such historical places,” says the site manager.
The archaeological department is not only unearthing the hidden artefacts and putting them up for display in museums, it is also planning to beautify Hampi’s landscaped contours with gardens and plaques under guidelines of the Integrated Management Plan.
The work has already been completed at the Sasivekalu Ganesha Temple, the Hemakuta group of temples, Hazara Rama Temple and the underground Shiva Temple.
The responsibility of preserving the national treasures lies not only with the government, but also the visitors who need to act responsibly to restore Hampi’s pristine glory, he adds.