JOIN USIt is heart-breaking to see the extensive damage that vandals have wrought on structures at the Nava Brindavana located on the banks of the River Tungabhadra at Anegundi in Koppal district. The Brindavana site has been dug up, structures have been dismantled and carved stones have been broken, hurting the sentiments of the Madhva community. The Nava Brindavana is the resting place of nine saints of the community. Not only is the site itself revered by Madhvas but also the desecration has happened in a period of the year considered auspicious by the community. However, police investigating the issue say that the damage is likely to be the work of treasure hunters. The Hyderabad-Karnataka region, which is rich in medieval architecture, has witnessed several similar incidents of historical sites being vandalised by people searching for treasures that hark back to the glorious Vijayanagara period. Apparently, treasure hunters are stripping shrines in the region of their sculptures and pillars and these are then sold to antique collectors.
The wanton desecration of the Nava Brindavana, even if it was the work of treasure hunters, is an assault on the religious beliefs and traditions of a community. It is an assault on religious plurality as much as on our rich cultural and architectural heritage. This is not an isolated incident. A little over five months ago, vandals pushed down pillars in the ‘prakara’ of a Vishnu Temple behind the Elephant Stables at Hampi, which is located just 12 kilometres from the Nava Brindavana site. The damage at Hampi, too, was a deliberate act that the miscreants even captured on camera, as if it was something to boast about. This lack of respect or pride in our historical monuments or places of worship is distressing. Sadly, authorities who should be at the forefront of efforts to preserve and protect these monuments are partly to blame as well. Many of our monuments are in a derelict state, overrun by weeds, littered with trash and being used for anti-social activities. But authorities are unmoved.
Authorities should be providing robust security to monuments, especially those like the Nava Brindavana that are disputed. Devotees of the Uttaradi Mutt and Raghavendra Mutt lay claim to the right to perform worship rituals at the Brindavana and the matter is pending before the Supreme Court. Desecration of the site has the potential to trigger mutual suspicion and violent conflict between the rival claimants. Does the Karnataka government maintain an inventory of historical and religious sites and their condition? It must shed its cavalier attitude to our heritage.