The erosion of Karnataka's heritage, brick by brick

Encroached, vandalised or outright destroyed — the ‘protected monuments’ that are a vital part of Karnataka’s rich heritage whisper tales of their decline. Their custodians, however, have little idea of the extent of damage, let alone a plan for their revival.

With 506 historical structures, Karnataka is home to the second largest number of ‘centrally protected monuments’ under the jurisdiction of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), after Uttar Pradesh.

A further 844 monuments are under the aegis of the Department of Archaeology, Museums and Heritage (DAMH) in the state. Yet, the authorities seem to be helpless when it comes to preserving these historical structures.

The ASI has officially stated that 48 of 506 monuments in Karnataka have been encroached. A visit to some historic sites indicates that this might be an underestimation.

Take the case of Hampi, declared a world heritage site in 1986. Eighteen sadhus reside in Malyavanta Raghunath Temple, listed as a protected site by the ASI.

“I am the fourth generation Baba heading this Ashrama. Our forefathers used to live here even before the formation of ASI. Why should we vacate?” Padmanab Acharya, head of the ‘Ashrama’, says.

At Aihole, some 150 km west of Hampi, at least 40 of 120 protected monuments have been converted into houses, cattle sheds, and storerooms by villagers.

In Vijayapura, locals say that 78 of the 92 Adil Shahi monuments have been encroached.

In Kalaburagi, no action has been taken so far even after the High Court directed the district administration to evict over 200 families inside the Gulbarga Fort.

Some monuments have even ‘disappeared’ due to encroachment or development works.

U T Vijay, the Chief Scientific Officer of the Karnataka State Council for Science and Technology, recently led a project to digitally document the state’s heritage.

He said as many as 35 megalithic monuments near Jadigenahalli in Bengaluru rural district were found missing, when they visited the site for 3D mapping. “Locals said that these monuments were removed during road widening,” he said.

“As per the records, Bengaluru city has 175 inscription stones, which date back to thousands of years. However, today we can trace only 60. The rest have been lost to unplanned development and encroachment,” said heritage enthusiast Uday Kumar, a member of Inscription Stones of Bengaluru.

Similarly, the Siddeshwara Temple in Neerthadi in Davangere district, a protected monument, “does not exist”.

The recent destruction of a protected monument in Doddagaddavalli village in Hassan district also brought the focus on ASI’s lax approach and attitude towards conservation.

Shortage of staff

What about protecting these monuments, so encroachments do not happen in the first place?

Officials and experts say efforts to protect the monuments are crippled by inadequate staff, shortage of funds and the absence of a participatory approach to conservation.

P Kalimuttu, the Deputy Superintendent of the Hampi mini-circle under the ASI, says his office is functioning at 30% of its strength. In the Dharwad circle, just 45% of the positions have been filled.

Data provided by the DAMH shows that of the 116 sanctioned Group-D posts — to guard more than 844 ‘notified structures’ in the state — over 68% are vacant.

To top it all, none of the handful of contract workers and daily wage labourers deployed at the monuments are trained in protecting them.

While this remains the dismal state of affairs of protected monuments, experts say that over at least a thousand other structures will sink into oblivion before they are even noticed by conservation agencies.

According to citizen historian Ayazuddin Patel, there are more than 120 historical monuments in and around Kalaburagi city. However, just 22 are listed as protected monuments.

A majority of those neglected monuments are either in dilapidated condition or have collapsed, he says.

DAMH Commissioner B R Poornima said the department has no clear figures on the total protected monuments that are in a dilapidated condition or encroached in the state.

“Recently, the State government gave approval to conduct a survey (Samrakshana programme) of the historical monuments in Karnataka. On a pilot project basis, we have taken up surveys in five districts and based on the findings, the survey will be extended across the state in the next five years. The exercise will help us in identifying unprotected monuments also,” she said.

While the total exercise is expected to be completed at an estimated cost of Rs 20 crore, just Rs 20 lakh has been allocated in this year’s budget.

Treasure hunters

After encroachers, it is treasure hunters who are posing a threat to the monuments. Several cases have been reported from across the State where miscreants in search of ‘hidden treasure’ have been digging up idols.

“Till two years back, the Jain temples at Arasibidu near Pattadakallu were intact. However, of late, miscreants have been illegally excavating deserted houses and temples in the area every new moon day,” said Somashekar Kudachi, a guide at Pattadakallu.

“Providing security to isolated monuments is difficult and treasure hunters take advantage of it,” says an officer.

Experts also pointed out that ASI has failed to protect the prehistoric sites in the state.

Sanganakallu in Ballari, Sidlaphadi near Badami, Hire Benakal and Chikkabenakal near Gangavathi in Koppal district, Brahmagiri archaeological site in Chitradurga district are some of the sites which hardly have any protection.

Fund crunch

According to data provided by DAMH, on an average the State government has allotted Rs 33.22 crore per year to the department over the last five years, of which nearly Rs 10 crore is annually spent on salaries and pension of its employees.

“Every year we get a maximum of Rs 5 crore to take up conservation, renovation and repair works,” an official said.

The situation is no different for the ASI as over the last three years, the three circles have received Rs 23 crore on an average every year, for conservation work. A senior officer in Dharwad circle said they could not take up major works in their circle because of the red-tapism prevailing in the department.

“Even to take up renovation work worth Rs 5 lakh, the circle officials have to send the file to Delhi for approval. Clearance of file gets delayed,” he said while adding that it was only two months ago the limit has been enhanced to Rs 25 lakh.

Meera Iyer, convenor of Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage’s Bengaluru Chapter, says everyone in the Government speaks of protecting historical monuments but hardly any funds are provided to places that need it the most. “Government should be the primary agency to protect these monuments, however, what we have seen is practically zero restoration. We must realise that restoration of monuments adds economic value. Unfortunately, it is not on our priority list,” she said.

Citizen participation

Nadoja H G Daddi, who has fought and ensured protection of historical monuments of Vijayapura, said one of the best ways to protect these monuments is by involving locals. “Create awareness among the locals about the importance of these monuments and encourage them to protect them.”

According to Uday, one of the major reasons for the poor protection of the monuments by locals is the lack of awareness about their historical importance. “Nowhere in our formal education do we teach students about the monuments around them. Unless we are aware of our history, how will we protect it?” he asked.

Eeranna Poojar, a guide at Hampi, said, “Take the local people into confidence. Train them to guide tourists and protect the monuments. Have a set route in open places like Hampi. This will ensure the monuments are secure and localites make a living.”