Heritage activists oppose road criss-crossing Hampi ruins

The Hampi World Heritage Area Management Authority has taken up a slew of development works in the erstwhile capital of the medieval Vijayanagar Empire. And the latest entry to the list - a km-long 40-feet wide road amid the ruins.

The Public Works Department has prepared an action plan for the proposed road in the heart of the heritage town. The PWD has estimated a cost of Rs 4.50 crore for the road and A proposal on the same has been submitted to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) - Hampi Circle.

The proposed road cutting through the Vijayanagara ruins has drawn fierce opposition from the local heritage activists. “Hampi is an open-air museum and continues to be an important site due to its magnificent archaeological remains. Modern construction work will ruin its beauty. Already concrete structures in the name of ticket counter and canteen have come up behind Krishna Temple and near Gejjala Mantapa. Now the proposed road will only spoil the heritage value of Hampi,” local heritage activists Y Shashidhar and J Shivakumar told DH.

However, the Hampi authority has a different take on the proposed road.

Hampi authority Commissioner P N Lokesh told DH, “The road which passes through the Krishna Temple Mantap is narrow. The vehicles while negotiating the narrow road ram into or brush past the mantap. Such incidents occur quite often. In order to prevent damage to the mantap and also ensure smooth passage of vehicles, the authority has decided to lay a 40-feet wide road from Akka-Tangi Gudda (hills) to the Kaddirampur Main Road,” he explained.