Heritage sites Hampi, Pattadakal besieged by water

Unesco World Heritage sites Hampi and Pattadakal are besieged by floodwaters. While the heavy discharge from Tungabhadra dam has inundated Hampi, the erstwhile capital of medieval empire Vijayanagar, the swollen Malaprabha has marooned the Chalukyan monuments in Pattadakal.

Several Vijayanagar monuments in Hampi are underwater after the Tungabhadra Board authorities released 2 lakh cusec from TB dam on Saturday.
Purandara Mantap, Chakratheertha, the Vijayanagar-era foot bridge and the ratha beedhi in front of Basava Mantapa are completely submerged.

Floodwaters gushed into the Hampi police station, forcing the police personnel to operate from the makeshift arrangement at Jain Mantap.

Tourists had a tough time as the road connectivity to Vijaya Vittal Temple was cut off following the submergence of Talvaraghatta road. The stranded tourists were brought to Hampi in bullock carts. A vast tract of paddy fields and banana plantation in Hosapete and Kampli taluks have been submerged.

The water level in Tungabhadra reservoir has increased to 1,633 ft, just two feet short of reaching the full reservoir level. The reservoir on Saturday recorded an inflow of 2 lakh cusec.

If the showers continue in catchments of Tunga and Bhadra rivers, the flood situation in Hampi and Nava Brindavan in Anegundi will only worsen.

The flood situation is precarious in Pattadakal, in Badami taluk, where the famed temple complex is under Malaprabha waters for the past three days.

The Chalukyan monuments were flooded when the north Karnataka districts had witnessed a deluge in 2009. This flood, according to the locals, is more devastating.

On Saturday, the rescue team, comprising the personnel of defence forces and NDRF, had rescued 270 people, including scores of tourists, stranded at Pattadakal. The flood victims had taken shelter on the rooftop of temples since Friday evening after the swollen Malaprabha meandered its way into the heritage site.

Religious centres in the vicinity Shivayogmandir and Banashankari are still under floodwaters.