Historians set to explore hidden facts in Karnataka
HUBBALLI: A syndicate of historians from various districts of Karnataka is all set to bring out some little known facts about the glorious past. The interlinking has now been made possible after historians from their respective districts have unearthed some facts, which are not found in the pages of history books.
Nearly 150 such new finds are expected to be presented during a two-day conference of historians to be held at Swarnavalli Mutt of Sonda in Sirsi of Uttra Kannada district from May 4. Out of the 150 new finds, a majority are inscriptions, which are neither taken care by the Central authorities nor the state Archaeological Department. There are statues, sculptures and broken pieces of local history that have now been documented. A fine monument of a door from a temple in Haveri is also among the list of new findings.
“What we known about the history is very little. There is lot more to explore and the syndicate of historians from all parts of Karnataka are working in that direction,” said Lakshmeesh Hegde, historian and one of the directors of Jagrut Vedike, an organisation involved in documenting and restoring heritage monuments.
“For instance, a person from Uttara Kannada district may not know about the history of Dharwad. But, through the project of documenting local and left-out historical facts of all the districts in state, we are inter-linking and providing a common platform to study the history of our state in detail,” he said.
Under Jagrut Vedike, which is headed by Swarnavalli Mutt seer Gagadharendra Saraswati, three dilapidated temples in Sonda were given a new lease of life. Similar efforts will be made elsewhere in Karnataka once papers on new finds are presented. “We are inviting PhD students working on history from eight universities in Karnataka. Besides each district will be represented by a local historian,” he added.
Historians welcome syndicating of experts and say giving local feel to the heritage monuments will help safeguard the monuments. “The monuments belong to the local populace, who living with it for centuries. Getting facts that are local and not on record will promote their protection,” felt Arun Kumar, a historian
from Bengaluru.