HAMPI: When you enter some of the temples, the heritage monuments, in Hampi, you see disfigured deities, paintings on the walls damaged, even temple boulders used for building new structures and some new Hanuman carvings added on the temple walls. And then you can see some people performing puja with all the paraphernalia strewn around.
They claim to have legal sanction to stay there. This is a decade-old problem. Though initially only one temple was occupied, in these ten years, five more temples have seen encroachments by different groups of people.
These are the monuments protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Asked about the encroachments and the defacement, ASI officials express their helplessness and say any attempt to remove them has been unsuccessful as these encroachers come with heavy political connections.
Presently, the six protected temples encroached upon belong to the Vijayanagar period in Hampi and Anegundi. These include Malyavanta Raghunath Temple, Pampa Sarovar Temple, Anjanadri Devi Temple, Anjaneya Devasthana near Kaddirampura Cross Hospet Road, Guddada Thimmappa Devasthana, Kampli Road and Nichanike Anjaneya Devasthana, Kampli Road.
Loudspeakers too have been installed inside the sanctum sanctorum and the encroachers perform rituals, which is barred as per ASI rules unless there is a long continuing tradition. Take for instance the famous Malyavanta Raghunath Temple located on a mountain on Kampli Road. This beautiful temple is carved out of a single large boulder on which seated images of Ram and Sita along with a kneeling Hanuman and standing Lakshman have been carved with great precision.
This is one of the four temples where four-five families have taken shelter inside the temple complex and they cook, sleep and reside there. When TNIE spoke to one of the members who was reciting Valmiki Ramayan inside the Raghunath temple, he claimed they had taken permission from the Delhi High Court to live inside the temple and perform puja.
Encroachers have occupied six temples in Hampi: Expert
One of the members of the group added, “We are from Satna in Madhya Pradesh and taken permission from the court and recite the Valmiki Ramayan throughout the day. We are descendants of Lord Hanuman and have every right.”Jeer Gundappa, a local priest of Kamlapur, said, “Puja is allowed legally only in very few temples like the Virupaksha Temple. None of us enter these hallowed protected monuments but these people are not only performing rituals and defiling the fragile structures but also brought their families to reside inside the temple. In fact, they bring their vehicles inside the complex with the ASI doing nothing.”
A heritage expert said, “They have occupied six temples now and maybe, in the coming years, they will occupy more such heritage monuments if no action is taken by ASI.”However, ASI officials say they have been trying to drive out these families from the protected monuments for almost a decade now but have failed. The Deputy Superintendent, Hampi Mini-circle, ASI, said, “I have been recently posted here and earlier officers too had made all efforts to remove these encroachers. Our staff has warned the encroachers at Raghunath Temple too and asked them to vacate the place.”
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