Karnataka has the second highest number of protected monuments in the country. Apart from the famed and much-visited monuments in Belur, Halebid and Hampi, hundreds of structures built by rulers, from the Chalukyas to Hoysalas and the Vijayanagar empire, need attention.
Encroachment, a lack of historical sense and shortage of experts to preserve monuments are some of the reasons for their pathetic state. As per a recent ASI circular, there are more than 1,400 court cases across the country involving encroachment, land acquisition and other issues. Historian Suresh Moona says there is no sense of history and heritage among people and even the bureaucracy.
“There is no sense of passing on historical heritage to the next generation. Monuments come under the Archeological Survey of India (ASI), the state ASI and some are under the local body. Each blames the others,” he says.
Social media users have thrown a fresh focus on monuments, sharing thousands of photographs featuring heritage structures, often with misleading details and facts. “One of the main reasons for spreading such fake information is lack of availability of information boards about ASI protected monuments,” Moona said.
‘One State, Many Worlds’ goes the logo of the Karnataka State Tourism Department Corporation (KSTDC), in a befitting tribute to the state’s rich history. Unfortunately, Tourism Minister HK Patil’s constituency Gadag itself has ancient temples crying for attention.
The Trikuteshwara Temple in Gadag is one among over 50 temples built by the Western Chalukyas, who ruled this region from 1050 to 1200 CE. This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva, where three Shiva lingas are mounted on the same stone, with each linga representing Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara. Due to a lack of maintenance, plants are growing all over the beautifully carved temple.
This temple complex also houses Saraswathi Temple, where the idol has been vandalised. There is a kalyani in the premises, and just a few metres away is the Someshwara Swamy Temple, built during the same period. It is amid a residential locality, and next to the temple is an open sewage drain. Contrast this with Lakkundi, where the Jain temples and stepwell are neatly maintained.
Hassan district has 20 ASI protected monuments and one protected inscription, including the Chennakeshava Temple in Belur, Hoysaleshwara and Kedareshwara temples in Halebid, the 57-ft Gomateshwara statue and Manjarabad Fort in Sakleshpur. All the temples here were constructed between the 12th and 13th centuries.
The temples were built by the Hoysala and Ganga dynasty kings, include Vishnuvardhana and Veera Ballala II. The tourism department has not provided basic amenities, in spite of multiple memorandums being submitted by tourist guides, temple development committees and locals.
Court battles rage over forts
At present, there are about 150 ASI monuments in Kalaburagi, including Gulbarga Fort and Haft Gumbaz. Noted historian Shambhuling S Vani said though there were monuments inside the fort earlier, now only the world famous Jamia Masjid and Ranamandala have remained. Jamia Masjid was built during the reign of Mohammad Shah I in the year 1367. Most of the monuments here are encroached, and the encroachers who have constructed houses and shops, have gone to court against their eviction, said Shambhuling. The Haft Gumbaz, known as Saar Gumbaz, is also encroached.
Haleri kingdom ruler Muddu Raja built Madikeri Fort in the 17th century, and a palace inside the Fort, which was rebuilt by Tipu Sultan during the 18th century. The Fort was considered a protected monument by ASI in 1920 (during British rule). However, it was later withdrawn after government offices in the district shifted to the Fort premises in 1924. From 1924 till 2019-20, the Fort housed government offices and District Court.
A PIL filed in 2017 by resident Virupakshaiah enabled protection of the Fort. The High Court ordered that the Fort be handed over to the Archeological department, and Rs 10.70 crore was released for its renovation. The renovation process has neared completion even as a proposal to include the monument under the protected monument category of ASI has been forwarded to the Centre.
Sites not recognised by ASI
In Udupi district, the Anantha Padmanabha Temple, and Chaturmukha Basadi and Gomateshwara Statue in Karkala, are just a few of the monuments constructed between the 12th and 15th centuries. Prof T Murugesh, retired professor, Department of Ancient History and Archaeology, said some of the sites and monuments in the district are not recognised by ASI as important, including the rock art sites or Megalithic Dolmen tombs (800BC) which are now facing threat of extinction.
The focus should be on a very important medieval town, Barkur, but there is no protection for sculptures, inscriptions and monuments there, he said. Rock art sites here are of the Neolithic age. The one at Gavali is from 1800 BC, another at Buddana Jeddu also dates to 1800 BC. The rock art site of Avalakki Pare is even older, dating back to 6000 BC to 10000 BC. Yet, there is no protection.
Mangaladevi temple in Mangaluru was built in the 9th century by King Kundavarma of the Alupa dynasty, guided by sage Matsyendranath. Local folklore has it that the sage found the goddess in the area and told the king to build a temple for her. This temple not only serves as a major religious site but also gave Mangaluru its name, which comes from ‘Mangala’, the goddess it honours. The temple showcases traditional Kerala architecture, featuring a sloping roof, a square sanctum, and a large courtyard.
Sulthan Bathery is a historic fort in Boloor, Mangaluru, built in 1784 by Tipu Sultan. The fort was said to have been built to prevent British warships from entering the river. Today, its stone walls are crumbling with the growth of moss and lichen, and has few basic amenities.
Wealth of knowledge
The Chitradurga Fort was built in stages between the 11th and 13th centuries by the Chalukyas and Hoysalas, and later the Nayakas of the Vijayanagar Empire. The Nayakas of Chitradurga, or Palegar Nayakas, were responsible for the expansion of the fort between the 15th to 18th centuries.
The fort was taken over for a short while by Hyder Ali in 1779, and captured by British forces 20 years later, when they defeated his son, Tipu Sultan. The fort is built in a series of seven concentric fortification walls with various passages, a citadel, warehouses for grains and oil, water reservoirs and ancient temples. The fort has many interconnecting tanks that were used to harvest rainwater.
ASI is now planning to set up a sound and light show about the history of the fort. The Brahmagiri inscription and other monuments in the surroundings are in a dilapidated state, rainwater leaks on to the monument and spoiling the inscription. Dharwad district has six monuments, including Chandramauleshwara temple, Basavanna Deva temple, Fort gates and Sri Amruteshwara Temple; the temples were built between 11th and 12th centuries and are known for their carvings, while the fort doors were built in 1403 CE using lime mortar and hard wood. The Chandramauleshvar temple is surrounded by residential areas and tourists have to park their vehicles far from the site.
Kamal Basadi, a magnificent Jain temple, is an ASI protected monument in Belagavi that stands as a testament to the rich cultural heritage of India. Swatee Jog, co-convener, Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (Intach), Belagavi chapter, informed that the temple’s construction dates back to 1204. It was built by Bicchi Raja, a general in the court of Ratta King Kartavirya IV as a place of worship for the Jain community. It has been an important religious centre for centuries. An idol of Bhagwan Neminath, a Jain Tirthankar, is found seated on a stone pedestal inside the sanctum and is worshipped even today.
Publicity needed here
The Amruteshwara Temple at Amrutapura in Chikkamagaluru was constructed by Amruteshwara, who served as a general of Hoysala ruler Veera Ballala II in 1196AD. It is well maintained but needs publicity.
Kavaledurga, an ancient monument situated in the forest area of the Western Ghats in Hosanagara taluk in Shivamogga, poses a challenge for visitors and trekkers to move around. The original fort of Kavaledurga was built in the 9th century, and later renovated and extended by King Cheluva Rangappa of Belagutti in the 14th century. Its marvellous architecture was again renovated in the 16th century by Keladi ruler Hiriya Venkatappa Nayaka, who added seven battlements to protect the fort and renamed it Bhuvanagiri Fort.
The fort was named Kavaledurga because it is situated near the village of Kauli. It was captured by Hyder Ali in the 18th century, and he left his soldiers, Kavalugararu, to protect the fort from enemies. Inside this fort, three temples still exist -- Kashi Vishwanath temple, Sri Lakshmi Narayana Temple and Shikareshwara Temple. ASI maintains the area but it needs basic amenities.
The stone chariot monument located in Vijaya Vittala temple was built by King Krishnadevaraya of the Vijayanagara Empire during the 16th century. The monument was born from his fascination for the Konark Sun Temple chariot, while fighting a battle in Odisha. The stone chariot monument design was inspired by the Dravidian style of architecture. It is a major attraction for tourists who visit Hampi. After tourists tried to touch the monument, the ASI protected the monument with wooden barricades. CCTV cameras and security personnel look after the security of the monument 24x7. It is well-maintained with newly constructed toilets, drinking water units and restaurants. An area of 2km radius around the monument is a non-vibration zone, with only electric buggies operated by ASI.
(Inputs from BR Udaya Kumar/ Hassan, Ramakrishna Badseshi/Kalaburagi, Akash Biswas/ Mangaluru, Prakash Samaga/ Udupi, G Subhash Chandra/ Chitradurga, Mallikarjun Hiremath/ Dharwad, Tushar A Majukar/ Belagavi, B Thipperudrappa/ Chikkamagaluru, Ramachandra Gunari/ Shivamogga, Kiran Balannanavar/ Ballari)