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Paris, May 29, 2003{N°2000-54}
The State government of Karnataka (India)
has decided to relocate two bridges within the Hampi
World Heritage site, in keeping with recommendations
made by UNESCO and the International Council on Monuments
and Sites (ICOMOS) to protect the area and its invaluable
archaeological remains.
Hampi, inscribed on the World Heritage
list in 1984, has given its name to the ruins of the
old capital of the kings of Vijayanagar whose empire
extended over the breadth of India from the 14th to
the 17th century. The "Group of Monuments at Hampi"
was included on the List of World Heritage Sites in
Danger in December 1999. The two bridges which were
being built over the Tungabhadra River in Hampi threatened
the authenticity and integrity of the site.
They were seen as damaging the extraordinary
natural environment of the site. Furthermore their construction
required the dislocation and reconstruction of an important
historical monument within the protected area. It was
also thought that the bridges would increase vehicle
traffic which would have a negative impact on the site
and hamper archaeological research and excavation.
In February this year, UNESCO and ICOMOS
transmitted a two-page document containing recommended
corrective measures for the management of the group
of monuments of Hampi to the Indian authorities. It
stressed the importance of reviewing transportation
within the site.
UNESCO welcomes the decision to relocate
the bridges as a major step in line with the recommendations
made by UNESCO/ICOMOS. This move could pave the way
to removing the site from the List of World Heritage
Sites in Danger. It is also an example of the successful
implementation of the 1972 Convention Concerning the
Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage,
of which India is a signatory, to ensure the protection,
conservation, presentation and transmission to future
generations of World Heritage sites.
UNESCO News.
Photos Clare Arni from "New Light on Hampi"
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