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Group of Monuments at Hampi

India
Factors affecting the property in 2019*
  • Commercial development
  • Effects arising from use of transportation infrastructure
  • Ground transport infrastructure
  • Housing
  • Water (extraction)
Factors* affecting the property identified in previous reports
  • Lack of an operational site management plan (issue resolved)
  • Remains of a collapsed bridge (issue resolved)
  • Effects arising from the use of transportation infrastructure (Lack of traffic regulations limiting heavy duty vehicular traffic)
  • Ground transport infrastructure (Construction project for two cable-suspended bridges in the property; Construction project for the road widening near the ancient Kamalapur tank; Proposed bypass to divert heavy traffic from the property)
  • Commercial development (Demolition works in the Hampi bazaar near Virupaksha temple)
  • Water (extraction) (Irrigation for water intensive agriculture)
  • Housing
UNESCO Extra-Budgetary Funds until 2019

Total amount granted: 25,000 EUR under the France-UNESCO Co-operation Agreement for expert missions (2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011)

International Assistance: requests for the property until 2019
Requests approved: 2 (from 2001-2003)
Total amount approved : 92,370 USD
Missions to the property until 2019**

2000: Joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission; 2001: expert technical assessment mission; 2003 and 2004: World Heritage Centre and expert Advisory missions; August 2005: Joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Advisory mission; February 2006: Joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Advisory mission; January 2007: Joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission; March 2009: UNESCO New Delhi Office technical mission to the property 

Conservation issues presented to the World Heritage Committee in 2019

The State Party did not submit the state of conservation report in 2018, which was requested by the Committee in Decision 41 COM 7B.90 (Krakow, 2017). The Committee’s request referred in particular to the road widening in the Kamalapur tank area, an activity that may negatively impact the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property.

Based on information received from a third party, the World Heritage Centre sent a letter to the State Party on 11 February 2019, requesting information on an alleged case of vandalism at the property. The State Party sent a response on 29 March 2019, which is available at http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/241/documents. This response comprises a short statement on the state of conservation of the property.

The vandalism, recorded on social media, involved pulling down a pillar of a mandapa within the Vishnu temple, which is part of the World Heritage property. The State Party indicated that officials from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) promptly filed a complaint with local police against unknown persons and that, following an inspection of the vandalised structure, the police investigation led to the arrest of three suspects within a week. A Court order issued that the fallen pillar be restored to its original position in the presence of relevant officers of the ASI, and the fallen pillar was therefore re-erected in its original position. The responsible staff at the ASI (Hampi Mini Circle, Kamalapur Sub Circle) assured the World Heritage Centre in writing that such incidents would not occur again in the future.

Additionally, the State Party reported collaboration between the Hampi World Heritage Area Management Authority and ASI since 2016 to draft and implement the Integrated Management Plan of the property, and to draft the Master Plan of the entire Hampi site (29 villages, of which 4 are within the boundaries of the World Heritage property). Consequently, ASI is now responsible for just 57 of the sites within the property and acts as a nodal agency on matters of development while the state department of archaeology is responsible for 1,600 sites over 41.8 km2.

The State Party provided a report on the main conservation works undertaken during the financial years 2017-2019 (Annex 7) and described improvements to public amenities and the upgrade of tourist visitor amenities throughout the property (Annex 8).

Analysis and Conclusion by World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies in 2019

The progress achieved by the State Party, as identified in the above-mentioned reply letter, is welcomed, especially with regard to the immediate investigation and the court order aiming to implement corrective measures in order to revert the act of vandalism at the Vishnu temple.

The joint collaboration between the Hampi World Heritage Area Management Authority and ASI on the Integrated Management Plan for the property and the Master Plan of the entire Hampi site has clarified areas of responsibility and is also welcomed.

However, the State Party did not provide any information on the issue of road widening in the Kamalapur tank area. The issue, therefore, remains a source of concern, as the Committee considered that it might have a negative impact on the OUV of the property in its Decision 41 COM 7B.90. It is therefore recommended that the Committee request the State Party to provide information in that regard as a matter of urgency, for review by the Advisory Bodies, in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines.

Decisions adopted by the Committee in 2019
43 COM 7B.61
Group of Monuments at Hampi (India) (C 241bis)

The World Heritage Committee,

  1. Having examined Document WHC/19/43.COM/7B.Add,
  2. Recalling Decision 41 COM 7B.90, adopted at its 41st session (Krakow, 2017),
  3. Regrets that the State Party did not submit a report on the state of conservation of the property, as requested by the Committee in its aforementioned Decision, but notes the submission of information on the state of conservation of the property in the response to a request for verification of third-party information sent by the World Heritage Centre in the framework of Paragraph 174 of the Operational Guidelines;
  4. Also notes the reports of vandalism at the temple of Vishnu, located within the World Heritage property, welcomes the State Party’s immediate action, and takes note of the Court order regarding corrective measures to revert the act of vandalism;
  5. Also welcomes the collaboration between the Hampi World Heritage Area Management Authority and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to draft and implement the Integrated Management Plan of the Hampi World Heritage property and to draft the Master Plan of the entire site of Hampi;
  6. Also regrets that, despite its previous request, the State Party has not yet provided any information on proposal to widen a road near the Kamalapur tank area, which may have a negative impact on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property, and reiterates its request that the State Party provide, as a matter of urgency, detailed information concerning this project to the World Heritage Centre, for review by the Advisory Bodies, before any decision is made that would be difficult to reverse, in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines;
  7. Requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2020, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies.
Draft Decision: 43 COM 7B.61

The World Heritage Committee,

  1. Having examined Document WHC/19/43.COM/7B.Add,
  2. Recalling Decision 41 COM 7B.90, adopted at its 41st session (Krakow, 2017),
  3. Regrets that the State Party did not submit a report on the state of conservation of the property, as requested by the Committee in its aforementioned Decision, but notes the submission of information on the state of conservation of the property in the response to a request for verification of third-party information sent by the World Heritage Centre in the framework of Paragraph 174 of the Operational Guidelines;
  4. Also notes the reports of vandalism at the temple of Vishnu, located within the World Heritage property, welcomes the State Party’s immediate action, and takes note of the Court order regarding corrective measures to revert the act of vandalism;
  5. Also welcomes the collaboration between the Hampi World Heritage Area Management Authority and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to draft and implement the Integrated Management Plan of the Hampi World Heritage property and to draft the Master Plan of the entire site of Hampi;
  6. Also regrets that, despite its previous request, the State Party has not yet provided any information on proposal to widen a road near the Kamalapur tank area, which may have a negative impact on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property, and reiterates its request that the State Party provide, as a matter of urgency, detailed information concerning this project to the World Heritage Centre, for review by the Advisory Bodies, before any decision is made that would be difficult to reverse, in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines;
  7. Requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2020, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies.
Report year: 2019
India
Date of Inscription: 1986
Category: Cultural
Criteria: (i)(iii)(iv)
Danger List (dates): 1999-2006
Documents examined by the Committee
SOC Report by the State Party
Report (2019) .pdf
arrow_circle_right 43COM (2019)
Exports

* : The threats indicated are listed in alphabetical order; their order does not constitute a classification according to the importance of their impact on the property.
Furthermore, they are presented irrespective of the type of threat faced by the property, i.e. with specific and proven imminent danger (“ascertained danger”) or with threats which could have deleterious effects on the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (“potential danger”).

** : All mission reports are not always available electronically.


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