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Group of Monuments at Hampi

India
Factors affecting the property in 2013*
  • Effects arising from use of transportation infrastructure
  • Ground transport infrastructure
  • Management systems/ management plan
Factors* affecting the property identified in previous reports
  • Lack of an operational site management plan;
  • Lack of traffic regulations limiting heavy duty vehicular traffic;
  • Construction project for two cable-suspended bridges in the property.
UNESCO Extra-Budgetary Funds until 2013

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 2013
Requests approved: 2 (from 2001-2003)
Total amount approved : 92,370 USD
Missions to the property until 2013**

2000: World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS reactive monitoring mission; 2001: expert technical assessment mission; 2003 and 2004: World Heritage Centre and expert advisory missions; August 2005: World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS advisory mission; February 2006: World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS advisory mission; January 2007: 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 2013

On 31 January 2013, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, which provides the following information on the progress achieved with regard to the recommendations outlined in Decision 35 COM 7B.66. The State Party had also submitted information on 22 February 2012 in response to a request for information on demolitions at the Bazaar.

a)  Demolition and removal of the remaining debris, pillars and carriageway of the collapsed bridge

The Department of Public Works and Ports and Inland Water Works, Government of Karnataka, has initiated the mandatory administrative process for a tender to remove the remaining debris.

b)  Appropriate decisions of a new more suitable location for a vehicular bridge outside the current and possible future boundaries of the property

Alternate locations for the carriage way outside the current buffer zone have been identified and proposed in concurrence with the Integrated Management Plan (IMP), and will be implemented once the necessary impact assessments have been completed.

c)  Proposal for the extension of the buffer zone boundaries of the property

The proposal for the extension of the buffer zone was submitted and approved by the 36th session of the World Heritage Committee (Decision 36 COM 8B.51).

d)  Completed Integrated Management Plan together with a synthesis and a prioritisation of existing recommendations and intentions

The State Party reports that the completion of the Integrated Management Plan (IMP) is an ongoing process since 2005 (with a draft submitted to the World Heritage Centre in 2006), involving mandated agencies and stakeholders at local, regional and national levels. Several sectoral studies and plans, which have been completed and submitted to the World Heritage Centre, form the basis for the finalization of the IMP together with the Joint Conservation Programme. The IMP will be submitted once it has been approved by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the Government of Karnataka.

e)  Confirmation that the finalized and approved Integrated Management Plan is fully resourced, and will be implemented;

Provision of funds to implement and operationalize the IMP has been a continuous commitment of the Government since 2005. The State Party reports that funds have been obtained annually through government schemes, programmes and internal budgets available to the mandated agencies.

f)  Demolition of encroachments at Hampi Bazaar

In response to reports received concerning the demolition of contemporary commercial and residential structures at Hampi bazaar on 29 July 2011, the World Heritage Centre requested additional information which was provided by the State Party on 22 February 2012. The explanatory note indicated that the demolitions of July 2011 were initiated by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the State Government of Karnataka following an order of the High Court of Karnataka and the illegal constructions at Hampi bazaar had been cleared. The State Party stated at the time that further demolitions were planned and that these would be carried out under careful supervision and with full protection of the historic mandapas to which some of the contemporary structures are connected. The State Party further explained that the complete demolition and relocation of the contemporary structures would promote a better understanding of the medieval bazaar near the Virupaksha temple and thereby the Outstanding Universal Value of the property.

With regard to the reported removal of the encroachments and the subsequently initiated rehabilitation programme, the State Party clarified in its 2013 state of conservation report that a compensation package for affected families has been drawn up by the Government of Karnataka and that the compensation of these families is in progress.

g)  Other conservation issues

 

The State Party report includes information on a number of conservation works carried out by ASI within the protected area, and measures taken to address notably the security of the monuments, signage and solid waste management.

Analysis and Conclusion by World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies in 2013

The World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies note the steps initiated for the removal the debris of the collapsed bridge and the proposed location of the vehicular bridge, although no timeframe for their completion have been provided.

Despite the commitment expressed by the State Party with regard to the finalisation and full implementation of the Integrated Management Plan since 2005, progress remains very slow. Furthermore, the State Party report does not fully clarify the modalities of its implementation and no information concerning the sustainability of its funding has been provided. 

The World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies consider that the living function of the Virupaksha temple needs to be recognized as supporting the Outstanding Universal Value of the property. They are of the view that the relationship between modern use and protection of the fabric and setting of the Virupaksha temple needs to be managed with the utmost sensitivity. Therefore, they suggest that the Committee may wish to recommend the State Party to elaborate, in close cooperation with the local community, a strategy and action plan for the Hampi bazaar area to:  (1) develop within the Integrated Management Plan (IMP) necessary legal and planning tools to prevent any further encroachments at the Hampi bazaar; (2) develop a conservation strategy for the protection of the historic mandapas near the Virupaksha temple, in line with the IMP. 

 

In view of the above, the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies recommend that the World Heritage Committee expresses its concerns with regard to the slow progress with the Integrated Management Plan and request a reactive monitoring mission to the property to review the steps taken to implement the 2007 reactive monitoring mission recommendations, and the implementation of previous Committee Decisions. 

Decisions adopted by the Committee in 2013
37 COM 7B.61
Group of Monuments at Hampi (India) (C 241)

The World Heritage Committee,

1.  Having examined Document WHC-13/37.COM/7B,

2.  Recalling Decision 35 COM 7B.66 adopted at its 35th session (UNESCO, 2011),

3.  Acknowledges the steps taken by the State Party to address the removal of debris of the collapsed bridge and the relocation of the vehicular bridge outside of the property;

4.  Reiterates its request to the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre the completed Integrated Management Plan together with a synthesis and a prioritisation of existing recommendations and intentions, for review by the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies,

5.  Also acknowledges the information provided by the State Party concerning the demolition works in the Hampi bazaar area following a decision of the High Court of Karnataka and the compensation scheme for affected families;

6.  Encourages the initiatives of the State Party to elaborate, in close cooperation with the local community, a strategy and action plan for the bazaar area to:

a)  Develop within the IMP necessary legal and planning tools to prevent any further encroachments at the Hampi bazaar,

b)  Develop a conservation strategy for the protection of the historic mandapas near the Virupaksha temple, in line with the IMP. 

7.  Requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2015 , an updated report on the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 39th session in 2015

37 COM 8E
Adoption of retrospective Statements of Outstanding Universal Value
The World Heritage Committee,

1.  Having examined Documents WHC-13/37.COM/8E and WHC-13/37.COM/8E.Add,

2.  Congratulates States Parties for the excellent work accomplished in the elaboration of retrospective Statements of Outstanding Universal Value for World Heritage properties in their territories;

3.  Adopts the retrospective Statements of Outstanding Universal Value, as presented in the Annex of Document WHC-13/37.COM/8E, for the following World Heritage properties:

  • Andorra: Madriu-Perafita-Claror Valley;
  • Argentina: Cueva de las Manos, Río Pinturas; Jesuit Block and Estancias of Córdoba; Quebrada de Humahuaca; Iguazu National Park;
  • Australia: Shark Bay, Western Australia; Greater Blue Mountains Area; Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens; Willandra Lakes Region; Kakadu National Park;
  • Austria / Hungary: Fertö / Neusiedlersee Cultural Landscape;
  • Bangladesh: The Sundarbans; Ruins of the Buddhist Vihara at Paharpur;
  • Belgium : La Grand-Place, Brussels;
  • Belgium / France: Belfries of Belgium and France;
  • Bolivia: Fuerte de Samaipata; Tiwanaku: Spiritual and Political Centre of the Tiwanaku Culture; Historic City of Sucre; Jesuit Missions of the Chiquitos;
  • Brazil: Serra da Capivara National Park;
  • Chile: Humberstone and Santa Laura Saltpeter Works; Rapa Nui National Park; Churches of Chiloé; Sewell Mining Town; Historic quarter of the Seaport City of Valparaiso;
  • China: Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area; Mount Huangshan; Mountain Resort and its Outlying Temples, Chengde; Ancient City of Ping Yao; Classical Gardens of Suzhou; Summer Palace, an Imperial Garden in Beijing; Ancient Villages in Southern Anhui – Xidi and Hongcun; Longmen Grottoes; Yungang Grottoes; Yin Xu; Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties; Historic center of Macao; Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor;
  • Colombia: Port, Fortresses and Group of Monuments, Cartagena; Historic Centre of Santa Cruz de Mompox; San Agustín Archaeological Park; National Archeological Park of Tierradentro;
  • Costa Rica: Area de Conservación Guanacaste;
  • Cuba: Trinidad and the Valley de los Ingenios; Desembarco del Granma National Park; Alejandro de Humboldt National Park; Old Havana;
  • Cyprus: Choirokoitia; Painted Churches in the Troodos Region;
  • Denmark: Kronborg Castle;
  • Ecuador: City of Quito; Historic Centre of Santa Ana de los Ríos de Cuenca; Galápagos Islands;
  • El Salvador: Joya de Cerén Archaeological Site;
  • Ethiopia: Aksum; Fasil Ghebbi;
  • Finland / Sweden: High Coast / Kvarken Archipelago;
  • Guatemala: Archeological Park and Ruins of Quirigua; Antigua Guatemala;
  • Germany: Classical Weimar; Messel Pit Fossil Site; Roman Monuments, Cathedral of St Peter and Church of Our Lady in Trier; Aachen Cathedral; Cologne Cathedral; Hanseatic City of Lübeck; Historic Centres of Stralsund and Wismar; Museumsinsel (Museum Island), Berlin; Old town of Regensburg with Stadtamhof; Speyer Cathedral; Town Hall and Roland on the Marketplace of Bremen; Town of Bamberg;
  • Greece: Mount Athos;
  • Honduras: Maya Site of Copan;
  • Hungary: Old Village of Hollókő and its Surroundings; Millenary Benedictine Abbey of Pannonhalma and its Natural Environment; Early Christian Necropolis of Pécs (Sopianae); Tokaj Wine Region Historic Cultural Landscape; Hortobágy National Park - the Puszta; Budapest, including the Banks of the Danube, the Buda Castle Quarter and Andrássy Avenue;
  • Hungary / Slovakia: Caves of Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst;
  • India: Sun Temple, Konârak; Group of Monuments at Hampi; Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya; Elephanta Caves; Great Living Chola Temples; Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus); Mountain Railways of India;
  • Indonesia: Ujung Kulon National Park; Komodo National Park; Lorentz National Park; Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra; Sangiran Early Man Site;
  • Iran (Islamic Republic of): Pasargadae; Takht-e Soleyman;
  • Ireland: Archaeological Ensemble of the Bend of the Boyne;
  • Italy: Venice and its Lagoon;
  • Japan: Yakushima; Shirakami-Sanchi; Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area; Shiretoko; Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities); Shrines and Temples of Nikko; Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range; Itsukushima Shinto Shrine; Himeji-jo;
  • Latvia: Historic Centre of Riga;
  • Lao People’s Democratic Republic: Town of Luang Prabang;
  • Lithuania: Vilnius Historic Centre;
  • Luxembourg: City of Luxembourg: its Old Quarters and Fortifications;
  • Malaysia: Kinabalu Park;
  • Mauritius: Aapravasi Ghat;
  • Mexico: Pre-Hispanic City of Teotihuacan; Historic Centre of Morelia; Earliest 16th-Century Monasteries on the Slopes of Popocatepetl; Historic Monuments Zone of Querétaro; Historic Fortified Town of Campeche; Franciscan Missions in the Sierra Gorda of Querétaro; Agave Landscape and the Ancient Industrial Facilities of Tequila; Whale Sanctuary of El Vizcaino; Ancient Maya City of Calakmul, Campeche; Archaeological Monuments Zone of Xochicalco; Historic Monuments Zone of Tlacotalpan; Pre-Hispanic City of Chichen-Itza; Historic Centre of Zacatecas; Historic Centre of Oaxaca and Archaeological Site of Monte Albán; Sian Ka’an; Luis Barragán House and Studio; Rock Paintings of the Sierra de San Francisco; Archaeological Zone of Paquimé, Casas Grandes; Historic Centre of Puebla; Historic Town of Guanajuato and Adjacent Mines; Pre-hispanic town of Uxmal; Hospicio Cabañas, Guadalajara; Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California; Historic Centre of Mexico City and Xochimilco; Pre-Hispanic City and National Park of Palenque; El Tajin, Pre-Hispanic City;
  • Netherlands: Ir.D.F. Woudagemaal (D.F. Wouda Steam Pumping Station); Schokland and Surroundings; Droogmakerij de Beemster (Beemster Polder); Rietveld Schröderhuis (Rietveld Schröder House);
  • Nicaragua: Ruins of León Viejo;
  • Nigeria: Sukur Cultural Landscape;
  • Norway: Rock Art of Alta; Urnes Stave Church; Bryggen;
  • Oman: Archaeological Sites of Bat, Al-Khutm and Al-Ayn;
  • Pakistan: Taxila; Historical Monuments at Makli, Thatta; Rohtas Fort; Buddhist Ruins of Takht-i-Bahi and Neighbouring City Remains at Sahr-i-Bahlol;
  • Panama: Darien National Park; Archaeological Site of Panamá Viejo and Historic District of Panamá;
  • Paraguay: Jesuit Missions of La Santísima Trinidad de Paraná and Jesús de Tavarangue;
  • Peru: City of Cuzco; Chavin (Archaeological Site); Historic Centre of Lima; Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu;
  • Philippines: Historic town of Vigan;
  • South Africa: uKhahlamba / Drakensberg Park;
  • Switzerland: Abbey of St Gall; Benedictine Convent of St John at Müstair; Old City of Berne; Three Castles, Defensive Wall and Ramparts of the Market-Town of Bellinzona;
  • Thailand: Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai Forest Complex; Thungyai-Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuaries; Historic Town of Sukhothai and Associated Historic Towns; Ban Chiang Archaeological Site;
  • Turkey: Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia; Nemrut Dağ; Great Mosque and Hospital of Divriği; Hierapolis-Pamukkale;
  • United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Blaenavon Industrial Landscape; Blenheim Palace; Canterbury Cathedral, St Augustine's Abbey, and St Martin's Church; Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd; City of Bath; Durham Castle and Cathedral; Giant's Causeway and Causeway Coast; Heart of Neolithic Orkney; Ironbridge Gorge; Maritime Greenwich; New Lanark; Old and New Towns of Edinburgh; Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites; Studley Royal Park including the Ruins of Fountains Abbey; Tower of London; St Kilda; Westminster Palace, Westminster Abbey and Saint Margaret's Church;
  • Uruguay: Historic Quarter of the City of Colonia del Sacramento;
  • Uzbekistan: Itchan Kala;
  • Venezuela : Coro and its Port; Ciudad Universitaria de Caracas;

4.  Decides that retrospective Statements of Outstanding Universal Value for World Heritage properties in Danger will be reviewed by the Advisory Bodies in priority;

5.  Further decides that, considering the high number of retrospective Statements of Outstanding Universal Value to be examined, the order in which they will be reviewed by the Advisory Bodies will follow the Second Cycle of Periodic Reporting, namely:

  • World Heritage properties in the Arab States;
  • World Heritage properties in Africa;
  • World Heritage properties in Asia and the Pacific;
  • World Heritage properties in Latin America and the Caribbean;
  • World Heritage properties in Europe and North America;

6.  Requests the World Heritage Centre to harmonise all sub-headings in the adopted Statements of Outstanding Universal Value where appropriate and when resources and staff time allow to carry out this work;

7.  Also requests the State Parties, Advisory Bodies and World Heritage Centre to ensure the use of gender-neutral language in the Statements proposed for adoption to the World Heritage Committee;

8.  Further requests the World Heritage Centre to keep the adopted Statements in line with subsequent decisions by the World Heritage Committee concerning name changes of World Heritage properties, and to reflect them throughout the text of the Statements, in consultation with States Parties and Advisory Bodies;

9.  Finally requests the States Parties to provide support to the World Heritage Centre for translation of the adopted Statements of Outstanding Universal Value into English or French respectively, and finally requests the Centre to upload these onto its web-pages.

Draft Decision:  37 COM 7B.61

The World Heritage Committee,

1.  Having examined Document WHC-13/37.COM/7B,

2.  Recalling Decision 35 COM 7B.66 adopted at its 35th session (UNESCO, 2011),

3.  Acknowledges the steps taken by the State Party to address the removal of debris of the collapsed bridge and the relocation of the vehicular bridge outside of the property and urges the authorities to provide a timetable for the completion of these works;

4.  Expresses its concern about the slow progress made with regard to the finalisation, adoption and implementation of the Integrated Management Plan (IMP), despite the efforts invested since 2005, and reiterates its request to the State Party to:

a)  Submit to the World Heritage Centre the completed Integrated Management Plan together with a synthesis and a prioritisation of existing recommendations and intentions, for review by the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies,

b)  Provide information on sustainable funding sources for the finalized and approved IMP, as well as an implementation plan;

5.  Also acknowledges the information provided by the State Party concerning the demolition works in the Hampi bazaar area following a decision of the High Court of Karnataka and the compensation scheme for affected families;

6.  Recommends the State Party to elaborate, in close cooperation with the local community, a strategy and action plan for the bazaar area to:

a)  Develop within the IMP necessary legal and planning tools to prevent any further encroachments at the Hampi bazaar,

b)  develop a conservation strategy for the protection of the historic mandapas near the Virupaksha temple, in line with the IMP. 

7.  Requests the State Party to invite a joint ICOMOS/ICCROM reactive monitoring mission to the property to consider the progress achieved in the implementation of the 2007 reactive monitoring mission recommendations and the previous Committee Decisions;

8.  Also requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2015, an updated report on the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 39th session in 2015.

 

Report year: 2013
India
Date of Inscription: 1986
Category: Cultural
Criteria: (i)(iii)(iv)
Danger List (dates): 1999-2006
Documents examined by the Committee
arrow_circle_right 37COM (2013)
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.