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Group of Monuments at Hampi

India
Factors affecting the property in 2003*
  • Ground transport infrastructure
  • Impacts of tourism / visitor / recreation
  • Legal framework
  • Management systems/ management plan
Factors* affecting the property identified in previous reports
  • Major increase in heavy goods traffic (issue resolved)
  • Dismantling and reconstruction of an important historic monument (issue resolved)
  • Serious problems in the implementation of cultural heritage policies and regulations
  • Lack of a comprehensive management approach and plan
  • Lack of co-ordinating authority
  • Rural development pressure and ad-hoc public works, including the construction of two suspension bridges

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

February 2000:  joint UNESCO/ICOMOS reactive monitoring mission; October 2001: UNESCO International Planning Expert mission;  April-May 2003: World Heritage Centre mission 

Conservation issues presented to the World Heritage Committee in 2003

WHC:

Following the decision of the 26th World Heritage Committee, the Government of India submitted on 25 July 2002 an International Assistance request for Emergency Technical Co-operation to elaborate a management plan for Hampi World Heritage site in Danger. This request is being reformulated in accordance with the recommendation of the Advisory Bodies, but the State Party has expressed its desire for ICCROM and ICOMOS participation to be financed from sources other than the International Assistance allocation since the Advisory Bodies’ recommendation will require the mobilization of an important portion of the project fund for their mission.

The World Heritage Centre, English Heritage and the Indian Authorities organized a Study Tour to the United Kingdom in October/November 2002 for the regional and national site managers of Hampi to share site management experiences with English Heritage.

In April 2003, international experts and NGOs from Hampi alerted the World Heritage Centre on a new decision taken by the State Government of Karnataka to resume the construction work at the large vehicular bridge connecting Hampi and Anegundi, both historic and archaeological areas protected under the World Heritage Convention.

 

A UNESCO mission to Hampi was carried out from 30 April to 11 May by the Deputy Director of the World Heritage Centre together with a regional development and conservation expert (ABF) seconded from the French Ministry of Culture to examine the state of conservation of the property and progress in the implementation of corrective measures. 

The mission noted that since the inscription of the site on the List of World Heritage in Danger, the following measures had been taken by the State Party:

(1)  Demolition of the foot bridge;

(2)  Suspension of completion work of the vehicular bridge; pending construction of a by-pass road to ensure deviation of traffic away from the core area as recommended by UNESCO expert mission of 1999/2000;

(3)  Official establishment by special legislation of the Hampi World Heritage Management Authority composed of Central Government (Archaeological Survey of India), Karnataka State Government, local authorities, community representatives and NGOs;

(4)  Adoption of State regulations banning stone quarrying within the World Heritage protected area (core and buffer), and designation of new quarrying area elsewhere;

(5)  Adoption of official decision to remove illegal informal commerce and squatters from the historic arcade which had been deformed by illegal construction of additional floors and extensions;

(6)  Purchase by State Government of land to build a visitor centre near the main temple to accommodate tourist buses, shops, and other amenities, the design of which is under preparation;

(7)  Initiation of legal measures for purchase of land for the by-pass road (total 4.6 kms of which some 2.5 kms stretch of land under ownership of 21 proprietors);

(8)  Allocation of special central and State Government funds for monument conservation, archaeological surveys, management planning, etc.

 

The UNESCO mission was received by the Minister of Culture and Tourism of the Central Government, State Ministers of Culture and Tourism, and senior officials of the Central and Karnataka State Governments, and was assured that: the vehicular bridge will not be completed until the by-pass road is constructed; that the squatters being removed from the historic arcade will be provided with alternative shops and residence, and that the Hampi Management Plan currently under preparation will take into consideration the feasibility of a new road for through traffic to divert transit passage away from the World Heritage area.

The authorities accepted to reduce the width and elevation of the by-pass road and to follow the natural contour as recommended by the UNESCO mission and welcomed its involvement in the design of the new visitor centre. The mission expressed concern over the anarchic growth of the Kamalapuran and Anegundi villages and recommended planned extensions of the two settlements with architectural design and urban regulations. Mobilization of the important budget for social housing was discussed as a means of realizing the village extensions and to house the squatters to be moved from the core monument areas. Funding from the World Heritage International Assistance to co-finance the Hampi Management Plan will take into consideration the integrated needs of the region.

Decisions adopted by the Committee in 2003
27 COM 12.3
Technical Co-operation in India

India: Group of Monuments at Hampi. Elaboration of a management plan

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Decides to approveUS$ 75,000, of which US$ 28,250 from 2003 funds and US$ 46,750 from 2004 funds.

27 COM 7A.23
Group of Monuments of Hampi (India)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having noted the information provided by the World Heritage Centre further to its mission to the property,;

2. Commends the State Party, particularly the Karnataka State Government, for the tangible action taken to implement the corrective measures to protect the World Heritage property;

3. Congratulates the State Party for the decision to postpone the completion of the vehicular bridge until the by-pass road is constructed and to consider the vehicular bridge to be temporary, pending the identification of a long-term solution within the Hampi management plan;

4. Stresses the importance of the Karnataka State Government adopting provisional regulations for new construction and renovation in the World Heritage protected area to halt uncontrolled urbanization;

5. Recommends to the State Party, the establishment of a technical unit to support the Hampi World Heritage Management Authority and the concerned national authorities, to ensure building control and community advisory service for conservation;

6. Encourages the State Party to mobilize social housing, agricultural support and cottage craft industry subsidies and technical expertise in the elaboration of, and financial resources for, the Hampi management plan, to ensure that conservation and development needs of the local population, especially the poor, are addressed;

7. Invites the State Party to continue consulting UNESCO and the Advisory Bodies in the elaboration of the management plan and in the architectural design of the visitor centre;

8. Requests the World Heritage Centre to strengthen efforts to mobilize international support for the conservation of Hampi, particularly for large-scale regional infrastructure to support conservation and sustainable development objectives;

9. Requests the State Party to submit a progress report to the World Heritage Centre by 1 February 2004 for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 28th session in 2004 on the corrective measures taken;

10. Decides to retain the property on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

27 COM 8B.2
Properties maintained on the List of World Heritage in Danger

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Following examination of state of conservation reports of properties on the List of World Heritage in Danger (WHC-03/27.COM/7A),;

2. Decides to maintain the following properties on the List of World Heritage in Danger:

  • Minaret and Archaeological Remains of Jam, Afghanistan (27 COM 7A.21)
  • Butrint, Albania (27 COM 7A.26 )
  • Tipasa, Algeria (27 COM 7A.17)
  • Royal Palaces of Abomey, Benin (27 COM 7A.15)
  • Angkor, Cambodia (27 COM 7A.22)
  • Manovo-Gounda St. Floris National Park, Central African Republic (27 COM 7A.12 )
  • Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve, Côte d'Ivoire/Guinea (27 COM 7A.4)
  • Virunga National Park, Democratic Republic of the Congo (27 COM 7A.2)
  • Garamba National Park, Democratic Republic of the Congo (27 COM 7A.2)
  • Kahuzi-Biega National Park, Democratic Republic of the Congo (27 COM 7A.2)
  • Okapi Wildlife Reserve, Democratic Republic of the Congo (27 COM 7A.2) 
  • Salonga National Park, Democratic Republic of the Congo (27 COM 7A.2)
  • Sangay National Park, Ecuador (27 COM 7A.13)
  • Abu Mena, Egypt (27 COM 7A.18)
  • Simien National Park, Ethiopia (27 COM 7A.3)
  • Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve, Honduras (27 COM 7A.14)
  • Manas Wildlife Sanctuary, India (27 COM 7A.9)
  • Group of Monuments at Hampi, India (27 COM 7A.23)
  • Old City of Jerusalem & its Walls (27COM7A.29)
  • Timbuktu, Mali (27 COM 7A.16)
  • Air & Ténéré Natural Reserves, Niger (27 COM 7A.5)
  • Bahla Fort, Oman (27 COM 7A.19)
  • Fort and Shalamar Gardens in Lahore, Pakistan (27 COM 7A.242)
  • Chan Chan Archaeological Zone, Peru (27 COM 7A.28)
  • Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras, Philippines (27 COM 7A.25)
  • Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary, Senegal (27 COM 7A.6)
  • Ichkeul National Park, Tunisia (27 COM 7A.8)
  • Rwenzori Mountains National Park, Uganda (27 COM 7A.7) 
  • Everglades National Park, United States of America (27 COM 7A.11)
  • Historic Town of Zabid, Yemen (27 COM 7A.20)

Draft 27 COM 7 (a) 23

 

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having noted the information provided by the Centre further to its mission to the property,

2. Commends the State Party, particularly the Karnataka State Government for the tangible action taken to implement the corrective measures to protect the World Heritage property;

3. Stresses the importance of postponing the completion of the vehicular bridge until the by-pass road is constructed; to consider the vehicular bridge to be temporary pending the identification of a long-term solution within the Hampi Management Plan; to adopt provisional regulations for new construction and renovation in the World Heritage protected area to halt uncontrolled urbanization;

4. Recommends to the State Party, the establishment of a technical unit reporting to the Hampi World Heritage Management Authority, with trained staff and financial resources to ensure building control and community advisory service for conservation; ensure continuity of the top decision-makers of the Hampi Management Authority despite frequent rotation of civil servants;

5. Encourages the State Party to mobilize social housing, agricultural support and cottage craft industry subsidies and technical expertise in the elaboration of and financial resources for the Hampi Management Plan, to ensure that conservation and development needs of the local population, especially the poor, are addressed;

6. Invites the State Party to continue associating UNESCO and the Advisory Bodies in the elaboration of the Management Plan and to review the architectural design of the visitor centre;

7. Requests the Centre to strengthen efforts to mobilize international support for the conservation of Hampi, particularly for large-scale regional infrastructure to support conservation and sustainable development objectives;

8.Requests the State Party to submit a progress report by 1 April 2004 on the corrective measures taken for examination by the Committee at its 28th session;

9. Decides to retain the property on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

Report year: 2003
India
Date of Inscription: 1986
Category: Cultural
Criteria: (i)(iii)(iv)
Danger List (dates): 1999-2006
Documents examined by the Committee
arrow_circle_right 27COM (2003)
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.