Group of Monuments at Hampi

• 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

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

On 10 March 2023, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/241/documents and presents the responses to several conservation issues raised by third parties between October 2020 and February 2023, as follows:

• Development of a road within the property: the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) raised objections, citing that the activities will affect the authenticity, historic fabric and integrity of the landscape. Work has not been initiated;
• Fort of the Kamala Mahal Enclosure: Unanticipated heavy rains led to the bulging of the core materials, which led to the collapse of a portion of the fort in 2020. The conservation of the affected portion of the fort wall is underway and was expected to be completed by March 2023;
• Road-widening activity between Kamalapura-Hospete: ASI organized a meeting with local authorities to address this matter and its possible impact. The State Government has intimated that road widening activities in the buffer and peripheral zones will now be done using traditional materials and will not disturb any archaeological remains;
• Developmental activities related to large-scale tourism development projects: Infrastructure works are being carried out by the State Government at Kamalapura, including a new bus stand within the property. ASI is regularly monitoring these activities and coordinating with the State Government to limit these development activities and avoid any negative impact on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property. Amendments to the zonal regulations have been requested by the Hampi World Heritage Area Management Authority (HWHAMA). The proposals are to extend the development area of villages in the buffer and peripheral zones from 100 m to 250 m from the existing boundary of villages in the property; to provide wayside tourist amenities along the highways; and to provide farm stays in the agricultural lands of each revenue village to facilitate development in the buffer zone. The ASI requested HWHAMA to undertake a study on the feasibility, suitability, and location of these amendments;
• Celebration of Hampi Utsava: The festival has been organised by the State Government of Karnataka to promote culture and tourism for the past 20 years. ASI and State Government of Karnataka work in tandem to ensure that no monument is damaged within the property.

On 13 April 2023, the World Heritage Centre sent a letter to the State Party to verify third-party information concerning large-scale tourism infrastructures (including up to 600 rooms hotels in Anjanadri Hill in Anegundi), in the vicinity of the abovementioned property, which might have an impact on its OUV, notably on the integrity of its landscape setting, particularly the sacred landscape of Hampi. No response has been received from the State Party at the time of drafting this report.

While the new information provided in the State Party’s report is well note, it is regrettable that, for the ongoing road-widening activity between Kamalapura and Hospete, the State Party did not submit to the World Heritage Centre, for review by the Advisory Bodies, the detailed proposal and a Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) in due time, despite the Committee’s request in Decision 43 COM 7B.61 and the provisions of paragraphs 118bis and 172 of the Operational Guidelines. This is especially worrying as the road near the Kamalapur tank area has reportedly been widened already.

While it is noted that the State Party has indicated that, in the future, road widening will be done using traditional materials, such materials should not be extracted from within the property using earth moving equipment, as such practices have reportedly led to damage to temples, including the Kamala Mahal Enclosure, and could impact adversely on archaeological remains.

The State Party reported that the ASI had requested HWHAMA to undertake a study on the feasibility, suitability and location of amendments to planning zones to allow the construction of tourist accommodation. The Committee may wish to request the State Party to submit details of this Plan to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies.

Moreover, the site appears to be affected by significant development pressure, including large-scale tourism infrastructure announced by the Government of Karnataka. For these tourism infrastructure projects, the acquisition process for land that is currently used for agricultural purposes has begun, despite protests from farmers. It is regrettable that the State Party did not provide the information on these proposed projects.

The World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies consider that, for the aforementioned tourism infrastructure development projects and the road widening project, the State Party should undertake an HIA as soon as possible and submit the report to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies. The World Heritage Committee may wish to request the State Party to halt these projects until the HIA report been submitted and reviewed by the Advisory Bodies.

The Committee may wish to remind the State Party of its previous request that details of major projects, including HIAs, should be submitted to the World Heritage Centre, in line with paragraphs 118 bis and 172 of the Operational Guidelines, for review by the Advisory Bodies before any decision is made that would be difficult to reverse.

Furthermore, the Committee may wish to ask the State Party to provide information on the monitoring of the property, in particular the activities undertaken to address tourism development pressures, in line with Decision 37 COM 7B.61 (Phnom Penh, 2013), which requested the State Party to develop a conservation strategy for the protection of the historic mandapas near the Virupaksha temple, in line with the Integrated Management Plan (IMP).

The vulnerability of this property is increasing in the face of a great number of large-scale development projects that may negatively impact on its OUV, and in view of the State Party’s commitments for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger in 2006, especially regarding the finalisation and the full implementation of the IMP. These issues need to be addressed and pursued with great urgency in order to have robust management systems and plans in place that can address the property’s conservation, protection, development and management challenges and be realistically implemented on site also with the implementation of the 2011 Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape as a tool. It is regrettable that the State Party did not inform the World Heritage Centre about the current status of the IMP of the World Heritage property, nor its implementation strategy, nor the status of the Master Plan for the entire site of Hampi, despite the Committee’s requests in decisions 43 COM 7B.61 (Baku, 2019), 41 COM 7B.90 (Krakow, 2017) and 39 COM 7B.64 (Bonn, 2015).

In light of the above concerns, it is suggested that the Committee request the State Party to invite a World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission to the property to address the significant issues faced by the property in a comprehensive manner and formulate updated recommendations for a Master Plan for the property, besides its IMP, so that the property can address both conservation and development needs in a holistic manner.