Hampi, India
Ancient Capital of the Vijayanagara Kingdom
Collapsed stones at Chandramauleshwar Temple.
Beyond the ongoing deterioration of the monuments and sculptures throughout Hampi, there exist serious problems in the current site designation, land use, and the implementation of cultural heritage policies and regulations at Hampi. Only a few monuments in the citadel area of Hampi were designated UNESCO World Heritage or National Heritage, where as the actual setting and the context was not. As well, recent research shows that many important monuments exist outside the protected area that are facing complete devastation, with many being used for building materials of modern structures within the town.
Conservation of historic Hampi has been underway since the end of the 19th century, but much of the conservation work has lacked proper sciences or documentation resulting in poor restoration. A great deal of work at Hampi has been piece-meal in nature and each monument has experienced a wide range of conservation techniques, many unsuccessful.
The site of Hampi as a whole has been threatened by unplanned development, inadequate protection and seasonal flooding, while prior to GHF involvement Chandramauleshwar Temple was facing a number of immediate threats including:
• Collapsing gateways and fortification walls
• Deterioration of temple exterior/interior
• Misuse of temple for storage and refuse
• Animal and human feces
• Fire damage and scorching
• Water damage/leakage
• Plant growth and intrusion
• Looting and vandalism
