Hampi mantapa ‘supports’ resort!

Ballari: Dismantled pillars of an ancient mantapa being used to build a resort, a priest’s attempt to change the features of a hillock by diverting rain and building a bridge, construction of a ‘goshala’ by blasting a rock boulder—these are a few instances of the mess detected by Archeological Survey of India (ASI), Hampi circle near Anegundi, considered the cradle of Vijayanagar empire.

Much to the shock of ASI officials during their visit to Anegundi in Koppal, they found a 500-year old mantapas dismantled. Mr Prakash C Nayakanda, superintending archeologist, ASI, Hampi circle told Deccan Chronicle that he visited Anegundi to inspect a resort coming up in Sanapur village near Anegundi following a complaint that the resort had violated norms. “I felt that pillars of a mantapa had been dismantled and placed in the resort as support for the concrete ceiling. Shifting antiquities is a serious offence. I am contemplating seeking a proper probe,” he remarked.

ASI authorities also found that the geological features of a Durga temple on a small hillock had been changed. Another disturbing feature was the construction of a goshala by blasting a rock boulder using dynamites.