Ballari: In a dastardly incident which has sent shockwaves among heritage lovers, unidentified miscreants vandalised Vyasaraja Brindavana at Nava Brindavana island located in the River Tungabhadra between the ancient cities of Hampi and Anegundi in Koppal district in the early hours of Thursday.
The Madhwa Brahmin community was the most upset as it happened at a time when devotees and followers of the Madhwa tradition were conducting the Ashada Ekadashi and Chaturmasa rituals at the island.
A large number of upset devotees from Hosapete and Gangavati towns rushed to Anegundi after photographs of the vandalised structure went viral on social media. "The whole of Brindavana was dug up by dismantling the structure and breaking the carved stones that were used as embellishments," explained Vishnu Theertha, a devotee from Kamalapur.
The Gangavati Rural police, who inspected the damaged site, suspect that it could be the handiwork of 'Treasure Hunters' who have been active across the region targeting ancient and medieval era temples. Security around Anegundi has been beefed up to prevent more untoward incidents.
Shocked by the miscreant's action, Satyatma Theertha Sripada Swami of Uttaradi Matha who was in Kalaburgi on account of Chaturmasa, cut short his visit and rushed to Anegundi. "The seers of Vyasaraj Matha have already taken up the work to rebuild Brindavana and the Uttaradi Matha will extend all possible assistance," he stated.
The Nava Brindavana has the Brindavans (Samadhis) of nine prominent seers (saints) of the Madhwa tradition belonging to Uttaradi Matha, Raghavendra Matha, Vyasaraj Matha, Padaraja Matha and other prominent mathas. There is a dispute pertaining to the site and the matter is pending before the Supreme Court.
Previously tension had gripped Nava Brindavan when devotees belonging to both Uttaradi Matha and Raghavendra Matha staked claim to perform 'Aradhana' (saint worship) at Brindavan. They were involved in a protracted legal battle claiming rights to a portion of the 100 acres at Anegundi.
According to local residents, nobody goes there regularly except for a caretaker. "In this season, the place is accessible only by coracles or boat from Anegundi and Venkatapur near Hampi" said a police official. "The boats operated by the district administration end their service at 4 pm and they were found to be intact. We are talking to people and asking if anybody suspicious was seen in the area," the official said.
The vandalism comes five months after a group of men were forced to help re-erect the pillars at the Vishnu temple in Hampi after a video of them toppling the pillars was shared on social media.
