ANANTAPUR: There does not seem to be any appetite for securing world heritage tag for any of the famous monuments in the state from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco). Nor is there any concerted effort to protect past glory for posterity.
As the exercise of getting the UNESCO world heritage status is a long and laborious process, there is not any enthusiasm with the result that not a single monument from AP is listed as a world heritage site. Encroachments, poor upkeep come in the way of recognition, rue historians.
The grandiose site of Hampi, the capital city of Vijayanagar Empire, was recognised as a world heritage in 1986. The site encompasses an area of 4,187 hectares with more than 1,600 remains that include forts, riverside features, royal and sacred complexes, temples, shrines and pillared halls. The ASI (Archeological Survey of India) has been on mission to restore Hampi to its past glory. All shops and residences close to the structures were evacuated and skilled labourers were engaged to unearth the structures beneath.
Karnataka minister B. Sreeramulu has is pushing for developmental activities and renovation of temples of Lord Yantroddaraka Hanuman and Lord Srirama closer to Anjanadri Hill. However, the exclusive structures of the Vijayanagar period in the summer capital region of Penukonda in AP have failed to get recognition in the list of world heritage sites. Even ASI reportedly failed to protect the monuments Penukonda where more than 300 temples and exclusive structures could be. Further, renovation of Lepakshi, which has it all to be a world heritage site is confined to papers.
The historic heritage structures have been neglected in AP while the neighbouring states are impressing upon the Centre as also the UNESCO to secure world heritage status to their structures. The world’s biggest Nandi, which has Guinness Record, and also other exemplary sculpture and paintings of Lepakshi in Anantapur and Gandikota Fort, familiar as grand canine of South India in Kadapa, remain as mere proposals.
The five-century-old historic Lepakshi, a part of Vijayanagar empire, had great sculpture, wall and roof paintings and also with the world’s biggest Nandi statue. But, the temple town was badly neglected in all ways without proper developmental activities.
No site from AP is recognised till now. Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai were recognised by Unesco in 2018, Rani-ki vav at Patan in Gujarat in 2014 and the historic city of Ahmedabad in 2017 were among the 30 cultural sites listed.
Historian Dr Appireddy Harinath Reddy stressed the need to recognise Lepakshi and Gandikota as world heritage sites.
