210 more monuments across Karnataka recommended for State protection

The Rosary Church at Shettihalli in Hassan district is among the monuments in Karnataka to be notified as protected.
| Photo Credit: File Photo

The Department of Archaeology Museums and Heritage (DAMH) has recommended 210 additional monuments in Karnataka to be notified as protected, in a major boost to conservation and heritage.

At present, there are 848 monuments protected by the Karnataka Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1961, and with the new additions, the total number of State-protected monuments will increase to 1,058. This is in addition to 609 monuments of national importance protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

Once declared and notified as protected under the KAMASR Act, the monuments will receive higher priority in conservation and maintenance. A. Devaraj, Commissioner, DAMH, told The Hindu that out of 210 monuments identified, a list of 49 monuments has already been submitted to the government for notification as State-protected monuments.

With respect to the remaining monuments, the Revenue Department is expected to provide details, including the extent of land, demarcated boundary, and the current usage pattern apart from ownership. These monuments were identified following a survey covering all the districts. It is for the first time in many decades that the inventory of protected monuments is set for an upward revision.

The survey entailed 3D scanning of the monuments and was taken up under the Karnataka Digital Heritage Project and the work was completed by the Karnataka State Council for Science and Technology.

Monuments have been identified in Mysuru, Bengaluru, Belagavi, Hampi, and Kalaburagi divisions.

Some of the monuments included in the list are Arakeshwara temple and Holenarasimhaswamy temple at Sosale in T. Narsipur taluk, Sri Janardhana temple in Talakadu (in Mysuru district), and Rosary Church at Shettihalli in Hassan while Lakkundi, known for some of the best-preserved temples of the Chalukya era and dating back to the 10th century CE, will have 13 new additions to the list of protected monuments.

Apart from temples, hero stones, neolithic age burial sites, and kalyanis or stepwells are also on the list that will be protected under the KAMASR Act.