A video showing vandalism carried out by the hoodlums in Karnataka at the UNESCO world heritage site in Hampi has gone viral. The miscreants can be seen in the video damaging the carved stone pillars in Hampi. The video shows 3 men wrecking the pillars of 14th century Vishnu temple and the subsequent exultation by the trio after the pillars were broken down.
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The State Water Resources Minister D K Shivakumar said that severe action would be taken against those miscreants responsible for toppling the carved pillars. Shivakumar, who is also the district in-charge Minister of Ballari under which Hampi falls, said he has ordered police forces to track the offenders and initiate action against them. He said, “We will not put up with such acts of vandalism to our historical sites.” Superintendent of Police, Bellary, Arun Rangarajan said the accused will be arrested and prosecuted soon.
However, the vandalism of historic sites like Hampi has triggered outrage among the locals as well as people on the Social Media. People have expressed their concern and anger about the dearth of enough security personnel and sufficient security arrangements at such historically and culturally important locations. The locals in Hampi, enraged over the vandalism, took to streets to protest against the incident and demand adequate security measures at the ancient site.
The heritage collection in the ancient town of Hampi spans nearly 42 square kilometres and includes over 1,600 monuments. These relics include temples, palaces, markets and public baths. Most of the structures enduring today were built between the 14th century and 16th century, while the town dates back to 3BC. The collection of monuments has been accorded World Heritage status by the UNESCO and it represents the ruins of the Vijayanagara Empire.