The Department of Archaeology, Museums and Heritage has launched a major survey to update the inventory of cultural properties and monuments strewn across Karnataka. Given the scope of the survey and the magnitude of the work involved, the project will be taken up in a phased manner and 13 taluks will be covered this year. This is in addition to five taluks already surveyed.
Karnataka has a treasure-trove of historical monuments and structures of which 844 are of State importance and declared as “protected” under the Karnataka Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1961. In addition, there are 609 centrally protected monuments of national importance under the jurisdiction of Archaeological Survey of India.
B.R. Poornima, Commissioner, Department of Archaeology, Museums and Heritage, told The Hindu that the pilot project of the survey was taken up in Mysuru taluk last year and the report has been finalised. In Mysuru taluk alone, 635 antiquities including hero stones, inscriptions, temples have been recorded. Scholars and experts will scrutinise if they fulfil the criteria of being elevated to the status of a monument of State importance, she added. T. Narsipur and Nanjangud are two other taluks from Mysuru district taken up in the current survey.
This apart, Shikaripura in Shivamogga, Savanur in Haveri, Hiriyur in Chitradurga, Alur in Hassan, Srirangapatna in Mandya, Bailhongal in Belagavi, Kamalapura in Kalaburagi, Kottur in Vijayanagar, Madikeri taluk, and Bengaluru are among the taluks to be surveyed by March.
Ms. Poornima said the local community has been helpful and are furnishing all information about antiquities, which are at least 100 years old, and the department has involved research scholars and assistants from varsities for the survey.
N.S. Rangaraju, former Dean of Department of Ancient History and Archaeology, University of Mysore, said given Karnataka’s history and legacy of built heritage spanning many centuries there could be at least 25,000 to 30,000 monuments of importance with historical and architectural merit of which many could be declared as protected. Though many monuments include live temples and are under the Muzrai Department, not all of them are declared as “protected” under the State law, said Prof. Rangaraju, convener of INTACH, Mysuru centre.
At present, Karnataka has the distinction of having the second-highest number of monuments in the country after Uttar Pradesh. These monuments are dated from pre-historic period to the colonial era and include temples, mosques, churches, forts, citadels, gateways, stepped-tanks, pillars etc.
The Government has released ₹50 lakh to survey the 13 taluks. This is the first such survey which will entail covering every village at the taluk level. Earlier, there used to be random surveys based on discoveries but the present survey is akin to combing to record and update the list of archaeological and cultural properties across Karnataka.
