Current Affairs Brain Booster for UPSC & State PCS Examination

Topic: ASI’s Protective Ring around Hampi Stone Chariot

Why in News?

• Tourists can no longer get too close to the iconic stone chariot in front of the Vijaya Vittala Temple in the UNESCO World Heritage site of Hampi. The architectural marvel has been cordoned off by a protective ring by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
• Besides the Stone Chariot, several other monuments in Hampi, including Ugra Narasimha and Saasive Kalu Ganesha, will be cordoned off in the next phase. In the past two years, Hampi has witnessed several incidents of vandalism, according to officials here.

Need for Protection

• Every tourist visiting the site photographs the sensitive monument and touches it. Some even climb it to take their photos with the monument.
• The protected monument is facing the risk of being damaged by such objectionable behaviour of some of the tourists.
• The chariot inside the temple complex is a shrine dedicated to Garuda, but the sculpture of Garuda is now missing.

Historical Significance

• The "Stone Chariot", as it is often referred is the flagship tourist attraction of Hampi. This is not a chariot,as the name suggests, rather a shrine built like a chariot, located inside the Vittala Temple campus.
• Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Stone Chariot is a shrine dedicated to Garuda, the vehicle of Lord Vishnu.
• Stone Chariot in Hampi is one of the three most popular stone chariots in India. Other two are in Konark (Odisha) and Mahabalipuram (Tamil Nadu).
• The delicately carved chariot at Hampi, art historians say, reflects the skill of temple architecture under the patronage of the Vijayanagara rulers who reigned from 14th to 17th century CE.
• The Stone Chariot was built in the 16th century by the orders of King Krishnadevaraya of Vijayanagara Empire.
• The emperor is said to have been impressed by the Sun temple of Konark during the war with Kalinga and wanted to recreate a similar one in Hampi.

Architecture

• Built in Dravidian style, chariot has carvings depicting mythical battle scenes.
• Standing on two giant wheels, two elephants are seen pulling the chariot.
• Stone Chariot is made of multiple smaller stones assembled to perfection. Stone Chariot was partially damaged by invading army towards the end of Vijayanagara Empire.

UNESCO World Heritage Site

• A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
• World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, scientific or other form of significance.
• The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity".
• To be selected, a World Heritage Site must be a somehow unique landmark which is geographically and historically identifiable and has special cultural or physical significance.
• There are 38 World Heritage Sites located in India. These include 30 cultural sites, 7 natural sites and 1 mixed-criteria site. India has the sixth largest number of sites in the world.