Anegundi area fit to become biosphere reserve

Anegundi area fit to become biosphere reserve

Shivakumar G Malagi | TNN

Anegundi: Referred to as the cradle of the Vijayanagar empire in history books, Anegundi is perhaps the only place in the world with human settlements from the Microlithic, Megalithic and Neolithic ages.

Anegundi is located on the banks of the river Tungabhadra and falls in the core zone of Hampi, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986. The Hampi-Anegundi area is more than what is commonly considered the ruined kingdom of 15thcentury Vijayanagar empire. Here, tourists find 500-year-old monuments of high degree of engineering skill at every step.

It is said to have one of the oldest plateaus on the planet, estimated to be 3,000 million years old. So, only local story-tellers refer to Anegundi as the maternal home of Bhoodevi (Mother Earth).

Anegundi has been identified as the capital of the mythical kingdom of Kishkinda, mentioned in the epic Ramayana. It is the birthplace of God Hanuman.

Neolithic history is represented in this region by Mourya Mane, a several thousand-yearold ‘Stone Age Colony’. Several Neolithic dwellings still bear paintings that are clear and intact even to this day. “This is the rare human settlement where we will find traces of Microlithic, Megalithic and Neolithic age of human life at one same spot. Anegundi area is much more than the Vijayanagar empire, and as is old as the planet. Till date, this village is a living heritage site in its true sense,” says Cheluvaraj, head of the department of tribal studies, Kannada University, Hampi.

Since Ashoka’s rule in the third century to that of the Nizam of Hyderabad in the 20th century, Anegundi was under the rule of various dynasties.

Apart from the huge boulders and grand monuments, this is an astonishingly unique area, which is home to rare and endangered species of flora and fauna. Langurs, monkeys, turtles, bears and leopards abound, apart from nearly 200 varieties of birds.

This area, that stretches up to Daroji forest, is also an example of “dry deciduous scrub jungle” indigenous to the Deccan plateau. Such vegetation is highly underrepresented in today’s Indian National Parks System. “Hence, I see many strong reasons to declare Hampi, a World Heritage Site, into a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. The unique biodiversity, fragility and the threat faced by the region, make Hampi a good contender to be decl UNESCOUnesco Biosphere Reserve,” remarks Shama Pawar, founder trustee, The Kishkinda Trust (TKT) in Anegundi, which is considering working with the Hampi World Heritage Site Management Authority on this.

UNESCO Biosphere Reserve

The Bureau for Man and Biosphere (MAB) Programme of UNESCO, examines new proposals for recognition and approval of biosphere reserves. The site demands an international approach to the definition of heritage —- one that will take into account the spectacular landscape, vernacular buildings of the nearby villages, traditional understanding of sacred sites, monuments and ruins. There are 13 existing biosphere reserves in India. Considering the unique biodiversity, fragility and threat faced by Hampi area, TKT is proposing conserving this as a biosphere reserve.

The major threat posed to the monuments is from the mining industry, located hardly 35 km from the heritage site. Besides, the impact of granite extraction takes away its most striking features — the monolithic boulders, that take thousands of years to heal. The building of new concrete premises without any archaeological context, is resulting in inappropriate construction at the World Heritage Site.

The release of molasses from the industries and growth of weeds, reduces the oxygen level in the Tungabhadra river and leads to the death of marine life. So Pawar feels it is imperative to declare the Hampi-Anegundi area as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve to preserve genetic resources, species, ecosystems and landscapes.