A reactive monitoring delegation from the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) is scheduled to arrive in Hampi on Saturday afternoon and will conduct site visits and hold multiple meetings until the 27th. The team, which includes international heritage experts George Abung from Kenya and Ichida Shimoda from Japan, along with Additional Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) Janviji Sharma, will stay at the Ivalve Back Resort in Kamalapura until the 27th. Three major meetings are set to take place at the resort, while one meeting is scheduled for the evening of the 25th at the District Collector’s office.
Kavitha S. Mannikere, District Collector and Chairperson of the Hampi World Heritage Site Management Authority (HWHSMA), stated that the UNESCO team will focus on conservation measures implemented for the monuments, future regulatory guidelines, and infrastructure provided to tourists. The delegation will also discuss the master plan for the development of the World Heritage Site, which encompasses Hampi, Anegundi, and Anjanadri.
The delegation’s itinerary begins on the 24th with a 9:00 AM departure from Bengaluru by road, arriving in Hampi at 1:30 PM. Following lunch at the Ivalve Back Resort, they will hold a meeting from 2:30 PM with representatives from the state government, ASI, HWHSMA, tourism, state archaeology, museums, and heritage departments. On the morning of the 25th, the team will visit the ASI Museum in Kamalapura, the Malyavanta Raghunatha Temple, and the Vijaya Vittala Temple. In the afternoon, they will visit the Gagan Mahal structures in Anjanadri and Anegundi. At 5:30 PM, a meeting involving various departments, tourism stakeholders, and partners will be held at the District Collector’s office.
On the 26th, the delegation will visit the Virupaksha Temple, Krishna Temple, and Kamal Mahal areas in the morning. From the afternoon of the 26th until the noon of the 27th, discussions on the Hampi Master Plan and integrated management plans will take place at the Ivalve Back Resort. The team is scheduled to depart for Bengaluru by road at 2:30 PM on the 27th. On the 28th, they will hold discussions in Bengaluru with the state government’s Principal Secretary, ASI, and the UNESCO team before departing for Delhi that evening.
District administration sources indicated that the in-depth discussions will cover the implementation and execution of the comprehensive master plan and regional plans for the Hampi, Anegundi, and Anjanadri areas. The team will examine the preparation and current status of these plans, as well as the role of stakeholders and partners in implementing the integrated management plan and site management. Additional topics include the tourism regional plan, crowd management at the Virupaksha Temple, buffer zone management, and proposed measures to address gaps and weaknesses in current regulations.