Hampi: Vijayanagar era sculptures vandalised

Ballari: In yet another case of vandalism at the world heritage site of Hampi, a rare sequence of sculptures and motifs from the era of the Vijayanagar empire, carved on rock surfaces of  the ‘Koti Linga’ shrines on the Tungabhadra river bank, have been found damaged.

The 15th century motifs depicting gods, mythological characters, and  royal figures are  not only significant for the light they throw on the royal dynasties which ruled Vijayanagar, but also for the information they provide researchers on personal details of the royals, as  the script carved on each motif names the royal men, women and children portrayed.

The vandalism appears deliberate as only the face portion of the motifs has been disfigured, according to locals, who suspect that rowdies indulging  in late night drunken revelry by the riverside ruins,  may be responsible. Some also believe treasure hunters could have damaged the motifs as they usually set out to steal from the Hampi ruins during a full moon.

Local tourist guide, Virupakshi says this is not the first time the motifs have been damaged. A couple of years ago, a splendid motif of Goddess Lakshmi was vandalized at the same spot, he recalls.

"The  police caught  the man who admitted to damaging the  motif with a sickle. But he was released later as he was thought to be mad ," he adds, regretting that although Hampi is the biggest open archaeological site in the world,  it has no defined boundaries to keep away trespassers and thieves out to rob it.