Paris, May 29 {N°2000-54} - The State government of Karnataka (India) has decided to relocate two bridges within the Hampi World Heritage site, in keeping with recommendations made by UNESCO and the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) to protect the area and its invaluable archaeological remains.

Hampi, inscribed on the World Heritage list in 1984, has given its name to the ruins of the old capital of the kings of Vijayanagar whose empire extended over the breadth of India from the 14th to the 17th century. The “Group of Monuments at Hampi” was included on the List of World Heritage Sites in Danger in December 1999. The two bridges which were being built over the Tungabhadra River in Hampi threatened the authenticity and integrity of the site.

They were seen as damaging the extraordinary natural environment of the site. Furthermore their construction required the dislocation and reconstruction of an important historical monument within the protected area. It was also thought that the bridges would increase vehicle traffic which would have a negative impact on the site and hamper archaeological research and excavation.

In February this year, UNESCO and ICOMOS transmitted a two-page document containing recommended corrective measures for the management of the group of monuments of Hampi to the Indian authorities. It stressed the importance of reviewing transportation within the site.

UNESCO welcomes the decision to relocate the bridges as a major step in line with the recommendations made by UNESCO/ICOMOS. This move could pave the way to removing the site from the List of World Heritage Sites in Danger. It is also an example of the successful implementation of the 1972 Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, of which India is a signatory, to ensure the protection, conservation, presentation and transmission to future generations of World Heritage sites.