The told & untold history of Mysuru Kingdom
Background
India is a land of temples. There are hundreds of thousands of them across the nation's landscape. While some are new, there are many that are centuries old. If you are a hiker/ trekker who likes to climb the many hills in the old Mysore region of Karnataka state, you cannot miss seeing old temples, forts and other historical structures, that have been dug up by treasure hunters. This vandalisation and destruction, has in recent years been given political colour in many states of south India. A political party and its affiliates attributed the vandalising of Hindu temples across Andhra Pradesh in 2020 to anti-Hindu religious bigots. Subsequent investigation by the state police revealed that the same was not due to bigotry but a variety of other reasons. Of the twenty eight cases of idol desecrations six were for treasure hunts (1). This essay studies instances and causes of damage to Hindu heritage sites in south India between 2011 and 2020 and provides a historical context to temple destruction in the region.
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| The Narasimha temple on the Nijagal Betta hillock near Bengaluru, southern India is in ruins today. Its inside has been damaged by treasure hunters. Pic. by author in 2015 |
A quick online search of news from the south Indian states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu revealed over forty temples and heritage sites destroyed by treasure hunters between 2011 and 2020. Many treasure hunters along the boundaries of Karnataka state with Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are led by the belief that treasure from Karnataka Empire (popular as Vijayanagar Empire) is buried in the premises of temples in this region (2, 3). Recent instances of precious metals including gold being found in the premises of temples while carrying out excavations has only fuelled this craze (4, 5). The ongoing destruction of not only Hindu heritage structures, but also Jain temples and secular structures like forts, is a result of human greed that transcends faith. This is not restricted to Hindu temples and to India alone. Similar destruction of Buddhist heritage sites by treasure hunters in the neighbouring Sri Lanka is another proof of this (6). The passion to reach the unknown treasures is so intense that several people have lost their lives trying to reach them (7). Instances of human sacrificed by treasure hunters have also been documented in south India (8, 9). There were some instances of temples also being vandalised for political gains (10).
Incidentally, while destruction of heritage sites by treasure hunters is also occasionally reported from Western countries (11, 12), a series of thefts of jewellery of Hindu deities occurred in temples in USA in 2019 (13, 14). In another incident of theft of jewels, at Singapore's oldest Hindu temple, law enforcement accused the temple's chief priest of being involved in the same (14a).
Below is a small list of some Hindu temples and heritage sites impacted by treasure hunters in south India between 2011 and 2020.
Andhra Pradesh
1) Vavilthota (15):
a) Ancient temples ravaged at Vavilthota, between Chittoor and Puthalapattu. Idols from ancient Lord Vishnu's temple carried away.
b) Digging in Kothulabanda and Useddulabanda which 'has a number of with a number of historic and ancient temples.'
2) Dharmavaram: 400-year old Shivalingam stolen from a temple (16).
3) Chandragiri: 500-year-old Ganesh idol stolen (17).
4) Agaramangalam: Treasure hunters responsible for damaging Nandi idol at Abhaya Anjaneya Swamy temple temple in Agaramangalam village, Andhra Pradesh arrested by Chittor District police (18).
5) Tarlupadu, Prakasam District: Veerabhadra Swamy temple at Tarlupadu.
a) Broken into by 2 people on Oct. 17, 2020. Two alleged treasure hunters arrested on Nov. 13, the same year (19, 20)
b) Jewel-studded pot stolen from same temple stolen on Oct. 20, 2020. On January 6, 2021, police arrested a gang of three who allegedly targeted temples for monitory benefits (21).
6) Bukkapatnam: Four arrested by police 'when they were destroying an old statue of a goddess in the Siva temple built by the Vijayanagara rulers.' (22)
7) Makkapeta, Krishna District: 12th century CE Nandi idol at Kasi Visweswara temple, Makkapet broken by treasure hunters (23).
8) Kambadur: 'Flower symbol' at the Lord Vishnu temple destroyed by treasure hunters (ibid., 3).
9) Kethavaram village, Bellampally mandal, Guntur District: Treasure hunters arrested for treasure hunt at ancient Lord Shiva temple at (24).
Telangana
1) Nalgonda: 17th century CE Sri Veeranjaneya Swamy temple dug up for treasure. Acid and other chemicals poured on the Nandi statue. Lord Hanuman’s idol and partially damaged. Earlier, idol of Lord Ganesha’s idol was taken away (24, 25).
A map documenting the destruction of heritage sites and Hindu temples across south India between 2011-2020.
Karnataka
1) Hampi UNESCO World Heritage Site:
- A Vijayanagar-era (14th to 16th century) Gali Gopura Mandap structure adjoining the Malyavanthi Temple dedicated to Lord Ram (26) destroyed by treasure hunters.
- Pillars damaged by vandals (27).
- Navabrindavana, Anegundi: Grave of Vyasaraja Thirtha, a 16th-century Hindu scholar located near Hampi, a UNECO World heritage site vandalized in 2019. A Hindu temple priest and five other accused from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh arrested by police (28).
2) Hindiganala, Bengaluru District: 600-year old Anjenaya temple at Hindigala village, Nandagudi Hobli, Hosakote Taluk collapses due to digging by treasure hunters (29, 30).
3) Doddagaddavalli, Hassan District: Treasure hunters damage 800- year idol of goddess Mahakali, at Mahalakshmi temple, Doddagaddavalli village, near Halebeedu (31).
4) Kikkeri, Mandya District: Gopuram of Eshanyeshwara temple, Kikkeri damaged. Idol of shivalinga inside the temple desecrated (32).
5) Avinahalli, Shivamogga District: Five people including temple priest arrested by police for treasure hunting in the premisis of Veerabhadreshwara Temple, Avinahalli village, Sagara Taluk (33).
6) Ganadahunase, Tumakuru District: Treasure hunt in forest. Ten arrested (34).
7) Mulki: 600-year old stone Panambur Parshwanath Jain Basadi dug up by treasure hunters (35).
8) Shishila: Foundation of ancient Jain temple damaged by treasure hunters at Shishila fort gate, Belthangady, Karnataka (36, 37).
9) Narasimha Temple at Nijagal betta near Bengaluru: Dug up by treasure hunters (38, 39)
10) Haralahalli, Shivani Hobli, Tarikere Taluk, Chikkamagaluru District: A possible Dolmen site locally known as 'Pandavara Gutti' dug up by treasure hunters (40).
11) Historic Bidanur fort also known as Nagara or Shivappa Nayaka fort, Shivamogga District: Treasure hunters damage a structure at Durbar hall (41).
12) Araabhikottanuru village, Kolar District: Treasure hunters caught by villagers at an ancient hillock and handed to police (42).
13) Ramanagara District: Treasure hunters damage hero stone using JCB at the mango orchard near Lakkojanahalli-Shivanahalli Veerabhadraswamy temple (43).
14) Bhairavadurga, Kudur Taluk, near Bengaluru: Treasure hunters damage stone mantapa adjoining carving of Anjenaya Swamy.
15) Saundatti (Savadatti), Belagavi District: A 9th-century Chalukya-era Ganesha temple collapsed after treasure hunters dug a pit underneath it (45).
16) Lyavigere village, Sagar taluk, Shivamogga district: Huge pit dug up in the premises of Ishwara temple (46).
