UKC

After a ruling by the Indian Supreme Court, Virupapura Gaddi which is known by climbers and locals as Hampi Island, is having all its accommodation and restaurants demolished. The ruling is a huge blow to the people and communities that have made the area their home, a place to set up their businesses and a vibrant, welcoming destination for tourists. Climbers have travelled to Hampi for decades to climb on the stunning granite boulders and it looks like this chapter in the area's history is coming to an end.

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In reply to UKC News:

Ofc its sad for the people whole livelihoods and homes that have been wrecked. But from a tourism perspective of both climbers and non climbers it won't be the end. There is granite boulders strewn over a huge area and plenty of other places to stay not too far off realistically. 

In reply to UKC News:

Really sad news - there's such a huge community out there and they've worked so hard to establish the climbing festival. 

In reply to UKC News:

Not a reason at all to stop you from going to Hampi; Hospet is a very short (very cheap) bus journey away if you want nice hotels, there are many other places to stay and so many different sectors in Hampi and the surrounding towns. 

In reply to UKC News:

This happened the day after we left , utterly shocking, hampi island is such an amazing place with endless bouldering possibilities. The rumor of a resort style hotel being built on the land was circulating and would leave a trail of destruction if it is to go ahead so we will have to wait and see. As others have said the scope for climbing is endless so hopefully new areas can be opened up and developed to keep the place going.

In reply to UKC News:

Did they actually own the land and have building permission? It's shocking if they did and are being bulldozed with no compensation, but given the ongoing farce of the Sarah Groves murder case I'm not surprised.

In reply to UKC News:

This is sad. Hampi island is one of the best places I have visited. Somebody should start a #SaveHampiIsland campaign. The Island should be protected from getting destroyed. 

In reply to UKC News:

Soo... I'm flying in to Bangalore on March 16th and planned on getting the first train to Hampi to play around on some blocks for a bit - including staying in some type of accomodation.
Anybody have a status on where to stay now? Are there any establishments left? Too risky to rough it in a tent?

In reply to UKC News:

The Supreme Court of India ruled in favor of Hampi Demolitions on the pretext of the presence of archeological remains, Hampi's proto-historical past was also given importance. If we follow this line of reasoning then one need's to ask the question, What is conservation? Should the sites be treated as if they are an outdoor museum and we try to recreate them in all of their beauty and glory as they once looked hundreds or thousands of years ago? Or, should it be taken a more organic approach, recognizing and appreciating the current local population which makes the site a living heritage? 

Recommendations followed by Unesco prove that internationally we need to follow a more integrated approach. Where we include people living in the area as 'living monuments'. Why didn't the Indian government renew the licenses of local businessmen is the question we need to ask. Here's a video that explains the case in more detail.  youtube.com/watch?v=6sXtJDj4ns0&