Letter campaign at Lakkundi to preserve past glory

Aiming to bring the rich archaeological remains of Lakkundi into the UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the State Tourism Department, Archaeology Museum and Heritage Department have come forward to recreate the past glory of Lakkundi.

The ancient remains of Lakkundi have been used for the day-to-day lives of the villagers, owing to neglect and government apathy for a very long time. 

Tourism Minister H K Patil has written a letter about the archeological heritage of Lakkundi, which will be delivered to every house in Lakkundi starting from November 24. The letter mentions that these archaeological remains will be collected to preserve the richness of Lakkundi, requesting the villagers to donate the artifacts to the government. 

A palanquin has been prepared for the collection of relics from the people. 

Ancient statues, sculptor carvings, pillars, inscriptions, palm-leaf manuscripts have been lost due to the apathy to preserve history, according to the letter. 

Several sculptures have been used to wash clothes, while many have been converted into cattle sheds.

Tourism Minister H K Patil said that the villagers will be educated about the significance of these artifacts. 

“Several shrines and temples have been encroached upon without knowing their significance. We will convince the villagers to donate it to the government for preservation and provide alternative arrangement for them,” according to the letter. 

The letter notes that Lakkundi has 101 ancient shrines and stepwells while adding that the region will be considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site only with the collective effort of people to preserve its archeological heritage. 

On Sunday, the palanquin will traverse the surroundings of Halagundi Basaveshwara Temple and examine the relics donated by the villagers earlier.