Southern States - Karnataka

Vijayanagar scion resents Govt.'s attitude

By Divya Sreedharan

BANGALORE April 13 . Hampi has received more than its usual share of attention in the past few days. But one sceptic cuts through all loud claims made by the State and the Centre.

Achyutadeva Raya, scion of Vijayanagar, believes things are not really going to change. The Raja, a direct descendent of the fourth Araveedu dynasty of Aliyarama Raya, was in Bangalore recently.

``People are really not interested in protecting old monuments,'' the Raja who lives in "Anegondi House" in Hospet, told The Hindu.

The Araveedu rulers became administrators of Anegondi after the fall of the Vijayanagar Empire.

Mr. Achyuthadeva Raya was not impressed with the present concern over Hampi. "The Boards and Authorities for Hampi only have IAS officers. The local people are not involved,'' he said. "Our own people give more importance to political bosses.''

Not that the Raja is politically ignorant. He represented Koppal as BJP MP in 1990 and was also a National Executive Member.

Now, his brother, Srirangadevarayalu, is Gangavathi MLA and Chairman of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC). ``But no one from the Government has contacted me (about Hampi). The Archaeological Survey of India has invited me for its World Heritage Week celebrations,'' the Raja said.

He was not very fond of historians. The current crop hardly did field work, he said. And they represented facts wrong. "Many say the Vijayanagar Empire was established to shut out Muslims.

The real aim was to protect our culture against invaders. After all, the kings had Muslim Army commanders,'' he pointed out.

When the Raja and his wife, Rani Chandrakantha, visit Bangalore, they stay with K.H.Cheluvaraju, former Vice-Chancellor of Gulbarga University. Dr. Cheluvaraju's son, Bharatraju, is married to their daughter, Krishna Kumari.

While the Rani runs Deepanaya English School in Hospet, Achyutadeva Raya pursues archaeological matters. "People tell me about ancient inscriptions, historical sites,'' he explained.

He wants to build a museum and library in Hampi. "I have lots of old records. For instance, my grandfather, Raja Srirangadevaraya, attended King George V's Durbar in 1911 when the capital was shifted from Calcutta to Delhi.

There is a formal invitation for the Durbar. Besides, he corresponded with historian, Robert Sewell (who wrote the `Forgotten Empire'),'' he said.

Another dream is to have an album on the "Natural Heritage of the Vijayanagar Empire".

Hampi, says Achyutadeva Raya, is yet to get its due importance. "I had asked G.Parameshwar, Minister of State for Higher Education, to institute a Vijayanagar Chair of studies. He has not done so yet.''

There was already a Valmiki Chair and Purandara Dasa Chair, he said.

Perhaps in time, some of its former glory will be restored to the Vijayanagar Empire.

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