What is in news : Tourism Minister of Karnataka urges centre to develop Hampi under iconic tourist destination scheme

About Iconic Tourist Destination Scheme

• Central sector scheme for the development of identified iconic destinations in the country following a holistic approach.
• Objective – boost the tourism influx in India and serve as a model for other tourism sites.
• Nodal agency – Tourism Ministry
• Other ministries such as civil aviation, railways, etc. are also involved.

About Hampi

• UNESCO world heritage site.
• Part of the Mauryan Empire back in the third century BC.
• Capital city during the four different dynasties altogether in the Vijayanagar city that came into existence in the year 1336 AD. The Vijayanagara Empire reached unfathomable heights under the guidance of King Krishnadeva Raya of the Tuluva Dynasty.
• ‘Kishkindha Kaand’ in Ramayana has special significance concerning Hampi.
• Located near the Tungabhadra river.
• By 1500 CE, Hampi-Vijayanagara was the world’s second-largest medieval-era city after Beijing, and probably India’s richest at that time, attracting traders from Persia and Portugal.
• It has been described by UNESCO as an “austere, grandiose site” of more than 1,600 surviving remains of the last great Hindu kingdom in South India.