Why in news? Hampi and  Mysuru included in Swadesh Darshan scheme

Highlights:

About Swadesh Darshan scheme

• Parent Ministry : Ministry of Tourism
• Aim : To promote, develop, and harness the potential of tourism and integrated development of theme-based tourist circuits.
• Financial assistance: Ministry of Tourism(100% funded by Central Government) to the State government for the infrastructure development.
• Funding(Other than government) : Funding available for CSR initiatives of Central Public Sector Undertakings and Corporate Sector is also used
• Objective: Idea of positioning the tourism sector as a major engine for job creation, the driving force for economic growth, and building synergy with various sectors to enable tourism to realise its potential.
• (Swadesh Darshan 2.0) with the mantra of “vocal for local” for essentially aimed at targeting domestic tourists
• Synergise with other schemes such as Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Skill India, and Make in India

Circles

• Based on theme-based tourism
• Each theme is called a “circuit” and composed of various tourist destinations.
• Tourist Circuit is defined as “a route having at least three major tourist destinations which are distinct and apart.
• Circuits should have well defined entry and exit points so that tourist who enters should get motivated to visit most of the places identified in the circuit.
• Presently there are 15 circuits

About Hampi

• It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and capital of the Vijayanagara Empire
• Location: Hampi (town), Vijayanagara district( Hospet)
• River : Tungabhadra River
• Hampi 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
• Battle of Talikota followed a massive destruction of the infrastructure fabric of Hampi and the metropolitan Vijayanagara
• Robert Sewell book : A Forgotten Empire bringing Hampi to the widespread attention of scholars.

Monuments

• Virupaksha temple and market complex: oldest shrine, collection of smaller temples and monastery dedicated to Vidyaranya of Advaita Vedanta tradition
• Krishna temple, market, Narasimha and linga: largest monolithic Shiva Linga and other with the largest monolithic Yoga-Narasimha avatar of Vishnu in Hampi.
• Achyutaraya temple and market complex
• Vitthala temple and market complex: Garuda shrine in the form of a stone chariot in the courtyard and Stone beams of different diameters, that produces musical sounds when struck
• Hemakuta hill monuments
• Hazara Rama temple(Ramachandra temple) attributed to Devaraya I
• Kodandarama temple and riverside: Monuments Vijayanagara-era ghat and mandapa facilities for bathing.
• Pattabhirama temple complex: It was at the nucleus of economic and cultural activity of this suburb and temple included a 100-pillared hall—likely a feeding hall—attached to the southern wall of the enclosed compound
• Mahanavami platform, public square complex: One of the highest points inside the royal centre (urban core). It has ceremonial structures. It is mentioned in the memoirs of foreigners who visited Vijayanagara, some calling it the “House of Victory
• Water infrastructure: Also called the Queen’s Bath, building’s interior arches show influence of the Indo-Islamic style

Travellers :

• Niccolò de’ Conti- Italian merchant: Describes about enclosed agriculture and settlements in its fortifications
• Abdul Razzaq- Persia, described : Describes it as a city with seven layers of forts
• Domingo Paes- Portuguese traveller: Stated Vijayanagara was “as large as Rome, and very beautiful to the sight … the best provided city in the world”
• Cesare Federici- Italian merchant and traveller- Visited a few decades after the 1565 defeat and collapse of the Vijayanagara Empire
• Historian Will Durant, in his Our Oriental Heritage: The Story of Civilization recites the story of Vijayanagara and calls its conquest and destruction a discouraging tale