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 Formed
in the year 1997,The Kishkinda Trust (TKT) assists the villagers of Anegundi at
a grassroots level to build capacity in order to maintain business incubators
and to conserve thier historical heritage.TKT runs several unique programs which
are seamlessly integrated with lives of the local people and which empower them
economically.
With its many ancient temples and temples
complexes, Anegundi falls within the core zone of the Hampi World Heritage Site,
declared by UNESCO in 1986.
For the villagers of Anegundi to be truly
involved in conserving their ancient traditions and historical surroundings,
they must be self sufficient.
TKT was born out of this simple insight: that
for any heritage conservation to take place in Anegundi, it has to first and
foremost, benefit the people of Anegundi, economically, culturally and socially
Location : Anegundi is on the
picturesque banks of the mighty Tungabhadra river in Karnataka and is identified
as the capital of the mythical kingdom of Kishkinda mentioned in the
Ramayana.
Due to its universal historical value, Hampi, the cradle city of the glorious
Vijayanagara Empire falls in the core zone of the World Heritage Site declared
by UNESCO in 1986. The site was declared endangered in
1999.Anegundi
has a longer history than the Hampi-Vijayanagara imperial complex and dates back
to the 3rd century BC, to the time of the emperor Ashoka.
It was already a well established town when the Vijayanagara kingdom was founded
in the middle of the 14th century
Anegundi
An area of unusual and astonishing beauty and
wilderness, it is home to several rare and endangered species of birds, animals
and plants. The geological base of this area is the Deccan Plateau, whose unique
rocky appearance has been created by three thousand million years of erosion.
The region is one of the oldest plateaus on earth and was one of the first
regions to solidify when the planet was still in a liquid state. Remains of
Neolithic dolmans have been found in this region and several representations of
Neolithic art have also been discovered in local caves.
The present population
of Anegundi is 2867. Traditionally, the village has depended on
agriculture.
Anegundi's architectural heritage is still
relatively unspoiled and an inspiring landscape makes it not only a historical
heritage site, but a living, natural one. The village consists of several
ancient temples and temple complexes. As the village has been continuously
inhabited since the tenth century, temples and local dwellings represent a
simple but refined style of rural architecture predating the Vijayanagara era.
Today, there are more examples of vernacular architecture in the village than
there are modern urban structures
Crafts:
TKT promotes
banana-plant based handicrafts with women artisans of Anegundi, thus
providing them with a means of livelihood. Our natural fibre cottage
industry was set up in 1999 and has been using locally available banana
fibre extracted from the trunk of the banana plant, Shorba grass, river
grass and other locally available fibres. TKT emphasizes the utilization
of eco friendly materials that are locally available.
We have also promoted and nurtured Ilkal, the local hand-woven
fabric. Mats, bags, decorative fringes, toys, quilts are manufactured at
our handicraft unit.
All our hand-crafted products provide an independent income for village
women.
The Bhoomi Society for Working Women
was formed in 2002 with 205 members. The federation runs the village’s cottage
industries and is in full swing as it obtains orders for local hand-crafted
products from all the major cities of India. These high quality products are
appreciated and exported.
Apart from providing financial support, the federation has played a major role
in empowering and transforming these shy women into confident individuals
TKT is in the process of raising funds to address the urgent need for new
handicraft production unit of about 3,000 sq feet.
Programs :-
Natural Fiber Cottage Industry
»
The Banana fiber cottage industry has been a livelihood means for its 205 women
since it nception.Locally available banana fiber is utilized as raw material
along with other natural fibers to produce wide-ranging products including bags,
mats, quilts and decorative fringes.over the years these products have secured
clients from all over India and abroad. These women artisans have formed a
federation comprising of 15 villages. Regular training workshops are conducted
in Design and Technical Development assisting them to upgrade their skills and
build their capacity. The cottage industry will be handed over to the federation
in 2006.
Rural Tourism
»
The Rural
Tourism Project is supported by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of
India.
Programs are devised to ensure
that the local people are benefited economically and culturally by conserving
their heritage.
Initiated in 2004, this project aims at promoting tourism while preserving the
physical and cultural characteristics of Anegundi village. The project has
provided expanding employment opportunities to the local people, enhancing their
lives. The result is a serene environment, which promises clean and green
tourism for visitors.
Local people are involved through working in
program initiatives as employees and stake holders and through the generation
of self-employment schemes.
Business incubators are created in restored vernacular dwellings and habitats.
These are maintained and managed by local people on a profit-sharing basis
A Solid Waste Management Program
has been initiated under the Rural Tourism Project with the aim of promoting
clean and hygienic conditions within the village and making the village more
congenial to tourists
Augmenting Drinking Water Supply - In order to
provide clean and safe drinking water for the community, existing water tanks
were redesigned to cater to a larger number of people at any given time. More
taps and hygienic surroundings were created with proper drainage facilities for
run-off water.
» Village Surveys and Preparation of Spatial Maps – Our Village Household Survey
(VHS) created a database of all the buildings likely to disappear (due to
neglect and/or being replaced by modern structures) as well as buildings prone
to ad hoc construction with a mixed architectural vocabulary. Both databases
linked these changes to the economic and aspirations of the residents.
»Spatial maps were produced which depicted the dumping pattern of garbage at
various sites. These maps also indicated densities and volumes at each site and
differentiated the garbage producing and disposal patterns of farm-holding
households and composting households without farm lands.
» Sculpture Garden - In collaboration with the State Archaeology Department TKT
created a Sculpture Garden where ancient remains were collected and displayed at
the village centre. The idea is to retain the ancient remains in their native
location. TKT plans to develop similar gardens on all the four main streets of
Anegundi.
»Road Development - TKT has been instrumental in persuading the local Public
Works Department to lay new roads which help to provide necessary access and
visibility to the village
» Eco Transportation -- TKT has organized traditional coracle rides for tourists
run by the local people on a profit sharing basis. The same is also being done
with the bicycles rentals in the village.
Interpretation Centre »
The objective of the Interpretation Center is to generate awareness about the
value of the cultural resources in the Hampi World Heritage Area. The Center
documents, compiles and disseminates information with regard to the conservation
of the natural and cultural heritage of the Anegundi-Hampi region. It conducts
capacity building programs and workshops that facilitate people's participation
in conservation and sustainable development.
With the support of UNESCO and financial assistance from TEMA, Sweden, TKT has
restored, redesigned and rehabilitated a traditional, vernacular house belonging
to an artisan in the royal street of Anegundi. This house functions as the
Interpretation Center.
The house will be maintained by TKT for a period of five years and will then be
handed back to its owner. Through this process, the artisan not only gains
immediate benefit, but becomes a stake holder in the larger project of restoring
Anegundi, culturally, socially and economically..
Local traditions
»Agricultural
practices
»Architecture
»New developments in the region
Organci Farming »
TKT has been instrumental in assisting farmers in the area to organize
themselves into informal and formal groups. It has brought them together with
various resource organizations in order to gain inputs on organic farming.
TKT has initiated the following activities in an effort to promote Organic
Farming in the region.
»Re-introduction of organic farming methods
»Documentation of traditional methods
»Creating awareness about the harmful effects of chemical fertilizers and
insecticidesInteractive workshops with resource persons from Agriculture Man
Ecology (Netherlands) and the Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Gangavathi
Education Through Performing Arts »
TKT has organized workshops on which introduced village children to classical
dance and taught them folk dance, music and street theatre. Such efforts have
resulted in performance collaborations between local people and visiting
artists.
Workshops conducted so far include »
» Forms of classical dance
» Street theater
» Mask making
» Mime
»Yoga
» Conversational English
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