The Waqf Board has recently laid claim to at least 53 historical monuments in Karnataka, a state currently under Congress governance. This claim covers prominent sites such as the Gol Gumbaz, Ibrahim Rauza, Bara Kaman, as well as forts in Bidar and Kalaburagi. Among the 53 monuments, a significant majority—43—are located in Vijayapura, a city that was once the capital of the Adil Shahi dynasty. The remaining sites include six monuments in Hampi and four in the Bengaluru Circle.
According to a Deccan Chronicle report, the Waqf Board in Vijayapura first declared 43 centrally protected monuments as its own in 2005. This claim was made during Mohammad Mohsin’s tenure as Principal Secretary of the Health and Family Welfare Department (Medical Education). During that time, Mohsin also served as Chairman and Deputy Commissioner of the Waqf Board in Vijayapura. He asserted that this claim was backed by “authentic documentary evidence” and was subsequently acknowledged in a government gazette notification issued by the Revenue Department.
The Waqf Board has reportedly leveraged the Record of Rights and Government’s Certificate, documents typically issued to property owners, to establish its claim. However, by law, ownership of a property by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) means it cannot be de-notified or transferred to another entity. This restriction is established under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (AMASR) Act and Rules of 1958, which strictly prohibits any such transfer.
“While the ASI holds legal ownership of the land and monuments, the encumbrance has been recorded in favor of the Waqf authority,” states a Right to Information (RTI) response obtained by Deccan Chronicle. This transfer of rights appears to have occurred without ASI consultation, raising legal and procedural concerns.
An ASI official revealed that a joint survey of the monuments was conducted in 2012, during which the Waqf Board was asked to provide evidence for its ownership claims. At that time, the Board did not present any documentation supporting its claims. Yet, the ASI official reports that 43 of these sites are now considered “encroached” by the Vijayapura Waqf Board, leading to a range of modifications that compromise their historical value.
“The 43 monuments in Vijayapura are being defaced, with repairs using plaster and cement that violate conservation standards. Modern additions such as fans, air conditioners, fluorescent lights, and toilets have been added to these monuments. Some areas have even been occupied by shopkeepers,” the official emphasized, pointing out how these changes have adversely impacted tourism and the preservation of these sites.
The encroachments, which have remained unresolved since 2007, persist despite direct instructions from the Union Ministry of Culture to the Karnataka Chief Secretary, the Vijayapura Deputy Commissioner, and the Minorities Welfare Department. This ongoing issue raises questions about the stewardship of Karnataka’s cultural heritage, as the state’s historic sites face pressures from both modern encroachments and competing ownership claims.
