Parliament Question: Conservation of historical sites in Belagavi

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CULTURE RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4363 ANSWERED ON 02.04.2026 CONSERVATION OF HISTORICAL SITES IN BELAGAVI 4363. SHRI IRANNA KADADI : Will the Minister of CULTURE be pleased to state: (a) the progress made in structural conservation and infrastructural upgradation of historical sites in Belagavi, specifically the Kittur fort; (b) whether the Archaeological Survey of India has successfully deployed modern preservation techniques to protect these structures; (c) the details of central funds utilized to improve tourist amenities, including digital interpretation centres, at these sites; (d) the positive impact on local heritage tourism resulting from these efforts; and (e) the steps taken to organize localized cultural festivals, like the Kittur utsav, to continuously promote the region's historical significance? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF CULTURE AND TOURISM (SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT) (a) Kittur fort in the Belagavi district is not under the jurisdiction of Archaeological Survey of & India (ASI). The ancient Channamma Fort and Palace remnants in Kittur, located in the Kittur (b) Taluk of Belgaum district, are state-protected monuments by the Government of Karnataka. However, the Conservation of Centrally Protected Monuments in Belagavi is a regular process and is taken up as per the requirement and availability of resources as per the guidelines of National Policy for Conservation, 2014. To develop the heritage sites of Kittur and its surroundings, the Government of Karnataka formed the Kittur Development Authority in 2012. Various works are carried out by the department of Archaeology, Museum and Heritage, Government of Karnataka which includes developmental works at Chennamma Fort, landscaping inside Chennamma fort, conservation of Kittur fort, conservation of Palace in Kittur fort, conservation of Hanuman Temple in the premises of Chennamma Fort, theme park in the premises of Kittur fort, etc. (c) There is no central grant approved for the development of Kittur fort. (d) The Kittur Fort attracts large number of tourists each year with positive impact on local heritage tourism.(e) In honor of the courage of Rani Chennamma and other freedom fighters, the Belagavi District Administration, Kannada and Culture, Tourism and Department of Archaeology, Museums and Heritage are organizing the Cultural Festivals and awareness initiative in Kittur Utsav on October 24, 25 and 26 of every year. The Government of India has set up South Zone Cultural Centre (SZCC) at Thanjavur and South Central Zone Cultural Centre (SCZCC) at Nagpur to preserve and promote various forms of folk art and culture of their member States. Karnataka (Kittur) is the member State of these ZCCs and they organize various cultural activities and programmes in their member States including the State of Karnataka on regular basis for which annual grant-in-aid is provided to them. Kittur Utsav is a major cultural festival held every year in October at Kittur (Karnataka) to commemorate the bravery of Queen Chennamma. SZCC has organized programmes to highlight the life and contributions of Rani Chennamma, as well as to mark the 200th anniversary of her victory. These programmes were held at Kittur Rani Chennamma University, Kittur (Karnataka). The programmes comprised painting and elocution competitions, a public function featuring a commemorative lecture and a Yakshagana performance depicting the life and contributions of Rani Chennamma. The details of cultural programmes/ festivals/activities organized by SZCC & SCZCC in the State of Karnataka during the last three years are as under: (Amount in Lakh) Sl. Year Number of Cultural No. of artists amount paid to these No. Programmes/ festival participated artists organizer 1. 2022-23 38 2446 172.76 2. 2023-24 17 1592 84.03 3. 2024-25 18 821 82.48 *****