Bengaluru: An initiative taken by Karnataka’s Tourism Department might soon witness the iconic ruins of Hampi in Ballari and Machu Picchu in Peru become sister heritage sites.
The dream might come true if the submitted proposal was accepted.
The plan has been taken up by Tourism Minister RV Deshpande. He recently led a delegation to the South American nation which included a free entry at Hampi for those tourists who had visited Machu Picchu.
Deshpande said that the proposal was made after reviewing the similarities between the two sites. These historical sites have the Unesco heritage tag, they were built around the 14th-15th century, also both were famous for their Sun temples.
“Peru’s tourism minister has assured that he would discuss the plan with the President of Peru. The regional administration of Cuzco, where Machu Picchu is located has also agreed to display facts about Hampi on its website,” he said.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Secretary Kaushik Mukherjee said that the ticket for Machu Picchu would contain a counterfoil for Hampi. Tourists have to return the counterfoil and enter Hampi within two years, he said.
He noted that it was the first time that a proposal was made to merge two heritage sites instead of cities.
(Agencies)
