Three years after the launch of Karnataka’s ‘Namma Smaraka — Adopt a Monument’ initiative, the programme has struggled to meet its stated objective, with only 23 of the over 800 State-protected monuments drawing interest so far. Of these, approval is still pending for five sites while 18 sites have been adopted.
Poor publicity, limited connectivity to several heritage locations, lack of detailed development plans, and the absence of stronger government outreach, have been pointed as some of the main reasons for the slow uptake by the stakeholders.
The initiative was launched in September 2022 and moved online in 2023 to simplify applications and reduce paperwork. It was introduced as part of the government’s effort to encourage private participation and divert CSR funds towards maintaining monuments, and to showcase the State as not just ‘One State, Many Worlds’ but ‘One State, Many Monuments’.
Karnataka has more than 20,000 heritage structures, and 844 of these sites are currently under the State government.
Among the monuments already taken up under the programme are Venkatappa Art Gallery in Bengaluru, Yadgir Fort, Taj Bawdi in Vijayapura and Basavakalyan Fort in Bidar, among other sites.
Monuments adopted
Nalknad Palace
Venkatappa Art Gallery
Sri Yoganandeeswara Temple at Nandi Hill
Kalyani, Nandi Hill Station
Rangasthala, Chikkaballapur
Sri Venkatarama Temple, Alambagiri
Sri Bheemeshwara/nakuleshwara Temples, Kaivara
Fort Wall and Entrance Gate at Nandi Hills
Taj Bawdi, Vijayapura
Gagan Mahal, Vijayapura
Aravattu Kambadagudi, Nagavi
Nandi Bhavi Temple Complex
Mallikarjuna Temple Complex
Mallayanagudi
Basavakalyan Fort, Bidar
Yadgir Fort
Manyaketa or Malked Fort, Sedam Taluk
Sri Ramadevaru Seetha Devi Temple, Kudlur, Channapatna
NOTE: The list only includes adopted monuments (18 of the total) and not the ones awaiting approval.
Low publicity
A company that has been using its CSR funds for maintaining lakes and parks in Bengaluru said it had not considered monument adoption because many heritage sites attract limited footfall and offer little public visibility. The representative said poor connectivity to monuments in several districts and low public awareness reduce the appeal for private organisations.
Another organisation that has adopted a monument said visibility and public engagement are key factors for most private organisations. “While there is a desperate need for private participation in heritage maintenance, companies look for outcomes such as increased visitor numbers or stronger public recognition after investment as the annual maintenance costs for each site exceed ₹5 lakh,” the representative said.
Lack of plans
A. Devaraju, Commissioner, Department of Archaeology, Museums and Heritage (DAMH), acknowledged the challenges and said publicity for the initiative has not been adequate. “The gap has been mainly about working on preparing more detailed development plans and improving outreach to attract organisations, particularly those willing to invest CSR funds,” he said.
According to the DAMH, the cost of adopting a monument is about ₹50 lakh for three years. This includes providing basic visitor infrastructure, based on estimates prepared using a toolkit developed by the Indian Institute of Architects (IIA), Karnataka Chapter.
Under the scheme, selected applicants — Smaraka Mitra — are entrusted with developing, upgrading and maintaining visitor facilities at the site. The agreement is initially for at least five years and is subject to regular monitoring and review by the department.
Up for adoption
Of the monuments currently up for adoption, temples account for the largest share at 534, followed by 100 archaeological sites, 45 forts, and 16 tombs, among other sites.
Published – May 05, 2026 07:42 pm IST
