Police said the video appeared to be one year old. (ANI)
A video of stone pillars at the UNESCO world heritage site at Hampi in Karnataka being damaged by some men has gone viral on social media. The clip shows three men pushing the artistically carved stone pillar to the ground, following which it breaks.
Other damaged pillars are also shown lying around, but it was not immediately clear whether the men had damaged it.
The video has led to concern over the safety of the protected sites in the country. Although the local police have launched probe, they said that the video appeared to be one year old. The cybercrime police have been tasked to look into the issue, Ballari district police told NDTV.
Locals staged a protest, demanding that adequate security be provided to the protected monuments.
Hampi, with its beautiful temples spread over a wide area has been declared a world heritage site by UNESCO - and is a big draw for both domestic and foreign tourists. There has been concern expressed on the last as well that the ruins are not being properly preserved.
Hampi is under the care of the Archaelogical Survey of India.
Recently, it was listed second on the New York Times list of 52 must-go sites in the world.
(with inputs from PTI)