Green Campus
Kannada University, Hampi, working tirelessly to explore Kannada literature, culture, tradition, research and publication, is situated in the environs of Hampi, the cultural capital. It has a sprawling area of 680 acres and it is named ‘Vidyaranya’. The entire area is a home for rare species of flora and fauna, medicinal creepers, fruit bearing vine, termites, ants and butterflies. Peacocks, rabbits and wild animals have turned this area even more beautiful. This campus is covered with green and is protected from plastic menace.The University has turned the 680 acres of land handed over by the Karnataka State Government into a lush green which was hitherto covered with big boulders and rocks.
Moreover, this area used to get less rainfall in the initial years. Undeterred by this, the University kick started the greening campaign by planting one lakh saplings. Prior to the construction of buildings, the Varsity started off with the greening operations. The founding Vice-Chancellor of the University Dr Chandrashekhar Kambar took the initiative to cover the red soil of this area into greenery. It was not an easy task to plant one lakh saplings with scarcity of water and human resources. Considering these limitations, the administration of the University executed the horticulture programme in three stages;
VISION
The Founding V-C Dr Chandrashekhar Kambar held series of meetings with forest and agriculture experts to deliberate over what kinds of saplings would sustain the scorching heat and scarcity of water. It was suggested by the experts that the geographical conditions of this area was conducive to grow desi (indigenous) plants. So it was decided to grow indigenous plants in this area. It was the vision of Dr Kambar to have greenery prior to have buildings in the campus. When he was appointed as the Vice-Chancellor in 1992, he had two papers in his hand; his appointment order and the blue print of the varsity. His strong conviction made him proactive. It was not an easy task to plant saplings overnight but Dr Kambar was not deterred by any adversities but continued with great enthusiasm
Mission (Beginning of Greening Campaign 27th June 1992):
With a strong desire to have the company of birds and nature at the university campus, Dr Kambar kicked off greening campaign from Hallikeri, a locality from where the road to university begins. He sought the cooperation from Forest department to plant trees by the sides of the road. The entire 740 acres of area was divided into small areas and as per the Mission, the planting was undertaken as follows.
Navarang Vana
Navrang Open Theatre is one of the buildings built in the initial days of the varsity. This open air theatre is built in the Shantiniketan model. Built adjacent to the tank bund, Navarang gives you the experience of Mantap built during Vijayanagara Empire. The convocation and other programmes are held in this
open air theatre in which His Highness Governor of the State, chief ministers, ministers and noted writers take part. The Navrang is covered with green and its beauty gets doubled when the adjacent tank Hallikere gets filled to its maximum capacity. During summer, birds migrate from far off places to this tank. Flowers such as Jasmine, Oleander, Coral jasmine, tree jasmine and mango, neem, avenue tree, pupil and banyan trees have added attraction to the beauty of Navrang. Amidst this whispering meadow, the prestigious Nadoja Award instituted by the Varsity is conferred upon to dignitaries who have exemplary service in the field of arts, science, literature and culture and students are awarded with MPhil, Phd and D.Litt certificates annually
Shilpa Vana
The natural boulders available in Vidyaranya have been neatly sculpted to beautify the campus. These natural sculptures are further beautified with plants. Saplings have been planted from Shilpa Vana to Buvana Vijaya and from Kudala Sangama to Dept of Folklore Studies.
Giri Seeme Vana
Kananda University is the first to take up research studies on tribes and Giri Seeme is built in resemblance to tribal settlements. This building is built amidst lush green and has become a favorite spot for wild boar, hedgehog, monitor lizard, and other reptiles. The seedlings planted by Jnanapeetha awardee Dr Shivaram Karanth, while on his visit to the varsity, have now grown into majestic trees.
Bhuvana Vijaya Garden
Bhuvana Vijaya is a theatre where literary, cultural, and theatre activities are held. This is adjacent to ‘Akshara’, the university library. The university has made it a point to keep the ambience at Bhuvana Vijaya and Akshara always lively and cool. A mesmerizing rose garden is maintained at these two buildings and this project was taken up former Vice-Chancellor Dr M M Kalburgi.
Kumara Rama Garden
The administrative building of the university is ‘Kriya Shakti’ where Vice- Chancellor, Registrar, Finance Officer, Technical Officer, Administrative Officer and other staff members discharge their duties diligently. The former vice-chancellor Dr Kalburgi took the initiative to cover the surroundings with green and that is how Kumara Rama Garden became a reality. The trees at Kriya Shakti have grown taller than the buildings thus keeping the administrative block calm and serene.
Coconut Plantation
Opposite Kriya Shakti, a coconut plantation of more than 110 coconut trees, mango trees, sapodilla and fig trees have been grown to attract birds. The fruit bearing trees have been feeding lakhs of birds.
Chinnada Belasu fruit Orchard
As the university is covered with greenery, the number of birds seen in the vicinity of the campus increased gradually. In an attempt to feed these birds, the university administration chalked out a scheme to grow an orchard. During the period of Vijayanagara Kingdom, hundreds of acres of land was donated by the kings to grow fruits to feed the monkeys. This huge area was named ‘Kothi Inam’, a place where monkeys and other animals can have banana and sugarcane
to satiate their hunger. Drawing a lesson from the Kings of Vijayanagara Kingdom, the university has grown a separate orchard only for the sake of feeding birds and animals in its vicinity. This orchard is named Chinnada BElasu. The university has strictly prohibited general public and the staff members of the university from either selling or plucking fruits for their personal use. The orchard has mango, tamarind, guava, grape fruit, cherry and other trees.
Former Vice-Chancellor Dr Vivek Rai implemented this scheme when the entire state was celebrating ‘Suvarna Karnataka’ (fifty years of formation). This orchard was inaugurated by the noted exponent of organic farming Dr D C Chowta on 3r January 2007. This orchard is now a home for hundreds of birds and their company has always been alluring to the visitor of the varsity.
Pakshikashi
The university has set up its own nursery to cover the varsity campus with green. The seedlings are nursed with organic and natural manure. The staff members of Horticulture Department of the University have been entrusted with responsibility of maintaining this nursery.
Environment Day/ Vana Mahotsav
The trees and plants in the university campus are grown with organic manure and they are totally free from fertilizers and chemicals. The entire campus is plastic free and the university staff members, faculties and students have joined the campaign of plastic free campus.
ACTION PLAN
The greening project of the university, started in 1992, was initiated by Forest Department and continued till 1997. Later on, the project was entrusted to Shri J S Nanjaiah, from Technical department, from 1997 to 2003. It was then handed over to Planning Department from 2003 to 2013 under the guidance of Dr K H Katti, Planing Officer. J B Jayadev, Assistant Horticulture Officer took charge of this project from 2013.
- In the year 2010-11, new seedlings were planted and a total of 5000 saplings were planted in the backyard of V-C’s official residence. The saplings were distributed by Zilla Panchayat and Forest Department,
- In 2011-12, thousands of seedlings were planted in the campus area and daily work assignments were prepared to make the campus plastic-free.
- In 2012-13, the entire campus was cleaned as part of sanitation drive. The staff members of Horticulture Department were gives daily assignments to carry out
- In 2013-14, seedlings were planted as part of Vana Mahotsav and daily assignments of sanitation were carried
- In 2014-15 a total of 5000(Five Thousand) seedlings were planted at the Publication Wing as part of Vana The saplings were distributed by the Forest Department.
- In 2015-16, flower plants were planted by the side of A-gate and B-gate roads. Hundreds of seedlings were planted at Visual Media
- In 2016-17, hundreds of seedlings were planted at Directorate of Distance
- In 2017-18, seedlings were planted in the surroundings of newly constructed buildings at the varsity
- On 5th June 2018, Vice-Chancellor of the University planted hundreds of seedlings as part of World Environment Students and staff members took part in the programme.
Trees in The Campus
The Lakhs trees in the campus have been grown in the indigenous method. Following are the trees grown at the varsity campus
| S:NO | Name of Tree |
|---|---|
| 1 | Neem Tree |
| 2 | Avenue Tree |
| 3 | Banyan Tree |
| 4 | Tamarind Tree |
| 5 | Bamboo |
| 6 | Cluster Fig |
| 7 | Custard Apple |
| 8 | Mango |
| 9 | Teak |
| 10 | Ashoka Tree |
| 11 | Pomegranate |
| 12 | Cashew |
| 13 | Gold Tree |
| S:NO | Name of Tree |
|---|---|
| 1 | Prosopis Juliflore |
| 2 | Halagili |
| 3 | Palmyra Palm |
| 4 | Flame of Forest |
| 5 | Tree Jasmine |
| 6 | Almond |
| 7 | Coconut |
| 8 | Banni Tree |
| 9 | Champaka |
| 10 | Palm Tree |
| 11 | Guava Tree |
| 12 | Saphota (Chicku) |
| 13 | Areca Palm and Others |
Birds
The varsity campus is a home for more than 250 species of birds. One can find termites to peacocks and from chameleons to wild board in the campus. Bears and cheetahs are spotted sometimes. Ornithologist and Wildlife photographer Samad Kottur has identified more than 250 species of birds in the vicinity of the varsity. Another Ornithologist Pampaiah Swamy Malimath says that this area is the most sought after place owing to availability of natural resources, water resources and conducive environ.
‘Vidyaranya’ attracts the visitors for its green cover and has enabled hundreds of students to pursue their higher studies in most peaceful and serene surroundings. The horticulture of the campus is done on organic method and is free from plastic and fertilizers. This area looks like a thick forest cover of Ballari district which is infamous for scorching heat.
STAFF DETAILS OF HORTICULTURE DEPARTMENT
| S:NO | Name | Designation | Mobile Number |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | M.M. Shivaprakash | Assistant Registrar | |
| 2. | Beerappa | Horticulture Officer |
Department Profile
Waste Management
- E-waste management
- Liquid waste management
- Solid waste management
E-waste management –
i) Departments are told to report the e-waste to computer centre ii) Computer centre collects the e-waste from the departments iii) after collecting computer centre checks the waste to see whether they are repairable and reusable, if found it is not repairable it is declared e-waste, iii) once in a year tender is called in the local news paper and the e-waste is auctioned, iv) money collected from the auction of e-waste is transferred to university’s account.
E-waste management cell
Liquid waste management
Liquid waste management – i) septic tank is constructed to collect liquid waste of various departments, hostels, quarters and guest houses ii) when the septic tank is filled with the liquid waste municipality is called to take away the waste from the campus
Solid Waste Management
Solid waste management -i) a Godown is constructed in the campus to store the waste materials, ii)local paper tender is called to auction waste furniture’s and vehicle parts, iii) to dispose waste papers quotation is called
Rain water Harvesting
University is located in a dry land region where the annual rainfall does not cross 600 to 700 mm. In this environment it is inevitable for the university to collect and conserve the water available. In order to collect and conserve water university has constructed tanks, dug tube wells, check dams, open well and storage tanks.
Tank 03
1) Alli Kere
This tank was constructed during the period of Vijayanagara Kingdom. The total water storage capacity of the tank is 56.40 MCFT and the dead storage capacity is 50.63 MCFT. Tank has catchment area of more than 200 acres. But now the tank is not filled with water from the catchment area. Water from Tungabhadra Dam fills the tank. 4.6 cuses of water is being released to this tank from the TB Dam.
Chomana Kere
This tank is constructed near the Tribal Studies Department. Main purpose of this tank is to collect the scanty rainfall falling in the campus. Measurement of the tank is as follows – 110 rmt SSM tank bund, 10 feet height, 200 meter width and total storage capacity is 2,20,000 cft.
Giri Seeme Vana
Kananda University is the first to take up research studies on tribes and Giri Seeme is built in resemblance to tribal settlements. This building is built amidst lush green and has become a favorite spot for wild boar, hedgehog, monitor lizard, and other reptiles. The seedlings planted by Jnanapeetha awardee Dr Shivaram Karanth, while on his visit to the varsity, have now grown into majestic trees.
Bhuvana Vijaya Garden
Bhuvana Vijaya is a theatre where literary, cultural, and theatre activities are held. This is adjacent to ‘Akshara’, the university library. The university has made it a point to keep the ambience at Bhuvana Vijaya and Akshara always lively and cool. A mesmerizing rose garden is maintained at these two buildings and this project was taken up former Vice-Chancellor Dr M M Kalburgi.
Kumara Rama Garden
The administrative building of the university is ‘Kriya Shakti’ where Vice- Chancellor, Registrar, Finance Officer, Technical Officer, Administrative Officer and other staff members discharge their duties diligently. The former vice-chancellor Dr Kalburgi took the initiative to cover the surroundings with green and that is how Kumara Rama Garden became a reality. The trees at Kriya Shakti have grown taller than the buildings thus keeping the administrative block calm and serene.
Coconut Plantation
Opposite Kriya Shakti, a coconut plantation of more than 110 coconut trees, mango trees, sapodilla and fig trees have been grown to attract birds. The fruit bearing trees have been feeding lakhs of birds.
Chinnada Belasu fruit Orchard
As the university is covered with greenery, the number of birds seen in the vicinity of the campus increased gradually. In an attempt to feed these birds, the university administration chalked out a scheme to grow an orchard. During the period of Vijayanagara Kingdom, hundreds of acres of land was donated by the kings to grow fruits to feed the monkeys. This huge area was named ‘Kothi Inam’, a place where monkeys and other animals can have banana and sugarcane
to satiate their hunger. Drawing a lesson from the Kings of Vijayanagara Kingdom, the university has grown a separate orchard only for the sake of feeding birds and animals in its vicinity. This orchard is named Chinnada BElasu. The university has strictly prohibited general public and the staff members of the university from either selling or plucking fruits for their personal use. The orchard has mango, tamarind, guava, grape fruit, cherry and other trees.
Former Vice-Chancellor Dr Vivek Rai implemented this scheme when the entire state was celebrating ‘Suvarna Karnataka’ (fifty years of formation). This orchard was inaugurated by the noted exponent of organic farming Dr D C Chowta on 3r January 2007. This orchard is now a home for hundreds of birds and their company has always been alluring to the visitor of the varsity.
Pakshikashi
The university has set up its own nursery to cover the varsity campus with green. The seedlings are nursed with organic and natural manure. The staff members of Horticulture Department of the University have been entrusted with responsibility of maintaining this nursery.
Environment Day/ Vana Mahotsav
The trees and plants in the university campus are grown with organic manure and they are totally free from fertilizers and chemicals. The entire campus is plastic free and the university staff members, faculties and students have joined the campaign of plastic free campus.
