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Preserving the Past and Forging a New Future

INDIAN HERITAGE AND CULTURE
10 Dec, 2022

Theme : Indian Architecture 

Paper:GS - 1

 

TABLE OF CONTENT

  1. Context
  2. Importance of Built Heritage
  3. India’s Rich Heritage & Its Cultural Identity
  4. Challenges with Heritage Conservation of India
  5. Concerns
  6. Road Ahead

 

Context : Majority of India’s architectural heritage and sites remain unidentified and largely unprotected, and even those that are protected are facing challenges related to climate change and unsustainable tourism practices. 

Importance : 

  • Built heritage is a significant public good and is recognized as such in the Constitution’s Seventh Schedule. It nurtures our collective memories of places and is a significant constituent in the identity of cities.
  •  It has invaluable potential to contribute to our knowledge of not just history and the arts, but also science and technology.
  • Several buildings and sites throughout the country, even entire areas or parts of historic cities, are examples of sustainable development. They demonstrate complex connections of man with nature.

India’s Rich Heritage & Its Cultural Identity : 

  • Storytellers of Indian History: Heritage is a legacy of physical artifacts and intangible attributes through the generations that are inherited, preserved, and passed on.
  • Heritage has been woven into the fabric of Indian society with spiritual, religious, social, and political significance.
  • Embracing Diversity: India heritage is itself a museum of different types, communities, customs, traditions, religions, cultures, beliefs, languages, castes and social systems.
  • Tolerating Nature: Indian society gave every culture the opportunity of prospering that is reflected in its diverse heritage. It does not try to suppress diversity in favor of uniformity.

Challenges with Heritage Conservation of India : 

  • Pollution and Climate Change: Pollution is another problem faced by our heritage sites and India is still struggling to save its wonder, Taj Mahal from the pollution.
  • Of late, India is seeing a spate of floods due to climate change in various parts of the country including in those locations where heritage sites are located.
  • Puri in Odisha and Hampi in Karnataka are some of the latest examples of heritage sites getting damaged due to natural calamities which in turn is said to be the result of global warming.
  • Heritage Encroachments: Many ancient monuments have been encroached upon by local residents, shopkeepers, and souvenir sellers.
  • There is no harmony between these structures and the architectural style of monuments or the surroundings.
  • For instance, according to the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India (CAG) Report, 2013, there was encroachment on the Taj Mahal's premises near Khan-i-Alam's Bagh.
  • Exploitation over Excavation: Development activities have exploited many archaeological sites in India with rich deposits of artifacts.
  • Also, there is no provision for Cultural Resource Management before developmental projects, which adds to the problem.
  • Lack of Database for Heritage Sites: There is no comprehensive national database with state-by-state distribution of heritage structures in India.
  • Indian National Trust for Art & Cultural Heritage (INTACH) has inventoried about 60,000 buildings in around 150 cities, but that's still just the tip of the iceberg since there are estimated to be over 4000 heritage towns and cities throughout the country.
  • Lack of Human Resource: Lack of adequate numbers of qualified and competent human resources to look after the monuments and carry out conservation activities is the biggest problem faced by agencies like ASI.

Concerns : 

  • India, with several millennia of history, boasts of a diverse and rich heritage. Each region of our subcontinent boasts monumental buildings and remarkable archaeology. Yet, less than 15,000 monuments and heritage structures are legally protected in India—a fraction of the 600,000 protected in the UK.
  • Persistent oversight of the values of our heritage is one of the major paradoxes of physical planning and urban development in post-colonial India. Conservation of heritage is not seen as a priority to human need and development. Heritage sites are more often than not seen as consumables and usually end up as the tourism industry’s cash cows and little else.
  • Even those structures considered to be of national/state or local importance in India and protected as such remain under threat from urban pressures, neglect, vandalism and, worse, demolition, only for the value of the land they stand upon.This poor state of preservation of a large part of our national heritage is a result of the 
  • inability of those entrusted with their care and management to unlock the economic potential of these sites and demonstrate that conservation efforts can lead to meeting development objectives in a more sustainable manner.

Road Ahead : 

  • Reimaging Excavation and Conservation Policy: In light of the changing scenarios with the advancement in technology, ASI needs to update its Excavation Policy.
  • Using new technology such as Photogrammetry & 3D Laser scanning, LiDAR and satellite remote sensing surveys should be used for documentation, surveys, excavation and conservation.
  • Smart City, Smart Heritage: It is necessary to consider the Heritage Impact Assessment for all large infrastructure projects.
  • The Heritage Identification and Conservation Projects need to be adjoined to the city master plans and integrate with the Smart City Initiative.
  • Innovative Strategies for Increasing Engagement: The use of monuments that do not attract a large number of visitors and not have cultural/religious sensitivity can serve as venues for cultural and wedding programmes that can fulfill twin objective:
  • The promotion of the associated intangible heritage.
  • Increasing visitor numbers to such sites.
  • Corporate Heritage Responsibility: Companies should be encouraged to take on restoration and preservation of monuments as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility(CSR) obligations.
  • Linking Heritage Conservation with Climate Action: Heritage sites can serve as opportunities for climate communication and education, and research on historic sites and practices to understand past responses to changing climate conditions can help adaptation and mitigation planners develop strategies that integrate natural science and cultural heritage.

FAQs : 

  1. What is the Importance of Built Heritage ?

ANS. Built heritage is a significant public good and is recognized as such in the Constitution’s Seventh Schedule. It nurtures our collective memories of places and is a significant constituent in the identity of cities.

  1. How do we Embrace Diversity in Indian Heritage ?

ANS.  Indian heritage is itself a museum of different types, communities, customs, traditions, religions, cultures, beliefs, languages, castes and social systems. It has invaluable potential to contribute to our knowledge of not just history and the arts, but also science and technology.