{"id":24269,"date":"2024-05-04T18:20:30","date_gmt":"2024-05-04T12:50:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=24269"},"modified":"2025-04-08T16:35:53","modified_gmt":"2025-04-08T11:05:53","slug":"protecting-indias-built-heritage-and-ancient-buildings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/editorial-analysis\/04-05-2024\/protecting-indias-built-heritage-and-ancient-buildings","title":{"rendered":"Protecting India\u2019s Built Heritage and Ancient Buildings"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS 1\/Art and Culture&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-7876fd66c7e9ffc5b049ab5a8df88a33\" style=\"color:#015aa7\"><strong>In News<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Madras High Court has directed the Tamil Nadu government to constitute the commission that would act as an advisory body on the preservation of heritage structures in the State.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-7b8b4aefd3d18a4a26d2e590e5f861b3\" style=\"color:#015aa7\"><strong>About<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Madras High Court\u2019s recent intervention to enforce the Tamil Nadu Heritage Commission Act of 2012 (amended in 2017) has brought to the fore the need to make comprehensive heritage management a ground reality.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-c2b2c9d9161e3e12f5d7552481ece626\" style=\"color:#015aa7\"><strong>About Heritage and Ancient Buildings&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India is an ancient civilisation and one of the richest nations in terms of cultural heritage\u2014or those<strong> physical artifacts and intangible legacies <\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>India\u2019s built <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/15-02-2025\/preserving-india-cultural-heritage\">heritage <\/a>is\u00a0 an amalgamation of the<strong> country\u2019s multi-millennial interactions <\/strong>with different cultures\u2014is managed by governmental agencies at the national, state and local levels.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>These bodies have their respective mandates in protecting and preserving the country\u2019s <strong>ancient monuments and other structures <\/strong>of historical value<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>India <strong>boasts of myriad beautiful historic building<\/strong>s ranging from ancient South Indian temples and Rajputana forts to some fine monuments built by Mughals.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>These incredible iconic buildings in India are a treat for history lovers and noted for their impressive architecture and rich historical background.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-852de0420489958706153d3718353d4a\" style=\"color:#015aa7\"><strong>Challenges&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India\u2019s built heritage is under constant threat from the various natural disasters that visit the country every year.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Earthquakes, floods, and tsunamis threaten serious damage to monuments and other historical structures.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In India built heritage is <strong>under-funded by either public or private sources.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Neither are banks and financial institutions keen in extending loans for the protection and development of heritage assets.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Challenges are emerging&nbsp; in balancing the rapid urbanisation and heritage preservation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Even those structures considered to be of national\/state or local importance in India and protected as such remain under <strong>threat from urban pressures,<\/strong> <strong>neglect, vandalism and, worse, demolition<\/strong>,<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-2e065e20a7c276af4f34ae8f4defa4b5\" style=\"color:#015aa7\"><strong>Laws and Regulations<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India\u2019s built heritage are well-protected by <strong>Article 49 of the Constitution:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cIt shall be the obligation of the State to protect every monument or place or object of artistic or historic interest, (declared by or under law made by Parliament) to be of national importance, from spoliation, disfigurement, destruction, removal, disposal or export, as the case may be.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&nbsp;Further,<strong> Article 51 A (f) states:<\/strong> \u201cIt shall be the duty of every citizen of India to value and preserve the rich heritage of our composite culture<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The country\u2019s earliest heritage laws were the<strong> Bengal Regulation XIX of 1810<\/strong> and the <strong>Madras Regulation VII of 1817<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In 1863 Act XX was passed, empowering the government to conserve structures of historical or architectural value.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&nbsp;In 1951, the <strong>Ancient and Historical Monuments <\/strong>and <strong>Archaeological Sites and Remains (Declaration of National Importance) <\/strong>Act replaced the Ancient Monuments Preservation Act, 1904 and later was supplanted by the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act 1958.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India\u2019s commitment to heritage was further emphasised when it became a signatory to <strong>UNESCO\u2019s World Heritage Convention<\/strong> for the protection of global and national heritage.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A number of state heritage laws have also been enacted in independent India.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>At the central level, nationally protected monuments fall under the jurisdiction of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It functions under the Ministry of Culture and is responsible for archaeological research and conservation and preservation of monuments categorised as \u201cnational heritage\u201d.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-2068fdec3ca6527b7e72b27cdf8e17fa\" style=\"color:#015aa7\"><strong>Suggestions&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The protection of India\u2019s heritage is covered by various laws, there is much scope for improvement in terms of heritage conservation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In view of the significance of heritage in a nation\u2019s life, it is critical to have a strategy in place that deals specifically with what needs to be done to preserve heritage.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The imperative is to integrate the rehabilitation of the heritage structure in Disaster Management (DM) at the national and local levels.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It is also important to undertake adequate documentation of heritage structures.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Such documentation should include the determination of potential risks to heritage structures based on their location and other characteristics.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>There is a need for i<strong>nnovative mechanisms<\/strong> to fund both, heritage protection and post-disaster rehabilitation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>To be meaningful, conservation works need to be coupled with urban improvements, improved transport infrastructure, providing economic opportunities, and improving health, education and sanitation infrastructure.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/15-02-2025\/preserving-india-cultural-heritage\">India\u2019s Heritage<\/a> is underfinanced, and a Comprehensive Vision for Heritage Budget and Planning with innovative means of financing is essential.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This heritage does not just constitute the important markers of India\u2019s past but also presents a unique opportunity for generating employment and incomes through heritage tourism and local development<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#ebecf0\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Mains Practise Question&nbsp;<\/strong><br><strong>[Q]<\/strong> Discuss the current challenges for heritage management in India and provide a future roadmap for conserving the&nbsp; built heritage and antiquities<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Daily-Editorial-Analysis-04-05-2024.pdf\">Download PDF<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Madras High Court has directed the Tamil Nadu government to constitute the commission that would act as an advisory body on the preservation of heritage structures in the State.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24269","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-editorial-analysis"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24269","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24269"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24269\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40612,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24269\/revisions\/40612"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24269"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24269"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24269"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}