International Journal of Engineering and Advanced Technology (IJEAT)
ISSN: 2249 – 8958, Volume-6 Issue-5, June 2017
Conservation of Heritage Sites in India
Ehtesham Patel
Abstract: India is a country with a rich stock of heritage sites. This The conservation of ancient monuments in India can be
paper highlights the laws which are responsible for the traced from the enactment of parliamentary bills which have
conservation of heritage sites and monuments. These include encapsulated the guidelines to usher in the protection of
those issued by the center and those issued by the different states.
Guidelines used to declare a site as a heritage site have also been
historically important sites in the country. Table 1 shows the
accentuated. Since India has many monuments and heritage sites, chronology of the laws enacted to protect the cultural heritage
the need to conserve them has become imperative as these of the country from the time of the British to the Republic of
buildings carry archaeological, historical and artistic value. To India. Apart from the center, various states too have enacted
conserve the heritage sites, different techniques are employed their own laws to protect the cultural heritage of the country.
under the supervision of dedicated experts. However, the process Table 2 depicts the list of the states and their individual laws.
of conservation and preservation of heritage sites is not just
limited to scientific and engineering methods; the social Table1. Chronology of laws for protection of historic and
dimension of conservation also needs to be addressed. archaeological sites in India
Keywords: India, stock, methods; addressed. Act Purpose Year
To protect buildings
I. INTRODUCTION from any sort of
Act XX damages, and preserve 1863
UNESCO defines cultural heritage as” the legacy of their historical and
architectural value.
physical artefacts and intangible attributes of a group or Protect and preserve
society that are inherited from past generations, maintained in archaeological and
the present and bestowed for the benefit of future The Indian historically importance
Treasure Trove treasures found 1878
generations.” Tangible heritage comprises of buildings of Act accidently so as to
historic importance, monuments and artefacts amongst others. oversee their
India ranks 5th on the list of the highest number of UNESCO appropriate disposal.
World Heritage sites, which is 32. A heritage site is one Preservation of ancient
monuments in order to
through which the cultural, social and political history of a curb the illegal
place has been preserved. The Ancient excavations and traffic
Monuments of artefacts and 1904
II. PROTECTION OF HERITAGE SITES IN INDIA Preservation Act antiques which have
archaeological,
According to the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological historical and artistic
Sites and Remains Act 1958, “Ancient Monument means any values.
To regulate the export
structure, erection or monument, or any tumulus or place of The Antiques
of antiques under a
interment, or any cave, rock-sculpture, inscription or Export Control 1947
license provided by the
Act
monolith, which is of historical, archaeological or artistic government.
interest and which has been in existence for not less than 100 The Ancient and
Added more
Historical
years and includes – remains of an ancient monument, site of monuments to the list
Monuments and
an ancient monument, such portion of a land adjoining the prepared under The
Archaeological
Ancient Monuments
ancient monument as may be required for fencing or covering Sites and 1951
Preservation Act of
in or otherwise preserving the monument and the means of Remains
1904 under
access to, and convenient inspection or, an ancient (Declaration of
government protection.
National
monument.” Repealed the 1904 act.
Importance) Act
The protection of the heritage sites in India is overseen by the Protection and
1958, Amended as
Archaeological Survey of India, which functions under the preservation of
The Ancient
Ministry of Culture. The Ancient Monuments and The Ancient historically and
Monuments and
Monuments and archaeologically
Archaeological Sites and Remains Act 1958, updated as The Archaeological important sites,
Archaeological
Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Sites and Remains
Sites and regulation of
(Amendment and
(Amendment and Validation) Act, 2010 provides for the Remains Act excavations and
Validation) Act in
protection of heritage sites, monuments, archaeological sites, protection of carvings,
2010
sculptures etc.
sculptures and other objects which have historical value and
importance.
Revised Version Manuscript Received on June 28, 2017.
Ehtesham Patel, Department of Civil Engineering, Sinhgad Academy of
Engineering, Pune (Maharashtra)-411048, India.
Published By:
Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering
& Sciences Publication Pvt. Ltd.
275
Conservation of Heritage Sites in India
Effectively regulate the and Remains
movements of antiques Preservation Act,
The Antiquities
and art treasures. 1990
and Art 1972
Repealed the Antiques Hampi World Karnataka 2002
Treasures Act
Export Control Act of Heritage Area
1947. Management
Authority Act
Table 2. State wise chronology of heritage protection acts Delhi 2004
Delhi Ancient and
Act State Year Historical
Monuments and
Victoria Memorial West Bengal 1903 Archaeological Sites
Act and Remains Act
Orissa Ancient Orissa 1956
Monuments and
Preservation Act III. LISTING BUILDINGS AS HERITAGE SITES
Assam Ancient Assam 1959
Monuments and
The government and its different bodies which are associated
Archaeological Sites with the conservation of heritage sites must first identify
and Remains Act, which sites can actually be considered as heritage sites. This is
1959 a process which requires combined efforts between the
Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh 1960 government agencies and the academic fraternity particularly
ancient & historical
monuments & arch fields like history, archaeology and anthropology. The Central
sites & remains rules Public Works Department has issued guidelines to determine
1960 whether a building can be a heritage site. The department has
Rajasthan Rajasthan 1961 highlighted three points for the consideration.
Monuments,
Archaeological Sites
Historic Significance: The building under consideration
and Antiquities Act should have a relevant connection with certain events,
Karnataka Karnataka 1961 persons, socio-political happenings and technology of the
archaeology
monuments sites act past. The building should hold artistic, architectural and
1961 (2) archaeological importance.
Assam ancient Assam 1964
monuments and Historic Integrity: The building must have certain
records rules 1964 characteristics from the time it gained significance preserved.
Punjab ancient & Punjab 1964
Historic Context: The building should highlight the evidence
historical
monuments and arch of certain historical contexts. It basically should be able to
sites & remains act give certain information about the past.
1964
The Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh 1964 The listing done by the Central Public Works Department
Ancient Monuments happens in two stages, viz,
and Archaeological
Sites and Remains
Background Research: It is vital to gather information about
Act the prospect heritage site before declaring it as one. The
The Mysore Ancient Karnataka 1965 background research will help to understand the historical site
and Historical
Monuments And holistically. The required information can be obtained from
Archaeological Sites libraries, universities, archives, museums and other
rules 1965
Tamil Nadu Ancient Tamil Nadu 1966 government publications like gazettes. It is imperative to
Monuments and include experts and scholars in the process so as to get the
Archaeological Sites
guidance required to understand the particular site in its
and Remains Act
Rajasthan Rajasthan 1968 various contexts.
monuments arch site Fieldwork: Physically inspection of sites is necessary to
& ant Act rules 1968
Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh 1976 generate the reports declaring sites as a place of heritage. To
Archaeology explore the site, maps need to be constructed. Maps available
monuments sites act
1976
through municipal or other government bodies can also be
Bihar Ancient Bihar 1976 helpful. Fieldwork can also involve establishing dialogue with
Monuments and the residents of the property, village panchayat members and
Archaeological Sites
Remains and Art other locals, through whom more information about the
Treasures Act, 1976 property can be obtained. Inspections can reveal the physical
The Goa, daman and Goa, Daman & Diu 1978
Diu Ancient
attributes and characteristics of the sites such as architectural
Monuments and style, design, construction period etc. All information
Archaeological Sites collected from the fieldwork.
and Remains Act,
1978
Arunachal Pradesh Arunachal Pradesh 1990
Ancient Monuments,
Archaeological Sites
Published By:
Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering
& Sciences Publication Pvt. Ltd.
276
International Journal of Engineering and Advanced Technology (IJEAT)
ISSN: 2249 – 8958, Volume-6 Issue-5, June 2017
Needs to be transcribed and photography plays a vital role in 5. Post-disaster management work of heritage sites is
helping to document the site. done in terms of general repairs and is usually for
specific purposes. Importance should be given to
IV. DETERIORATION OF HERITAGE SITES
pre-disaster management of the heritage sites.
There are several factors which lead to the deterioration of 6. Since India’s stock of heritage sites is large, adequate
heritage sites. It is now a conceived notion that heritage sites and skilled manpower is lacking to address the
must exist permanently and therefore, the decision to protect conservation issues at hand.
such sites from detriments is a task which is diligently
undertaken. The factors responsible for the deterioration of VI. CONSERVATION TECHNOQUES USED
the heritage sites can be divided into Natural and
Anthropogenic causes. The conservation of heritage monuments is done by the
Archaeological Survey of India under the Ministry of Culture.
There are two main techniques which are used to restore
monuments to their aesthetic, cultural and historic value.
These techniques include Structural Conservation and
Chemical Preservation.
Structural Conservation: Although the ancient monuments
have stood the test of time, not all of them are as strong as they
were. Over the course of decades or centuries, the monuments
incur significant loss in their structural integrity. Many
monuments are often rendered in a weakened state. This may
be due to the weakening of the foundation pillars, weakening
of columns, ceilings, etc. Vegetation, mostly weed is also
found growing over older buildings. Water seepage is another
problem which renders older buildings weak. Structural
conservation involves making the foundation of the building
Fig 1. Heritage Site Deterioration strong again. Reinforcement work is carried out on
Figure 1 explains the causes of the deterioration of heritage foundations to restore the core part of the building. This also
sites. Both natural and anthropogenic causes are responsible helps the monuments to become resistant to natural disaster
for the deterioration. Fire is considered to be a man-made such as floods and quakes. Repairs are also done on other
agent of deterioration due to reasons like electric short circuit, parts of the building which includes ceilings, walls etc.
improper burning of material etc.
Removing unnecessary vegetation from the premises also
helps to contribute to the aesthetic value of the monument.
V. NEED FOR CONSERVATION OF HERITAGE
SITES Chemical Preservation: Chemical preservation helps to
protect the monuments from agents such as organic and
Menon (2014) has identified 6 points to highlight the status of
conservation of the heritage sites in the country. These have inorganic gases like sulphuric acid, nitric acid and carbon
been summarized below. monoxide. Chemical preservation also helps to eliminate
1. The national and state level authorities only hold a moss, algae and lichens which grow on the monuments. Wood
limited number of heritage sites under their is cleaned with the help of some pesticides like Xylophene and
jurisdiction and conservation efforts. Lack of DDT amongst others. The cleaning of terracotta objects and
required manpower is a major hindrance to ensure stone is done with the help of mixtures of mortar, slaked lime
the long-term survival of heritage sites which are and brick dust.
under the jurisdiction of the national and state Awareness Programs: The government has understood the
authorities. criticality of spreading awareness regarding conservation of
2. The private sector in India is involved only in the the different heritage sites in the country, and for this purpose,
aesthetic maintenances of the heritage sites. The many events, seminars and workshops are organized pan
issue of safety regarding the heritage sites largely lies India, where the knowledge about the ancient monuments,
unaddressed as required engineers are not available their historical and archaeological importance is shared with
to be a part of projects. the participants to supplement the monuments conservation
3. Conservation and preservation of heritage sites in drive. Some of the actions which are encouraged include
India requires engineers’ inputs from preventing the sites from being vandalized. Since the
interdisciplinary perspectives. conservation process requires major efforts from experts,
4. Cohesion of modern engineering methods and government agencies, monetary aid and significant time;
traditional engineering methods is lacking. This has
been identified as a major hindrance to the
conservation efforts.
Published By:
Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering
& Sciences Publication Pvt. Ltd.
277
Conservation of Heritage Sites in India
The imperativeness of the conservation process must be
communicated to people and thus community participation is
encouraged.
VII. CONCLUSION
The first step in conservation projects is to understand what
the failures and weaknesses of the buildings are. This helps to
create a logistically stratified operation which can further lead
to the success of the conservation projects. Efforts should be
made to include the maximum number of heritage sites to the
list of protected monuments in the country. For this purpose,
identification of potential heritage sites needs to be
undertaken.
The different agencies involved in the conservation process
are lacking the necessary skilled manpower to make the
conservation process a success. Efforts should be made to
train and recruit suitable personnel required for the job. Since
conserving the monuments requires paramount expertise,
which can be developed through field experience, newer
talent should be encouraged to be a part of the conservation
projects.
The awareness programs and drives are supplementary to
the structural conservation and chemical preservation of
heritage monuments. Serious efforts, resources and time are
put into the conservation projects but public role too is vital.
Structural and chemical conservation efforts will be rendered
void if the monuments are going to lie in vandalized states.
REFERENCES
1. Addl. Director General (Archaeology) – Central Public Works
Department, Conservation of Heritage Buildings – A Guide, 2013,
Falcon Graphics.
2. Comptroller and Auditor General of India, Performance Audit of
Preservation and Conservation of Monuments and Antiquities, 2013.
3. Menon Arun, Heritage Conservation in India: Challenges and Newer
Paradigms - F. Peña & M. Chávez (eds.), SAHC2014 – 9th
International Conference on Structural Analysis of Historical
Constructions, 2001.
4. Singh G.M., Chemical Conservation of Monuments.
5. Sridar T.S. & Narayanan T.R., Deterioration of Monuments and their
Preservation.
6. http://www.livelaw.in/legal-aspects-heritage-india/
7. http://www.nma.gov.in:8080/heritage-bye-laws#_
8. http://www.unesco.org/culture/natlaws/media/pdf/india/inde_act24_1
958_enorof
9. http://asi.nic.in/asi_mission_legislations.asp
10. https://www.youthkiawaaz.com/2011/03/how-to-protect-national-heri
tage/
11. http://asi.nic.in/asi_cons_prev.asp
12. http://www.mgsarchitecture.in/articles/others/1007-preserving-our-pa
st-for-the-future-historical-monuments-heritage-sites.html
Ehtesham Patel is a 4th year B.E- Civil from
Sinhgad Academy of Engineering, Pune. He is
also a member of the Civil Engineering Students
Association at the academy.
Published By:
Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering
& Sciences Publication Pvt. Ltd.
278
