Why we need to think about the way we preserve heritage
- The Rajya Sabha’s Standing Committee’s 324th Report on transport, tourism and culture, submitted to Parliament in 2022 focused on untraceable monuments.
- It notes, “The Ministry, in its background note on the subject, stated that the CAG in its 2013 Report on ‘Performance Audit of Preservation and Conservation of Monuments and Antiquities’, submitted to Parliament on 23.8.2013, had reported that 92 monuments are missing. ”
Reasons for missing of monuments
- Becoming a part of larger areas: May become a part of any street, park etc.
- Impact of urbanisation: Some monuments are lost to urbanisation, and others are submerged.
- Disasters: Many geophysical phenomenon like floods, earthquakes have been major causes of loss of monuments.
Major missing monuments
- Barakhamba Cemetery in Delhi
- Meaning: 12 pillars which is named after a house with 12 pillars of a 14th-century nobleman from the Tughlaq era.
- Possible location: It seems to have been in the Nizamuddin area.
- Kos Minars in Mujesar (Faridabad) & Shahabad (Kurukshetra)
- Location: They proliferated along the Grand Trunk Road made by Sher Shah Suri.
- Dilapidated condition: Out of the 49 Kos Minars in Haryana, only eight remain.
- Kos Minars in Shahbad: The last time the minar in Shahabad was seen was in 1955 & was lost during the development of Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA).
Prelims Takeaway
- ASI