Editorial: Bulldozing heritage

Last week, the 17th century Mubarak Manzil, a Mughal heritage site in Agra, also referred to as Aurangzeb's Haveli, was demolished to a great extent, three months after the state archaeological department issued a notification intended at addressing objections to the site being deemed as a protected monument. Despite no such objections being raised, observers reported that a real estate developer in cahoots with government officials had embarked on a demolition drive, following which debris laden on 100 tractors was hauled out of the site. The monument has a storied reputation, as it was built during Aurangzeb's reign and had served as a residence for important figures of the Mughal period, including the aforementioned emperor himself, Shah Jahan, and Shuja.

In the aftermath of about 70% demolition of the structure, the Archaeological Survey of India and the revenue department were directed to conduct a probe. Historians were left fuming having witnessed the absolute impunity with which such vestiges of the region’s history were destroyed. The fallout of the widespread neglect towards monuments of historic significance has even begun showing in the tourism numbers that India once prided upon.

Data from the World Economic Forum Travel and Tourism Development Index tells us that our nation attracted close to 11 million international tourists in 2019. Compare this metric with the tourism figures boasted of by much smaller nations in Europe such as France, which welcomed a staggering 90 million tourists in that same year; or Spain, which saw the footfall of 85 million tourists in 2023. Interestingly, India’s tourism might take a hit even when pitted against the likes of a singular city like Dubai, which saw a whopping 17.5 million travellers landing in 2023.

According to a report titled Challenges Faced in Heritage Management in India and Policy Imperatives, that was commissioned by the NITI Aayog, India has a vast repository of Urban Heritage in its living historic cities, most recently recognised by the UNESCO through the inscription of Ahmedabad and Jaipur as World Heritage Cities. As many as 12 historic cities in India were recognised under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs’s Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) programme in 2015. But there are more than 60 cities with historic areas that need protection and conservation streamlined with development works.

What emerges as a travesty is that there is no recognition of cultural landscapes (including sacred groves and historic gardens) in the country. Published sources on sacred groves indicate a total 13,720 such groves across India, with about 500 in Tamil Nadu, a hub for religious tourism. It is worth noting that the largest number of built heritage structures exist under this the typology of religious structures managed by temple departments and trusts. However, there is no protection or policy guiding conservation of this typology. There are also no consolidated listings of underwater archaeological sites in India, although they exist in large numbers. Just around 10 sites have been listed in underwater archaeology by the National Institute of Oceanography. Such shoddy documentation might explain why sites in Agra such as the Zohra Bagh, the Lodhi-era structures as well as the Shahi Hamam have been destroyed.

Stakeholders have sought to develop a national policy that recognises new cultural heritage categories, such as cultural landscapes and routes. A conservation policy for living heritage sites must also be framed, while the Indian Institute of Heritage should be developed as a Nodal Capacity Building Institute for conservation.