ELECTION 99
US EDITION
COLUMNISTS
DIARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ELECTIONS
ARCHIVES

Search Rediff

Five Indian sites among world's endangered monuments

Josy Joseph in New Delhi

Five Indian historic sites are among the world's 100 most endangered monuments whose biggest enemies are war, insensitive governments and tourism, according to the World Monuments Watch.

The Year 2000 list of world's 100 most endangered sites, released in New York by the WMF claims that the Indian sites suffer severely due to governmental neglect, while ethnic cleansing and civil strife have destroyed a large number of historic buildings in Kosovo and Bosnia.

The WMF is an international network of volunteers and funding bodies working to protect the world's archaeological sites. The list was officially released on September 14, at the Asia Society in New York City.

The Jaisalmer Fort in Rajasthan is notorious for figuring in similar lists of the WMF since 1996. 'The introduction of running water to the city without a proper drainage system is an enormous problem -- allowing water to run down streets and absorb into foundations. Water-eroded foundations have caused scores of properties to collapse. Most recently in August 1999, an unprecedented six inches of rain in 48 hours fell on the city resulting in collapse of three of the 99 bastions,' the report points out.

The only functioning fortress-city in India, Jaisalmer is a major tourist destination, 'resulting in increased traffic and the adaptation of houses to accommodate a growing number of guests.' Since 1996, WMF, American Express, and state grants were used to 'stabilise and restore the Rani ka Mahal (Queen's Palace).' However with the latest damage 'funds for emergency stabilisation, documentation and planning for the bastions are the priority,' the report has said.

The Basgo Gompa, also known as the Maitreya Temple, in Ladakh 'occupies a man-made hill that is being eroded by wind,' the report has pointed out. Monks and locals regularly shore up the crumbling walls but the exterior cobblestone foundation needs structural stabilisation it says. 'Water leaking through the roofs has threatened the stability of the floor of the main temple, as well as its statue and murals. An active community and residents of the temple complex are eager to begin restoration as soon as a plan is devised and funds are secured,' WMF has said.

The Basgo Gompa has a 14-metre-high Maitreya Buddha, surrounded by murals and portraits of patrons who built the temple. The fortress complex is generally used by monks of the Hemis monastery and the local community for ceremonies and holidays.

The Champaner archaeological site, below the Pavagadh hill in Gujarat, also is listed among the most endangered sites. Champaner faces 'the threat of dissolution from encroachment and unplanned development. Highways cutting across the site, industrial pollution, new construction, and blasting from nearby quarry operations undermine the foundations. Champaner's integrity and viability as a historic site is at risk; it desperately needs adequate designation and recognition on a national and international scale,' WMF says.

Excavations at Panchmahal in Champaner have revealed the sophisticated architecture and engineering of the late 15th century. The 69 standing monuments, of which 39 are protected by the state, point to the wealth that remains buried. The WMF warns that if immediate steps are not taken then the 'secular, religious, and civic structures reflecting the various Hindu, Muslim, and Jain regimes that controlled the city' will be destroyed in the immediate future.

The Metropolitan Building in Calcutta too figures in the list. 'An appropriate and successful adaptive reuse project could provide a critical model for India, where preservation subsidies do not exist and for Calcutta, whose architecture rebirth has not yet been assured,' the Fund says. Built in 1908, this former department store of Calcutta was recently saved from demolition by the Calcutta Municipal Corporation and is presently listed in the recently issued heritage list. 'The threat is not that the building will be lost, but that its rich potential may not be realised,' the report says.

The Saint Anne Church at Talaulim in Goa and built during 1681-1689 is the fifth monument in the list. 'Despite an active congregation, St Anne's is marked by numerous structural problems that threaten its viability. A major longitudinal crack runs the length of the vault, water seeps through broken roof tiles damaging plaster walls and woodwork, and the staircase of a cracked bell tower is too weak to use,' the Fund says. Once these are repaired a regular programme of maintenance can be enforced, the report says. 'But the Indian government, which owns the edifice, lacks the funds to restore this and the many other important colonial monuments of Goa,' it adds.

At the St Anne Church, a white-washed, five-story structure, that is a typical the Indian Baroque of the Portuguese colonial period, prayers and services continue as they have since the late 17th century.

Tell us what you think of this report