Heritage Conservation

Without the understanding and support of the public at large, without the respect
and daily care of the local communities, which are the true custodians of world
heritage, no amount of funds or army of experts will suffice in protecting the cites.
—Mr. Koïchiro Matsuura, Former Director-General of UNESCO (1st slide)
Topic 1: - What is Heritage conservation? (2nd slide)
 Heritage Conservation means to maintain and increase the value of buildings
by keeping their original built form and architectural elements, favoring their
restoration rather than replacement and, when restoration is impossible,
recreating scale, period, and character.
 Conservation of cultural built heritage involves protection and restoration
using “any methods that prove effective in keeping the subject property in as
close to its original condition as possible for as long as possible.” Conservation
of cultural built heritage often involves collection care and management
through tracking, examination, documentation, preventative conservation,
and restoration.
 The conservation of culture and heritage enriches a ‘society and helps people
appreciate its richness. In the sphere of cultural tourism also the main idea is
to familiarize people with Indian culture so that their efforts at "selling" it do
not warp its content.
 India is replete with heritage resources in the form of art, architecture and
archaeology besides other cultural expressions like performing arts, dance,
drama, fairs, festivals and the like and the responsibility of conservation and
preservation of such rich culture rests upon the shoulder of the citizens and
the government.
Advantages of Heritage Conservation: - (3rd slide)
 Heritage Conservation provides concrete benefits to property owners, to
businesses and to the community. Heritage preservation and designation
increases property values, both restored building and surrounding properties.
 Heritage preservation can be a draw to tourism and helps businesses attract
customers. Communities, such as Meaford fortunate to have a significant
stock of heritage buildings can build their town or cities image around those
elements.
 Restoration keeps money within the community, by requiring fewer materials
from outside and more labor-intensive work by local trades. With the right
programs in place, businesses and building owners can take advantage of
government programs and incentives to maintain and restore heritage
buildings.
 Restoration reduces construction and demolition waste and uses less than half
the energy of new construction. Heritage preservation is an investment in our
community that rewards us today and leaves an invaluable resource for future
generations.
Conservation of cultural built heritage applies the following ethical guidelines: (4th
Slide)
 Minimal intervention.
 Appropriate materials and reversible methods.
 Full documentation of all work undertaken.
 Treating heritage fabric carefully.
 Making judicious decisions about heritage fabric.
 Allowing every new installation to be reversible.
Types of Heritage Conservation: - (5th Slide)
It is important to preserve historic cities and heritage buildings and revive them. The
policy of reuse and rehabilitation of these legacies with selecting the right
contemporary functions is a successful step on a secure path to save what can be
saved from the heritage.
 Conservation of Natural Heritage, Resources and Environment
 Conservation of Historical Heritage, Archaeological sites, and Monuments
 Conservation of Artistic and Cultural Heritage
 Conservation of Socio- Economic Heritage
 Conservation of Urban Heritage
CONSERVATION OF NATURAL HERITAGE /RESOURCES AND
ENVIRONMENT (6th Slide)
 The kind of geographical diversity that we have in India is perhaps unique in
the world. No other country can boast of offering such a variety of landscapes
as India with its beautiful mountains, deserts, coastal areas, rivers and lakes
and rich variety of fauna and flora.
 Our natural and environmental heritage is such a wonderful resource which
gets regenerated, replenished by 'Mother-Nature' periodically and visitors can
really have a once in a lifetime experience provided that the influx of visitors is
eco-friendly and sustainable.
 One of the major aspects of natural heritage conservation/management is that
the income generated by charging entry fee from the visitors should be
ploughed back into the system and long-term scientific methods/step Should
be undertaken to preserve/conserve the landscape and all its constituents.
 If we fail to conserve our environmental heritage, then we will not be able to
conserve our other heritage because these are mainly dependent on the
environment for their survival. Any imbalance in the ecological equilibrium
would upset the tender linkages resulting in major catastrophe and ecological
disasters.
{Add pictures of Natural Heritage} – 7th slide
CONSERVATION OF HISTORICAL HERITAGE, ARCHAEOLOGICAL
SITES AND MONUMENTS (8th slide)
 India's historical heritage includes not only the secular and religious
monuments dedicated to various faiths but also archaeological sites, rock
 cut caves, palaces, havelis, homes and the living heritage developed over
the centuries.
 In 1904, Ancient Monuments Preservation Act was passed in India for
preservation of monuments, excavation, protection and control of
antiquities. The Indian Legislature also passed the Antiquities (Export
Control) Act in 1947 under which no antiquity could be exported outside
the country without permission of the Government of India.
 The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) established in the year 1861, is
responsible for the preservation of monuments, archaeological sites and
remains and other important antiquarian and artistic vestiges.
 According to UNESCO, there is a great need to protect, preserve and
conserve these cultural properties sites for the posterity and allow
conducted and regulated visitors to these sites so that excessive influx of
visitor’s tourists should not endanger the survival of these relics of our
glorious past.
{Add pictures of Monuments listed below with the tag line} – 9th slide
Monuments such as Puri temple, Delhi's Jama Masjid, Tomb of Moinuddin
Chishti and Nizamuddin Aulia are considered one of the important Historical
Preservation projects.
CONSERVATION AND PRESERVATION OF ARTISTIC AND
CULTURAL HERITAGE (10th slide)
 Our artistic and cultural heritage is used as a Unique Selling Point (USP) in
the international tourism market.
 India is known as a cultural destination and tourists coming to our country
are very keen to watch our artistic and cultural expressions in following
forms:
i) Architectural relics
ii) Sculptures/temples
iii) Paintings
iv) Folk Music
vi) Fairs and Festivals
vii) Rites and Rituals
viii) Literature and Poetry
ix) Handicrafts
x) Cuisine and our lifestyle
 One of the major examples of cultural pollution is distorting the authentic
Indian Styles of paintings, music, and dance to tailor-made it to suit the
taste of the visitors/tourists. The poor artists fall prey to the lure of money
and change the style of their presentation to suit the market needs rather
than keeping in view the traditional artistic consideration.
 A great need to plough back at least the part of tourism earnings for the
preservation and development of our traditional art forms and our cultural
heritage has arisen.
{ Add pictures of Fairs, Festivals} – 11th slide
CONSERVATION OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC HERITAGE (12th slide)
 In a bid to attract large number of tourists to new areas many states are
opening those areas which are sociologically speaking very fragile and
susceptible zones like: Desert Areas, Hill Areas, Tribal Area and Coastal Areas.
 One glaring example of the negative impact of tourism was spread of Hippy
Culture in late seventies in Goa which was vehemently resented by the locals.
Similarly, the spread of drug-use in places like Kathmandu (Nepal), Banaras
(U.P.) and Pushkar (Rajasthan) is another phenomenon which is causing
concern. Ecologically and culturally sensitive zones like Desert of Rajasthan
and in places like Jaisalmer there have been cases of AIDS reported recently.
 Keeping the fragile ecology and sensitive local population in mind a number of
steps have been taken to preserve local culture. Certain remote areas have
been declared restricted areas (in North-East and other hill region). Special
permits are required to visit these areas. There are restrictions in buying the
property by outsiders. In Lakshadweep and Andaman Islands also the tourist
flow is highly regulated. These steps have certainly helped in preserving the
local culture.
{Add pictures of Jaisalmer, Banaras, Nepal} – 13th slide
CONSERVATION AND REHABILITATION OF URBAN HERITAGE – (14th
and 15th slide)
Sustainable conservation of Urban heritage is one of the key challenges in urban
planning. There are different but often interrelated methods applied namely
conservation, preservation, restoration, and adaptive reuse. Each of them is briefly
discussed as below:
1) Conservation: This is a continuous process. For this the heritages site i.e., the geo-
cultural region of a site needs to be clearly defined so that the conservation process
becomes smoother and efficient. This is important as there are various factors that
directly affects the conservation process itself i.e., the rapid urbanization.
2) Preservation: This is a part of the conservation process which ensures the
maintenance of existing state, while retarding further deterioration.
3) Restoration: This is often carried out in case of deterioration of the condition. This
is done with all care so that the original conditions are adhered.
4) Adaptive Reuse: This is often very important aspect of heritage planning. This
makes the heritage more productive, and it provides productive use and making it
more contemporary. This enables the heritage to become socially and economically
more sustainable.
5) Rehabilitation: Rehabilitation of Urban heritage is another sustainable method;
however, it is a very complex issue that brings political, economic, cultural and social
consideration. Political support in the prevailing time is one of the most important
issues as this is the decision-making body for policy and planning. The real challenge
is related to the mobilization of political support towards conservation and
rehabilitation of urban heritage.
Cultural aspects relate to the consideration of the value and contribution of the urban
heritage especially the historic housing areas and monuments to the strengthening of
indigenous cultural traditions and forms.
{Add pictures of Urban Heritage – Monuments in Various places for eg} – 16th slide

TOPIC 2 – Heritage Conservation and Development – 17th and 18th slide

 Heritage is variously understood including an inheritance, birthright,
tradition, custom, legacy, beliefs that society considers important. A simple
and broader understanding of heritage is: “something passing from generation
to generation”.
 The “something” will obviously differ depending on geographical location and
the different societies, but in general these include mountains, seas, lakes,
rivers, land, plants, animals, buildings, art, languages, monuments, food,
industry and many more. In practical usage heritage refers to something
inherited from the past.

 The deliberate act of keeping heritage from the present to and for the future is
known as conservation. Conservation is an ethic of resource use, allocation,
and protection. Conservation is the act of preventing injury, decay, waste or
loss of both natural and cultural heritage.
 Conservation may also refer to the careful utilization of a natural resource in
order to prevent depletion and the preservation and restoration of works of
cultural significance. Conservation is better understood as a concept but not
as a defined word.

 Development may be understood in many ways, as the process of economic

and social transformation that is based on complex cultural and
environmental factors and their interactions.
 Development may also be understood as, the systematic use of natural laws
(science) and cultural knowledge to meet specific objectives or requirements
of a society. In both respects heritage (natural and cultural) are the drivers of
development. So, the key issue is balancing conservation with development.
Reverence for works of art and buildings inherited from the past and an
attempt to conserve them for the future is a phenomenon that has its
roots in ancient times. The greatest influence in the development of
these attempts from the 15th century onwards was the Renaissance,
with its interest in the works of Greek and Roman architecture and
sculpture, in which Renaissance artists sought inspiration for their
own work. – 18th slide
{Add Pictures of Development and Heritage Conservation or some short video} – 19th
slide
Development and current principles of heritage conservation – 20th slide
 Heritage conservation is a dynamic and continually developing field. It
receives and integrates the growing knowledge of a number of academic and
 technical fields, and reacts sensitively to social developments and to
transformations in period architecture and art.

 It has been typical of the almost two-hundred-year development of heritage

conservation that it has gradually widened the field of its interest, reflecting
the changes in society’s interest in its past. The original focus on solitary
monuments such as castles, abbeys, cathedrals or architecturally valuable
ruins has gradually led to the appreciation and protection of whole town and
village units, archaeological sites and industrial heritage

 The methods of heritage conservation have also undergone a profound

change, reflecting the development of architecture and art of the period. The
purism that in the 19th century “cleansed” medieval monuments of younger
stylistic manifestations, in the name of a fictitious unity of style, was
overtaken in the first half of the 20th century by a policy of strict conservation.