Conservation and Management of Cultural Heritage

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About the Book India with its glorious past has inherited a remarkable variety of rich cultural heritage right from the prehistoric times. Since the cultural properties are the living witnesses of our age-old traditions, it is the common responsibility of all mankind to safeguard them for posterity.

The present work is a comprehensive account of management and conservation works carried out in various types of monuments and sites in India, such as the prehistoric sites and excavated remains, the rock-cut caves, monoliths and the structural heritage. It is an authentic and formal presentation of the conservation and management efforts in the monuments and sites based on the first-hand information accrued by the author. Further, the author has made a sincere attempt to collect all the relevant information from various published and unpublished reports, inspection notes, scientific investigations from various sources and archives and has tried to incorporate the details at appropriate places in this work. The book also provides in detail the international and national initiatives for management and conservation of cultural heritage, conservation principles, causes of deterioration of cultural heritage, conservation methods, structural components and ancient building materials, heritage management, various rules and regulations, charters and conventions on heritage management and other relevant topics. Photo illustrations and drawings are provided wherever required for easy understanding. The notable charters, conventions and rules and regulations on the cultural heritage and dimension of ancient bricks are given in the appendices for ready reference.

It is hoped that this book would attract the attention of not only the scholars, intellectuals, researches and students engaged in the study of heritage management and conservation, archaeology, architecture and civil engineering, but also all those who are concerned with our cultural heritage.

About the Author Dr. D. Dayalan, former Director, Archaeological Survey of India, Government of India, obtained his Master's degree (Archaeology) with first rank from the University of Madras and Postgraduate Diploma in Archaeology from the School of Archaeology, New Delhi. He was awarded Doctorate by the Nagpur University, Nagpur in 1990.

Being associated with the Archaeological Survey of India, he has actively participated in various explorations, excavations and conservation works. He discovered a number of archaeological sites through his intensive exploration work in various states and also participated in more than 12 excavations. He has served in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Delhi and was responsible for the management and conservation of large number of monuments and sites in the respective states.

Dr. Dayalan is an accomplished scholar and author of 12 books on various topics. Further, he has contributed more than go research papers on art, architecture, archaeology, epigraphy, numismatics, conservation and heritage management in various national and international journals. He has participated in various national and international conferences and had been the keynote speaker in many of the conferences. He has visited more than 25 foreign countries in connection with various academic ventures. He has received many awards and is also a member of several national and international academic forums.

About the Preface India with its glorious past has inherited a remarkable variety of rich cultural heritage right from the prehistoric times. The diversity of culture and heritage in the country is not only a matter of great pride but also an irreplaceable source of spiritual and intellectual richness for all humankind. They are, indeed, the faithful expressions of creative activities of humankind through the ages and thus reflect the aspirations, motivations, customs and practices of the times when they were created. All cultures and societies are rooted in the particular forms and means of tangible and intangible expression which constitute their heritage. The tangible properties are consisting of the monuments and sites of historical and aesthetic value, sculptures, manuscripts, coins, paintings, etc., whereas the intangible properties are of crafts like music, drama, dance, folk art and traditional skill of handicraft etc. Since the cultural properties are the living witnesses of our age-old traditions, it is absolutely imperative to all the mankind to safeguard them for posterity. These rich remains of the past are, in fact, in constant danger, either at the hands of inexorable forces of nature or at the hands of human beings. Rapid changes in social, economic, political scenario have also posed a threat to the cultural heritage. The situation is especially grave in the burgeoning cities. Thus, the protection and maintenance of the diversified cultural heritage should be actively promoted as an essential aspect of human development. The loss, through deterioration or disappearance, of any of these most prized cultural legacies constitutes an impoverishment of the heritage of all the peoples of the world. Apparently, the people are becoming more and more conscious of the ancient cultural heritage and the strong growing concern all over the world about the conservation and protection of the priceless cultural heritage leads to the development of an extensive national and international movement to take concrete steps for their safeguarding.

The main objective of this book is to expound, with suitable examples, the various initiatives taken from time to time for conservation and maintenance of the monuments and the sites in India and the principles and legalities adopted for their protection. This book also deals in detail with the international and national initiatives on the management of cultural heritage, conservation principles, causes of deterioration of cultural heritage, conservation methods, structural components and ancient building materials, heritage management, various rules and regulations, charters, and conventions on heritage management and other relevant topics.

Generally speaking, the conservators in India have been following a policy of preserving the ancient edifice in as nearly the same condition as it was when it was handed down to their care, without undertaking any restoration, unless it is absolutely necessary for the structural stability of the monument as a whole. Aesthetic considerations do also sometimes necessitate the reconstruction of missing parts of the monument, but the guiding principle in this regard is the preservation of the ancient fabric of the monument with the minimum of restoration.

The present work contains a comprehensive account of conservation works carried out to various types of monuments and sites in India such as the prehistoric sites and excavated remains; the rock-cut caves, monoliths and the structural legacies. It is an authentic and formal presentation of the conservation efforts carried out in the monuments and sites based on the first-hand information accrued by the author, who had the opportunity to work in many parts of India and also involved in the management and conservation of large number of centrally protected monuments and sites there. Further, the author has made a sincere attempt to collect all the relevant information pertaining to the conservation and management of the monuments and sites from various published and unpublished reports, inspection notes, scientific investigations from various sources and archives and has tried to incorporate the details at appropriate places in this work.

In preparing this work the author has received support, encouragement and cooperation from a number of colleagues, friends and scholars in one way or the other. At the outset, the author records his deep sense of gratitude and thanks to all his colleagues throughout his service in the Archaeological Survey of India, particularly the Archaeological Engineers, the Archaeological Chemists, the Conservation Assistants and others, who are instrumental in enlarging the horizon of his knowledge on conservation and management of the ancient monuments and sites. He is immensely grateful to Prof. Peter Schalk, Uppsala University, Sweden for arranging his visit to Gamla Uppsala and a few other places to study the preservation of the burial mounds of Viking period and also to study the Rune stones in Sweden. He is also grateful to Mr. Ami Mintzer, Jerusalem for facilitating his visit to various monuments and sites in Israel. Thanks are due to Dr. Hiroshi Kanaseki, Director, Cultural Heritage Protection Cooperation Office, Asia/Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO (ACCU), Nara, Japan for selecting the author to attend the 'Training of Young Leaders in Cultural Heritage Protection in Asia and the Pacific' in Japan under 'International Exchange Program' of the UNESCO/Japan Funds-in-Trust for the Promotion of International Co-operation and Mutual Understanding.

Book's Contents and Sample Pages