Monumental Asset

Focus on the tourism potential of heritage sites

The Union culture ministry has admitted that as many as 249 heritage sites in the country are being encroached upon. The violated sites include Sher Shah Suri’s tomb in Sasaram, Bihar, and Maratha king Shivaji’s three historic forts at Sindhudurg, Solapur and Raigad. In July last, a spokesperson of the ministry said that out of the 3,675 centrally protected monuments or sites, as many as 35 have simply vanished, because of “urbanisation, commercialisation and routine development work”.
World heritage sites in India are not being given the benefit of that status. Illegal occupation by squatters or commercial establishments is common within the circumscribed ‘no-trespassing’ zone radius of the monument. Monuments continue to be defaced by irresponsible visitors and locals. The world over, monuments are prime tourist attractions and the sites are sustained with revenue from visitor footfalls and merchandising. The local economy thrives on the activity generated by travellers who make the trip not just to gaze at a monument but to also experience whatever else the place has to offer. Should we miss out on all the benefits that can accrue to a heritage site and the region for lack of imagination and initiative?
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has its hands full, as it were, with documentation, research and plans of conservation. It lacks the imagination and resources to develop heritage sites into much more than ruined remnants of a dead past. The answer is to outsource work relating to maintenance and beautification, security and promotion. The ASI should consider converting as many heritage sites as possible into living monuments, housing visitor centres, libraries and museums, bringing the past alive and making daily maintenance a routine. Event managers and corporate sponsors can help promote and maintain ancient monuments with more imagination, arrange for merchandising souvenirs and boost the local economy by marketing the works of local artisans and craftspersons. A few heritage attractions like Khajuraho and Chidambaram have been able to sustain cultural festivals on their sites, drawing tourists and sponsors; there is no reason why this cannot be replicated in similar destinations across the country.
Ten per cent of employment in the country is generated by tourism that contributes more than 6 per cent of GDP. Tourism can boost the hospitality industry and its subsidiary feeder industries including transport and communication, food and entertainment. All this can be promoted by maintaining our heritage. Let’s not lose it.