The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Punjab branch, has decided to erect fencing around the ancient Mud Fort, a protected monument in the town, so that its vacant space cannot be encroached upon by unscrupulous elements.

According to official sources, the ASI, Punjab, had sanctioned Rs 22.5 lakh for the purpose and the work is expected to start soon. The fencing will be erected on the edges of the Mud Fort and the vacant space will be covered with barbed wire fencing. It is believed that the Mud Fort (a mound), which existed at that time, was once held by Abram Chand, one of the Rajput kings. The mound seems to be a Harappan site situated on the dry bed of the river Ghaggar.

Excellent flat mud bricks of large sizes were also found at the site. The Mud Fort at Abohar and the other forts at Sirsa, Bhatnair and Bathinda, situated at the angles of a figure nearly square with a side of about 50 miles long, were built of the same dimensions, thus forming a sort of quadrilateral in the path of invaders from the north-west.

Abohar was founded by Abheraj Bhatti in the 12th century and it was known as Abhegarh at that time. Till the end of the 15th century, the town was known as the Abha Nagri and was a part of the erstwhile states of Jodhpur and Bikaner.

The ASI authorities had been toiling to get the encroachers evicted from the premises.A number of people have encroached on the fort area by constructing their houses.

A senior functionary of the ASI said about 55 per cent of the area of the protected fort had been vacated so far while in the case of the remaining area; litigation is pending in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. A section of the MPs had raised the issue in Parliament as well, he said.

- Tribune, January 1, 2010

For the last five years, Delhi has been gearing up for its moment in the sun - the Commonwealth Games, scheduled to be held in October 2010.

From ministers to bureaucrats to the man on the street, we have heard them all wax eloquent about the surge of tourists expected to hit the Capital.

On eve of the New Year, several international travel websites and airlines, including the Lonely Planet, listed Delhi as one of the top 10 destinations for the year.

Calling it one of the best times to visit the Capital, Lonely Planet describes the preparations for Commonwealth Games in upbeat terms: "The Games put this vibrant, chaotic Capital in the global spotlight, and the last few years have seen Delhi streamlined (as far as the unruly city can be) with a flurry of new infrastructure, including a new metro system and a flashy Games village."

Delhi has lot of competition though.

The Lonely Planet's list includes watching total eclipse from Easter Island; FIFA World Cup, which for the first time is coming to Africa; Santiago Pilgrimage in Spain, especially since it is the Holy Year; the World Expo in Beijing; the Peking to Paris Motor Race where most participants drive vintage cars and the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

The other favourite among Indian destinations is the Pushkar camel fair in Rajasthan.

The British Airways, too, listed Delhi as one of hottest destinations. "The 2010 Commonwealth Games will be a huge attraction, with Delhi playing the first time host to the Games," the report states. The World Travel Guide, other renowned publications, lists Delhi as one of the most sought after destinations.

Chief Minister Sheila Diskhit is elated with the listings. "Delhi is an attractive city, a unique mix of history and modern," she said. "And we are working hard to make it much more comfortable and culturally active city."

- Indian Express, January 1, 2010

The civic body also plans to develop a heritage corridor

Work for re-development of historic Ferozeshah Kotla and Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg in the Capital to de-congest parking in the area and improve landscaping is all set to take off now in the New Year with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi approving the award of work to the contractor.

The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage, which had signed an MoU with the MCD for the project, has also assured the civic agency that work would be completed before June this year, well in time for the Commonwealth Games.

The project also includes refurbishing of the road between Delhi Gate and Darya Ganj. The civic body also plans to develop a heritage corridor starting from Coronation Park in North Delhi to Qutub Minar in South Delhi that would include prominent heritage sites such as Ferozeshah Kotla, Khooni Darwaza and Delhi Gate. The famous Shankar's International Dolls Museum and Shaheed Park are other important locations which fall on the stretch and would be re-developed.

The MCD had initially planned to build up a multi-level underground parking lot at Shaheed Park. However, because of huge parking requirements in the area the parking site has been shifted to the Parade Ground in Chandni Chowk. This lot would provide parking space for 663 cars and would be built at a cost of Rs.52 crore.

The civic body will also carry out extensive landscaping of the area. Shaheed Park will be developed to provide a clear view of the ancient Ferozeshah Kotla fort.

It will also improve and standardize the signs on Delhi's roads before the 2010 Commonwealth Games as well as improve the roadside landscaping.

A plan is also being worked out to de-congest the area around the Dolls Museum under the project. "We want to make the Dolls Museum more accessible. A parking lot at Manak Bhavan across the road will reduce the vehicle load in the Press Area. It will also make the Dolls Museum more popular," said a civic body official.

- The Hindu, January 2, 2010

Mehrauli holds treasures of Delhi's history, from the Slave Dynasty to the Mughal empire. However, this treasure trove is slowly being forgotten by its own people. Sunil Thapliyal tells you more

It's unique to see the untold and unseen part of history, the heritage, and legacy of Indian history. Delhi is not only Chandni Chowk or Delhi -6, the city has much older areas within its territory, and having many chapters of history. And Mehrauli is among those places.

Mehrauli is famous in the world for the Qutab Minar; however, this historic place has many other landmarks such as Adam Khan's Tomb, Zafar Mahal, Hauz-i-Shamsi and Jharna, apart from others.

The historic Adam Khan's Tomb, opposite Qutab Minar, is also known as Bhool Bhulaiya among the local people. Adam Khan was the son of Akbar's wet nurse Maham Anga. When Adam Khan killed Anga's husband, Ataga Khan, he was thrown from the top of Agra's Red Fort twice by Akbar. Later Akbar built this tomb for Adam Khan.

Few metres away from the tomb of Adam Khan, there is the Zafar Mahal that is considered to be the last Mughal monument and it attracts many visitors. Zafar Mahal is a three-storeyed structure built in red sandstone with a free use of marble, measuring around 50 ft across with an 11 feet by 9 inch opening at the entrance. An inscription on the main arch proclaims that the gate was added to the existing Mahal by Bahadur Shah II in the eleventh year of his accession in 1847-48 AD. A broad Chhajja built in the later Mughal style is considered its crowning feature.

"I am so happy to see the Zafar Mahal, the last Mughal monument in India. It was really nice. And also the three tombs of Mughal emperors in the same place, who were buried here. They fascinated and excited me. The mixture of Indian, Mughal, and European style makes this place more attractive," said a local school student, who was fascinated to touch the stones of the walls of the mahal of the last Mughal emperor.

Just besides it is the Hauz-i-Shamsi, which is a water storage reservoir or tank built by Iltumish of the Slave Dynasty in 1230 AD. This was the same place where he saw the Prophet Muhammad in his dream.

The original stone, on which the foot print of the horse of the Prophet was imprinted, was located at this pavilion. It has since been removed but replaced by a new one. In view of its religious significance, the water stored in the tank was considered sacred.

Because of reduction in the size of the reservoir over the years, due to encroachments and siltation, the pavilion's present location is seen at the eastern edge of the tank.

The Jharna, which flows out from the Hauz-i-Shamsi, is located close to the Jahaz Mahal. It is a significant water structure that had been developed by Nawab Ghaziuddin around 1700 AD as a pleasure garden during the Mughal rule.

The Jharna structure was built in three parts, the first part consisted of the reservoir or the tank, the second part was the waterfall and the last part consisted of the fountains. Akbar Shah II built the pavilion on the side and his son Bahadur Shah II added the central pavilion. The Jharna was the highlight of the three-day festival of the Phool Walon Ki Sair. It is now under the siege of illegal settlement.

The renowned historian, Charles Lewis expressed his concern about the perseveration of the monuments he told "there is a need to prevent the history, unfortunately, look at the conditions of these monuments. These are in worse condition, and it seems that concerned authorities have closed their eyes to prevents these treasures."

Only a few visitors come to visit these places. These places are now a shelter of criminals and drug addicts. People, who are aware about these historical places, feel great about such monuments in the heart of the city, and want to protect it for the coming generation.

- Pioneer, January 3, 2010

Despite pressing needs for land in various developmental projects, the national Capital will come third after Lakshwadeep and Chandigarh in terms of percentage of geographical area under tree cover.

"Considering the percentage of geographical area under tree cover, the highest rank goes to Lakshwadeep (12.50 per cent) followed by Chandigarh (9.65 per cent) and Delhi (8.29 per cent)," according to a forest survey, the report of which was released recently.

Daman and Diu ranks fourth at 8.04 per cent while Goa (7.73 per cent) and Kerala (7.21 per cent) come fifth and sixth, the report said, while giving comprehensive details on forest status of the states as in 2007. Delhi has a total geographical area 1,483.01 sq km of which 123 sq km is under tree cover.

The India State of Forest Report 2009 said while the forest cover increased slightly by 14 sq km, the capital city's tree cover rose by 16 sq km from 107 sq km to 123 sq km during the two-year period mainly due to extensive plantation carried out by the state government.

Overall, Delhi's forest and tree cover have increased to 176.58 sq km between 2005 and 2007, thereby constituting 20.2 per cent of the total geographical area of the capital city.

Tree cover comprises patches outside the recorded forest area exclusive of forest cover and less than minimum mappable area (one hectare). Such small patches comprising block, linear and scattered trees are not delineated as forest cover during interpretation of satellite data. The forest cover alone constitutes 11.91 per cent of the total 1483.01 square km geographical area, and comprises 6.76 sq km very dense forest (as against previous nil), 49.84 sq km moderately dense forest, and 119.98 sq km open forest.

New Delhi district also known as Lutyens' Delhi has the highest forest cover at 46.60 per cent of geographical area, followed by South Delhi (31.46 per cent) and South-West Delhi (10.08 per cent). However, when compared to 2005, there was no change in the green cover status in central, south, west, south-west and New Delhi districts in 2007.

East Delhi has shown a decline of 0.29 sq km because of tree felling needed to pave way for developmental projects. Tree cover in the country has been estimated to be 92,769 sq km in 2007 which is 2.82 per cent of the geographical area against 91,663 sq km (2.80 per cent) in 2005. Tree cover constitutes the largest area in Maharashtra (9,466 sq km) followed by Gujarat (8,390 sq km), Rajasthan (8,274 sq km) and Uttar Pradesh (7,381 sq km).

- Pioneer, January 4, 2010

NTPC has signed an MOU with Archaeological Survey of India and National Culture Fund for restoration, conservation and development of group of monuments at Mandu in M.P, group of temples at Jageshwar in Uttrak- hand and Archaeological site at Lalitgiri, Dhauli in Orissa. The MoU was signed by K.N. Shrivastava, Director General, ASI, Amaresh Singh, Member Secretary, National Culture Fund and Dinesh Agarwal General Manager, Corporate Social Responsibility, NTPC. Jawahar Sarkar, Secretary, Culture was also present.

Speaking on the occasion A.C. Chaturvedi, Executive Director (CSR) NTPC said that NTPC is committed to contributing in conserving the culture heritage sites which is our national treasure.

- Hindustan Times, January 5, 2010

Showing respect to the dead is common to societies across the world. "Speak not ill of the dead" is what we are taught from childhood. "Let them rest in peace" comes instantly to mind as we pass a grave. Encroaching and vandalising their final resting place can, therefore, be viewed as sacrilege. Shakespeare sounded a grim warning in the epitaph inscribed on his gravestone at the Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon in England: Good friend for Jesus sake forbeare,/To dig the dust enclosed here./Blessed be the man that spares these stones,/And cursed be he that moves my bones.

Shakespeare supposedly wrote it himself because in his time bodies too long in the grave were dug up and burned to make room for new burials. Many Britons (men and women) of the Raj era would have aspired to borrow from his epitaph in the hope that their final resting places remained untouched by encroaching, marauding hands. There are few well-kept graveyards, such as the Bhowanipore Cemetery in Kolkata, Viceroy Lord Elgin's memorial at McLeodgunj in Himachal Pradesh, the Nuns' Cemetery near St Bedes College for Women in Simla, and the War Cemeteries at Kohima, Delhi, Pune and Comilla in Bangladesh. Most, however, have fallen prey to encroachment, vandalism and pilferage. Some have disappeared due to the vagaries of nature or to the greed for land. It is the same story from Peshawar to Chittagong, Baramula to Trivandrum. Peshawar's Gora Qabristan, witness to the Afghan Wars, and the cantonment cemetery in Meerut, where the Indian Uprising of 1857 began, are typical of the decay now facing old British graves.

As a result, it is nearly impossible to put an exact number to, far less to decipher the inscriptions on them. Criminals take away headstones making identification difficult. Non-British cemeteries have fared no better. The Jewish Cemetery, located off Lloyd's Road in Chennai, is adjacent to the Chinese Cemetery and both have clusters of vegetable vendors and squatters at the entrances. Portuguese, Spanish and French tombs have all but disappeared from Indian soil. Whereas most of the inscriptions on the gravestones speak of the survivors' grief and loss, some speak of the vanity of their occupants, ignoring Thomas Gray's famous elegy: The paths of glory lead but to the grave. In most cases, the tombstones are not of Viceroys or the other high and mighty of the Raj but of countless British civil servants, soldiers, merchants, missionaries, townspeople and teachers, their spouses and children, most of whom succumbed not to the sword but to tropical diseases. They are all part of India's past. If some headstones contain doggerel, we also come across some fine quotes and original compositions. At least some of the tombs can claim to be fair representatives of Indo-European architecture.

Much has been lost, but not all. If properly maintained, these cemeteries can become virtual "al fresco museums". Taking care of these graves has become nobody's baby. Lack of interest and resources lie behind this callous neglect. But it is more a question of mindset. Local sensitivities have, of course, to be taken care of. Indians and their representatives in Parliament and government have to be sensitised to the fact that conservation of the Raj era cemeteries is not meant to glorify and perpetuate British imperial history but to give us a valuable perspective on India's heritage. We have to look at these graveyards as "little pockets of history", a who's who of the Raj. However much we may resent British rule in India, we cannot wish it away. The conservation of these tombs and cemeteries is simply beyond the capacity of local church committees. A concerted effort is called for lest this valuable source of history be lost for ever. Sadly, in India the Central and State Minority Commissions and the nominated Anglo-Indian members of state assemblies have been indifferent. The least they can do is pressure the government to have pucca boundary walls erected to prevent further encroachment as the hunger for land can drive people to any lengths.

The British Association for Cemeteries in South Asia, a London-based charity, has done a great job in listing a large number of graves and even pays for the upkeep of some. Lately, Lt-Col Lake has launched a trust in the UK with an ambitious target to raise £700,000 a year from corporate donors such as HSBC, Rothschild, Lloyds and other major foundations so that these places can be mainbtained in perpetuity throughout the erstwhile British empire. India-based NGOs and public authorities may also pitch in and play a coordinating role.

An estimated two million graves of the Raj era, lying in isolation or in clusters in designated cemeteries, dot the Indian subcontinent. If the government can catalogue and put them on the net, many of the present generation in Britain may want to visit India to connect with their ancestors and put a wreath on their tombs. In the process they will be unwittingly promoting what can be crudely termed "graveyard tourism". Most importantly, we must create public awareness about dignity of the dead for, to borrow from the epitaph on Viceroy Lord Elgin's grave, He being dead yet speaketh

- Statement, January 5, 2010

In an effort to sensitize the students for protection of cultural and archeological monuments in the country, the Union human resource development ministry has directed higher education institutions across the country to celebrate January 12 as Heritage Day for the first time from this year. Official sources said that students will take an oath to protect the heritage and monuments of the country on the day.

- Asian Age, January 5, 2010

A year after India decided to refuse World Bank aid for tiger conservation, Ministry of Environment and Forests is considering accepting aid from the Bank for moving forest dwellers out of tiger reserves.

Initial discussions within the ministry have not found favour with conservationists, who stress that World Bank, which has a poor history in implementing projects in protected areas, should not be looked at as an option. Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh has now asked for a meeting with conservationists on Wednesday to discuss the issue.

The ministry is mulling the possibility of a loan from the Bank to move forest dwelling families out of core/critical areas of tiger reserves. An amendment to Wildlife Protection Act in 2006 mandates moving out these families, around 80,000 in number, with the population only growing. The Ministry of Environment and Forests has offered a package of Rs 10 lakh for each male adult in every family.

Last year, the World Bank announced a Global Tiger Initiative, expressing its desire to also work with India. There were talks with the World Bank for taking aid for tiger conservation, but this was finally turned down after protests by conservationists.

In the past, the World Bank-funded Ecodevelopment Project (EDP) (1997-2003) implemented in several tiger reserves had drawn severe criticism. A probe in an EDP project for Nagarhole Tiger reserve revealed the project had run into losses, as tiger protection took a beating in lieu of ecodevelopment. There were also allegations of corruption.

The ministry has, meanwhile, confirmed that it is taking World Bank loan for cleaning the Ganga. A decision on taking aid for tiger conservation is expected on Wednesday.

- Indian Express, January 5, 2010

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is planning to seek more funds from the government for redevelopment of the Walled City in view of the Commonwealth Games 2010. Municipal councillors have alleged that scarcity of funds has led to the neglect of heritage projects in Shahjahanabad and the Walled City area.

Leader of MCD House Subhash Arya said: ''While over Rs 500 crore has been given to NDMC for development of CP and other areas under them, we have not got any funds for redevelopment of Old Delhi which will be one of the main tourist attractions during the Games. We are going to demand more funds from the government for development of the Walled City.'' The MCD has been allocated Rs 1,500 crore for the Games till date.

Meanwhile, a number of councillors, on Monday, expressed the need for creating a special task force for completing Commonwealth Games (CWG) related projects as many of them are falling behind schedule.

Councillors said sanitation condition in the city was worsening and special attention needed to be given to improve it before the Games. MCD is responsible for sanitation and collection of garbage around some of the Games venues for which they have not yet come up with comprehensive plan.

MCD commissioner K S Mehra said most projects under MCD would be completed by June 2010. 'Plan for redevelopment of Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Marg, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg and Maharaja Agrasen Marg in Old Delhi areas are awaiting approval," he said..

- Times City, Times of India, January 5, 2010

Post-Copenhagen, in the International Year of Biodiversity, the issue of bio-piracy is all set to be the next bone of contention between the developed and developing countries.

India on Monday sought to assume a "leadership role" in the global biodiversity conservation efforts by asserting it will push for the adoption of the Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) protocol at the International Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) at Nagoya (Japan) in October this year.

The ABS protocol provides an opportunity to biodiversity-rich countries like India to realise benefits for its people from the use of biodiversity. The adoption of the ABS protocol is one of the major items for consideration in Nagoya where as many as 3,600 texts will be negotiated.

"Bio-piracy is most important for India and that's why we're particularly keen on the Nagoya convention," Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh told mediapersons as he unveiled a list of India's "11 goals" to meet the 2010 global biodiversity target.

The 2002 CBD had agreed to the 2010 target for achieving three main goals: Conservation of biological biodiversity, sustainable use of its components, and fair and equitable sharing of its benefits from the use of genetic resources. The goals were set out during the 1992 Rio De Janeiro Earth Summit.

Ramesh said India's multi-lingual Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL), which has over 2 lakh formulations of Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Yoga, is an effort to protect our traditional knowledge, medicine and yoga postures from misappropriation through patents granted abroad as had happened with the use of neem and haldi.

India has granted European Patent Office access to TKDL to evaluate the patent applications and attempts to patent traditional knowledge as 'new' inventions. A similar agreement has been signed with the US Patent and Trademark Office during Obama-Manmohan Singh summit last year (USPTO). Similar agreements are being negotiated with other countries, the Minister said even while pointing out to the resultant achievements.

A People's Register of Biodiversity to document and protect traditional knowledge (passed down through oral tradition) too will be set up, he said.

Interestingly, unlike climate change, there is a role reversal on the issue of biodiversity. India and other developing countries are pushing for the legally-binding ABS protocol. But developed nations are opposing such a legal framework. This is in sharp contrast to their positioning on climate change wherein developing countries are opposing a legally binding protocol while the rich nations are all for it. However, just as Copenhagen, Nagoya too is unlikely to evolve a consesus.

Ramesh said India will host the 'Rio+20 CBD' conference in New Delhi in October, 2012 to mark the 20th anniversary of the Earth Summit besides showcasing its "commitment to playing a global leadership role in biodiversity conservation".

India's 11 goals include promoting conservation of biological diversity of ecosystems, habitats and biomes, conservation of species and genetic diversity and sustainable use and consumption; and protecting traditional knowledge, innovations and practices among others..

- Pioneer, January 5, 2010

New Delhi: Shooting movies in Centrallyprotected monuments will soon become a very costly affair. With the aim to generate more funds for conservation and upkeep of such structures, Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is planning to amend the 1959 Act so that it can increase the fee for film shooting. ASI is also planning to charge royalty from all those who feature protected monuments in advertisements, books, stamps, postcards.

Director-general K N Shrivastava said: ''These proposals are still in the discussion stage at the moment. But there is an urgent need to charge more for film shootings. The producers make crores in revenue but the ASI only gets Rs 5000 per day per monument. The funds from this will be utilized for the maintenance and upkeep of monuments.''

While the new charges that will be levied for film shooting have not been decided yet, sources said it could be as high as up to Rs 2 to 5 lakh per day.

But there is some good news in store. While still photography is not chargeable at monuments as many visitors bring small cameras and even mobile phones have sophisticated cameras built within, ASI is planning to waive all charges for professional still photography where photographers use tripods to shoot. ''There is a small license fee chargeable for professional still photography which we are considering to waive off,'' said Shrivastava.

ASI is also contemplating to increase the security deposit for film shooting to about Rs 1 lakh per day. At present, the security deposit is Rs 10,000 per day.

Penalty for film shooting without permission, which is at present Rs 5000, could also be revised.

Charging royalties for featuring protected monuments, especially famous world heritage sites like Taj Mahal, Red Fort, Qutub Minar, etc., in the background is likely to bring in several crores of revenues to ASI if implemented. ''Monuments being used in the backdrop of advertisements especially is a very common practice, but ASI does not get any revenue from it. We spend crores for maintaining protected sites and we can charge a small percentage of the revenue advertisers make from it,'' said a source.

The moves come with heritage sites becoming the flavour of the season for many tele-serials and films. Sites like Qutub complex, Red Fort, Humayun's Tomb and Purana Qila are much in demand. ASI officials say they get about a hundred requests for shooting in protected monuments every month but permission is given only after ensuring that visitors' movement is not affected during the shooting and that monuments are not harmed..

- Times City, Times of India, January 6, 2010

In December 2009, a six-member team had surveyed a specific stretch of 100 km along the Chambal River over 11 days. The documentation involved estimating gharial and mugger numbers, quantification of threats against them, assessing land use patterns along the banks of the river, recording the flora of the area and gathering the socio-economic status of villages along the Rajasthan side.

The segment surveyed during the expedition is the first 100 km from Pali — heading downstream towards a village called Khirkan. This expedition was the third of its kind after two previous surveys — done in January and December 2008 — initiated by Tiger Watch, an NGO working in Ranthambhore.

The expedition ended with a total count of 122 gharials, 103 muggers and one dead mugger. The gharial is a critically endangered species under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Recently, this species has moved from 'Endangered' to 'Critically Endangered' on the 2007 Red List, issued by the World Conservation Union, of species of animals and plants in trouble. It qualifies for protection under the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) Appendix II.

The Chambal River is a tributary of the Yamuna in central India. The river flows north-northeast through Madhya Pradesh and enters Rajasthan - forming the boundary between Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh - before turning southeast to join the Yamuna in Uttar Pradesh.

It is a perennial river and originates at Manpura, south of Mhow town, near Indore, on the south slope of the Vindhya Range in Madhya Pradesh.

The Chambal and its tributaries drain the Malwa region of northwestern Madhya Pradesh while its tributary, the 'Banas,' which rises in the Aravali Range, drains southeastern Rajasthan.

The expedition team members included Arjun Srivatsha, Suyash Katdare, Sujay Kotian, Vishal Rashal, Alok and Sojanya Srivastava.

- Pioneer, January 6, 2010

This little visited destination in the heart of south Delhi is simple, yet grand

You do not expect a short flight of stairs to lead into this vast arcaded courtyard. The mid -14th century Begumpuri mosque, near Sarvapriya Vihar in South Delhi, is grand, simple and rundown. The pillars are massive but with hardly any design etchings on the arches and columns. Raised on a plinth, the mosque's main entrance, on the eastern side, faces the unaesthetic skyline of the Begumpuri village that is easy to ignore once you enter.

The courtyard's calm makes the congested world outside seem unreal. And the domes completely take you in. There are 44 domed compartments on three sides. The Mecca-facing Western side has a prayer chamber as well as the building's central arch -- flanked by sloping buttresses with in-built winding staircases.

Feel free to climb. The view of the courtyard clashes with that of the village's - clotheslines, water tanks and cow dung patties.

Built by a Tughlaq-era minister, Khan Jahan Junan Shah, Begumpuri Masjid probably served as the principal Friday mosque during the reign of Mohammad Tughlaq. Owing to the anarchic times of 18th century Delhi, vulnerable communities had moved inside the mosque and a village had sprung up, which was cleared off by the Archaeological Survey of India in the 1920s.

Today the mosque is dead.

Prayers have been discontinued, the walls are broken, parts of the roof have collapsed and the stonework has blackened. Goats graze, chickens squeak, village boys play cricket and lovers scrawl `I love you' messages.

Rarely visited by group tours, the absence of touts and souvenir sellers makes an excursion here more intense than in Delhi's more popular ruins.

Where Begumpur Village, Sarvapriya Vihar, near IIT

- Hindustan Times, January 7, 2010

The ambitious Jama Masjid redevelopment project of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi is battling a funds crunch and may not be completed before the Commonwealth Games this year.

According to sources, the civic body is yet to receive funds for the project notwithstanding the fact that Municipal Commissioner KS Mehra had recently written to the Lt Governor seeking Rs 20 crore in additional funds for the project while the Delhi Government also said it will fund one-third of the total cost.

"We are hopeful that the funds will be made available soon. We will divide the work in phases so that at least some part is completed before the Games," said Mehra. The project received a nod from the Delhi Urban Arts Commission after many alterations in its plan, which included doing away with a proposed underground parking and a heritage mall to preserve the original character of the historic area.

The civic body now says that the sensitive project should not have been linked to the Games as it took a long time to persuade the main stakeholders, the shopkeepers of Meena Bazaar and Dargah Sheikh Kallimullah.

- Pioneer, January 7, 2010

Conserving wildlife is a bigger problem than protecting human beings, who do not face dwindling population, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said on Wednesday but quickly amended his remarks noting that the Government was concerned over several human deaths in animal attacks.

"There are a few animals in the country which need to be saved. But there is no such problem with humans. We have high per capita," he said referring to the huge population in the country.

Ramesh was replying to a reporter's query at a function on what steps were being taken to save human lives from animal attacks. He said the function was related to tiger conservation and not "human conservation".

However, when it was brought to his notice that several people had died in man-animal conflicts inside and outside the reserves and sanctuaries across the country, Ramesh quickly said, "Yes, it is a serious issue. We are concerned about it".

Man-animal conflict is emerging as a major concern for the States in the recent years. For instance, nearly 45 people have been killed by leopards across the country in the last three years.

Degrading habitat and poor food availability often force wild animals towards human habitat, resulting in the loss. The States have been compensating for the loss in terms of money but they now find it difficult to meet the rising demands for financial relief.

- Pioneer, January 7, 2010

While work is yet to begin on the planned makeover for the historic Jama Masjid precinct, the ambitious redevelopment project has already run aground. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has now admitted it will not be able to complete the redevelopment work in time for the Commonwealth Games this year.

Although MCD Commissioner K S Mehra maintains that the delay of over two years has been caused by a combination of factors like problems in getting the necessary clearances and "funding issues", sources in the MCD said one of the main reasons for the delay is a paucity of funds.

Mehra had also recently written to Lieutenant-Governor Tejendra Khanna seeking Rs 20 crore as additional funds for the project. The Delhi government too had committed to fund one-third of the total project cost. It has, however, not released any funds yet.

"While there is not enough funding for the redevelopment work right now, efforts are being made to arrange for the same. Once the state government releases the money, we will work accordingly," an MCD official said.

The civic body as well as planners in charge of the project, meanwhile, said the Jama Masjid project should not have been linked to the Games. "It was too ambitious on the part of the administration to have linked it to the Games. Jama Masjid redevelopment is a large-scale and very sensitive project. Even if we had the funds available on time, the Commonwealth Games deadline would still have been unrealistic," the official added.

The Corporation has, however, decided to begin "preliminary work" on the project. According to the plan, the MCD will make site visits to the Jama Masjid precinct next week and begin work like "cleaning up the area and putting up boards that will depict what the area is going to look like after the makeover".

The supplementary plan of redeveloping neighbouring areas like Subhash Marg have been submitted with the Unified Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure Planning and Engineering Centre (UTIPEC) and is likely to be considered for approval next week.

The MCD has also finally managed to the two major stakeholders of the project — over 633 shopkeepers of Meena Bazaar and the shopkeepers of Dargah Sheikh Kallimullah — to arrive at a consensus. "It took us around 50 odd meetings with them to finally get a consensus on the redevelopment plan," the MCD official said.

The MCD had, in May last year, managed an approval from the Delhi Urban Art Commission (DUAC) for the plan. Much of their original plan that boasted of an underground parking space and a heritage mall was, however, done away with as both the DUAC and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) insisted on minimum intervention in the sensitive zone to preserve its glory.

While the agency agreed to do away with underground parking, the proposed shopping complex in the basement around the mosque will now be at the same level as Meena Bazar.

The final plan will cost MCD Rs 150 crores.

Civic body behind schedule in most

Games-related work, says Opposition in MCD

Members of the opposition Congress in the MCD have alleged that the agency has failed to achieve the desired level of progress in work for the Commonwealth Games due to a lack of motivation and carelessness. During a special review meeting on Wednesday, Leader of Opposition J K Sharma alleged the MCD had failed to meet deadlines of most projects. Out of 16 projects for railway underbridges or overbridges, work has begun on only five, he added. "Only 50 percent of work related to covering Kushak and Sunehere Nallah has been done so far. Work on most automated parking lots across Delhi is yet to begin," Sharma said. The members added that the MCD has also failed to perform in areas like sanitation, health and education. "Three sanitary landfill sites at Bhalaswa, Ghazipur and Okhla are filled beyond capacity. It has also failed to provide electricity, drinking water and toilets in schools."

Handicrafts from various countries got an exuberant response from the shoppers at Dilli Haat

Pulsating colours and a live qawalli performance took the shoppers by surprise at Dastkari Haat in Dilli Haat where handicrafts from various countries like Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal, Tibet, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan were displayed. The exquisite crafts and cultural features of South Asian countries were a delight to watch.

The sellers, who had come from foreign lands to showcase the craft of their countries, were thrilled by the exuberant response of the shoppers. One of the sellers Dawa Dolma from Tibet said, "We have come to know that Indian craft is very close to the craft of our country and also got to know about the various crafts of other countries. Its very nice to know that India is so rich and diverse and it has so much to offer not only in terms of art but also the warmth. A lot of people shoed interest in our craft and asked us to come here again. Among others, I really like the truck art from Pakistan. The delicate art works from Nepal and the purses made of dried grass at the stall of Sri Lanka are also good."

The Tibetan stall was covered with wall hangings depicting of Buddha incarnation. "It is called 'thangka' and is believed to bring peace, prosperity and good luck and is mostly found in all the houses in our country," said Dolma, stall owner. There were manifestations of snow lions also.

The truck art from Pakistan with slogans like 'Horn Ok Please' was innovative. The lanterns and cutlery items —all had a glimpse of this truck art. "Our perspective is to spread this simple yet very unique place to exhibit our art", said Kiran, the stall owner.

The stall from Nepal which was manned by Muna Shrestha looked delicate. "The Goods displayed were made by hand," Shrestha said.

"The concept behind organizing this is that people from various countries come to know about the arts of our country which is very similar to the art of our country", said Jaya Jaitley, founder of Dilli Haat and Dastkari Haat Samiti.

Minister of state for external affairs Shashi Tharoor, who inaugurated the exhibition said, "I love the place my self and my wife, who is a foreigner, actually thought that the name was Dilli Heart and not Haat and rightfully so! I find this South Asian Women for peace and creativity very important as networks built by women are more enduring. Moreover the products made of natural fibres will get an exposure they have deserved since a very long time."

- Pioneer, January 8, 2010

The environment ministry has again said that it would not seek loans and financial support from World Bank to protect the tiger.

The ministry had, coinciding with the recent visit of World Bank president Robert B Zoellick to India, begun to rethink its year-old position on the offer from the Bank to fund activities under the National Tiger Conservation Authority. But on Wednesday, with most of tiger conservationists in the country protesting the move, minister Jairam Ramesh decided to shelve the proposal yet again.

In June 2008, World Bank launched a global Tiger Conservation Initiative. It had approached the Indian government at that point asking it to join in. After deliberations within the government, in which the PMO too was involved, it was decided that the government did not require either technical assistance or funds of the Bank.

The government had considered World Bank's chequered history with tiger conservation and relocation and decided that it would not be advisable to take up the Bank on its offer. The Bank, on the other hand, was viewed within the government as more than eager to get India on board, as it would look odd if the country with the largest wild tiger population in the world did not join the initiative.

- Times of India, January 8, 2010

The much talked about plan for re-development of the historic Jama Masjid, which has been hanging fire for over four years since it was conceptualised, is yet to see the light of day despite being approved by the Delhi Urban Arts Commission and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi.

According to the project consultants roped in by the civic body, lack of will and availability of funds for the Rs.150-crore project appears to be the main reason behind the delay.

The project is aimed at redeveloping and beautifying the area around the Jama Masjid mosque. It was formulated by the civic body after the Delhi High Court directed it in 2004 to conserve and redevelop the structure while hearing a public interest litigation on the condition of the mosque. The project envisages redevelopment of the existing Meena Bazar with 650 shops of uniform size in a single-storey structure and a single-storey shopping complex along Dargah Sheikh Kallimullah besides creation of parking lots at Parade Grounds and Chandni Chowk.

'Nothing has moved'

An architect connected with the project said: "The DUAC cleared the project in June 2009 and the MCD Standing Committee also gave its go-ahead in September 2009. It was decided thereafter that a detailed project report would be prepared and work would begin by the year end, but nothing has moved since then as the MCD is yet to take the initiative. The project is of significance and needs to be pushed through."

"About Rs.50 crore had also been committed for the project by the Delhi Government but no funds have been received yet. We have been informed by the civic body that the project file has been moved to the Lieutenant-Governor's Office which is expected to clear some funds so that the project can start soon. We have already gone beyond the call of duty to see this mammoth project through after battling several roadblocks and oppositions from various quarters and managing to get the major stakeholders on board," he added.

However, Municipal Commissioner K. S. Mehra while admitting that no funds have been received from any party yet, said the reason for the project delay were that approvals took time in coming.

"The process for calling tenders for preparation of the detailed project report is on. The project would be undertaken in phases and we would be issuing tenders for phase one of the work which would be taken up for completion before the Commonwealth Games. All necessary approvals have been granted and funds from the Delhi Government are awaited. The delay occurred not due to lack of funds being released but because of getting approvals from various civic and heritage bodies," he added.

- Hindu, January 8, 2010

Tourists visiting the historic Amber fort near here will soon be treated to scintillating cultural programmes every weekend. The Rajasthan Government's Art and Culture Department and the Amber Development and Management Authority are jointly preparing an outline for these programmes.

According to an official announcement here, the cultural programmes will comprise folk music and dance, classical dances, ghazals and qawwalis.

The programmes will be organised in the courtyard of the ancient fort on Saturday and Sunday evenings every week.

The full-moon nights will witness special events to which famous artistes from other States will be invited.

The first programme of the series will feature famous danseuse Mallika Sarabhai.

- Hindu, January 8, 2010

Now heritage conservation will be a part of school education. CBSE has asked schools to involve their students in the protection of monuments in the vicinity and organize seminars, quizzes, skits and exhibitions on heritage conservation. According to CBSE, these activities will make students more sensitive towards heritage and can also be used for continuous and comprehensive evaluation of students from up to class X for social science.

In a circular dated January 7, CBSE instructed schools to administer an oath to all students on January 12, which will be observed as the Heritage Day. The school community will have to pledge to respect all monuments, not scribble, deface or encroach upon any monument and give all possible help to conserve it. ''The oath may be administered preferably at a local monument for which local ASI office, State Archaelogical Department or INTACH may be contacted by schools,'' CBSE chairperson Vineet Joshi stated in the circular. ''The CBSE office is also writing separately to the heads of these organizations so that the monuments are opened for visit by the school students.''

CBSE has specially emphasised on 'adopt a heritage scheme' as part of a project in social science in which the students will have to adopt a historical building in the neighbourhood and create awareness for its preservation. ''They can act as guides for visitors by taking them around the monument and explain its history, architectural features, connected stories, ethos etc. They can also distribute post cards, greeting cards and posters to the visitors,'' the circular mentioned.

Making a CD on the monument and collection of archival sources can also be done. ''Students can show interviews with visitors, actual caretakers and those in authority by asking pertinent questions,'' it added. The CBSE, in fact, are targeting not just the students but the entire school community with the introduction of this project. Though this campaign to preserve the monuments will run in schools across the country, some Delhi schools have already been involving students in protecting monuments and now plan to take it further after the CBSE directive.

Said Bharti Sharma, principal, Amity International School, Saket, ''Our students have been taking up the conservation work of monuments for many years now. But if CBSE is planning to introduce it in all schools, heritage conservation can become a mass movement.'' She added, ''It is heartening to know we are moving in the right direction.''

- Times of India, January 9, 2010

Reviewed by Gurpreet K. Maini-Journal of Heritage Studies: An Indian Journal on Conservation, Thomson Press. Pages 379.

If today graffiti is diminishing our monuments, particularly the unlisted ones, there are fewer 'pan' splurges; they are no longer open-air urinals or defecating hubs, we owe it to the pivotal catalyst INTACH, a concept which coalesced into an NGO, seeded by Rajiv Gandhi and Pupul Jayakar in 1984. Over the years, it grew by leaps and bounds under the aegis of the present chairman, S. K. Mishra, who has given it a global facade and articulation.

Undoubtedly, the ASI as a government functionary in this sphere has aimed at conservation, restoration and preservation, but INTACH has addressed and traversed the unlisted terrain.`A0It has fine-tuned the vital role of dissemination, thus invoking an awareness of the hazards to our heritage even in the remotest landscapes and addressed a totally oblivious clientele.

INTACH in the 25th year of its existence through the publication of their journal is stepping beyond the confines of its normal activities and addressing the broader canvas of conservation.`A0The launch of a journal on heritage studies is another endeavour of INTACH to bring to the fore inter-disciplinary issues to the attention of a cross-section of people, particularly those at the helm of affairs, for making decisions and policies.

From salvaging monumental heritage to generating a public awareness, INTACH's ambit of addressal has widened and it intends a foray and incorporates global conservation work undertaken in the subcontinent as well as China, Japan, Middle East and South East Asia.`A0Man and nature, flora and fauna, history and heritage are integral components of conservation which they feel merit research and resolution.`A0 INTACH heralded a new chapter in heritage and conservation and brought it to the people as an accessible point of association.`A0

Similarly, the journal is not in the run of the mill garb of a staid publication which would be daunting to the general reader, but it is in a pleasant and colourful dust jacket with the daily beat of the inhabitants of Delhi, i.e., Lodhi Gardens.

As the editor of the journal espouses the aims and objects of this series, the crunch lies in this that the journal "will help foster dialogue with, and create awareness among an audience which could be catalysts for positive change. `85 The journal seeks to be a bridge between research scholars and the rest of the civil society that needs to be alive to such heritage concerns."`A0It endeavours at creating a platform for networking for groups and individuals involved in heritage concerns, eventually these journals will have a sustainable value with their articles as future reference material.

The contributors include A.G. Krishna Menon, Dr Sethuraman Suresh, Dr Meera I. Dass, Priyaleen Singh, Bulu Imam, Dr Ranju Hasini Sahoo, Samit Das, Manu Bhatnagar, S.P. Shorey, Dr Sunil Gupta, Dr Om Prakash Agrawal, Dr Alok Tripathi, Kanchana Mukhopadhyay and film producer Shyam Benegal.

The opening article by A.G.K. Menon delineates the catalyst role INTACH has played after the Indian Antiquities Act in 1862 and the Ancient Monument Preservation Act of 1904 by the British, which took under its umbrage a limited number of monuments. Decades later in 1984, a body emerged and focused on the innumerable number of unprotected monuments and made their protection its mandate.`A0"INTACH also drew attention to the need to protect the non-monumental heritage like historic cities.`A0 The presence of INTACH decisively changed the conservation scene in India."

`A0David J. Brown presents the endeavours of the National Trust for Historic Preservation in the US. This point of view brings to the fore the aim of the journal as a networking forum so he interacts with his counterparts at INTACH.`A0Interestingly, their pressure group, like INTACH, drew inspiration from the British National Trust and goes back to 1947.`A0Currently, they have more than 3,00,000 members, a budget of approximately $52 million and are actively pursuing heritage legislation in the Senate.

An interesting fact emerges on recent instances of preservation implemented by the body: "In 2006, plans at Ground Zero—the site of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center—called for the demolition of the last remaining physical vestige of the twin towers. Preservationists highlighted the threat with a national call for action, and two years later the 'survivors' staircase'—which served as the way out of the horror of the falling towers for hundreds of survivors—was moved to temporary quarters and will be restored and maintained as a memorial to the courage we all saw on that terrible day." The work undertaken by them that he delineates bears a striking similarity to the path traversed by INTACH.

From the broader modalities, the journal focuses on specificities and localities which are significant case studies like the study of conservation of Chola paintings in the Brhadisvara Temple`A0by Dr Sethuraman Suresh; the Integrated Development Plan of Mahakal Virasat Kshetra at Ujjain by Dr Meera I. Dass and Priya Saxena, fighting for flowers along the Damodar River; the Zonal Anthropological Museum and the Tribal Painters of Bastar by Dr Ranju Hasini Sahoo; the Development of Santiniketan Architecture by Samit Das; and the System of Traditional Weather Forecasting in Jaisalmer district by Manu Bhatnagar.`A0In Part III, specific conservation and restoration projects have been compiled by Divay Gupta done by INTACH.

Amidst these specific case studies, there are generalist studies on conserving historic gardens, world heritage cities, salvaging roads, under water cultural heritage and last but not least, there is an article by Shyam Benegal on 'Cinema, Television and Social Responsibility'.

This valuable tome has two books reviews and Part IV delineates a biographical timeline of INTACH.`A0It is remarkable that within 379 pages, there is a diverse range of expertise which converges on conservation and preservation.

- The Tribune, January 10, 2010

Hugh and Colleen Gantzer visit Orchha in Madhya Pradesh that was once ruled by the mighty Bundelas

It is a citadel and a city like no other we've seen. The citadel rises on an island. On both sides of it flow two arms of the Betwa River, protecting it like a moat. And out of the rocks and custard-apple thickets of the island, hulking forbiddingly, is the walled fort-palace complex of the Bundelas. It looks like something out of an Indian Lord of the Rings fantasy, or a Harry Potter setting. And yes indeed, it is wreathed in just as many dark and haunted tales.

It's in an off-the-beaten-track hamlet in Madhya Pradesh called Orchha. The citadel and the fort-palace complex were built by a dynasty called the Bundelas in the 16th century. They wanted to tell the Great Mughal in Delhi that they, too, were a power to be reckoned with. Not quite defiant but not to be taken for granted. So when Akbar's son, Salim, revolted against his father, he fled to Orchha. He also asked one of the Bundela princes to bring him the head of Afzal Khan on a platter his father's loyal adviser. This was done by the ambitious prince Bir Singh.

Later, when Salim ascended the throne of Delhi and took the royal name of Jehangir, he rewarded prince Bir Singh by making him the ruler of Orchha. The legitimate ruler, Bir Singh's elder brother, was given another state, Chanderi.

That, in short, was the bloody baptism of Orchha.

Even today, when the days of princes and their vast states have passed, the people of Orchha seem to be a contented lot.

We walked around the citadel, admired the frescoes in its royal chambers; saw the strategically placed mirrors in the pleasure apartment on the terrace, the Sheesh Mahal; visited the high-roofed stables that once, we were assured, held camels and elephants; admired the sybaritic bath house, the Hamam, hot baths, steam rooms, chill pools, massage tables, a medieval, sybaritic, spa for all reasons; and delighted in the garden mansion of the talented courtesan, Rai Praveen. When a royal summons directed her to join the harem of the Mughal Emperor, she took a poem to her powerful admirer. Our translation is:

She returned in triumph to Orchha and the arms of her princely lover.

Driving down from the citadel, across the stone bridge, we visited the impressive Chatturbhuj Temple. It is dedicated to the four-armed Lord Vishnu but it has many of the aspects of a mosque. Among other significant peculiarities in the temple, the experts of the Delhi School of Architecture and Planning point out that:

The absence of any carving or ornamentation, the loftiness of the ceilings, and the arrangement of its sanctuary are unusual features in a Hindu temple.

We clambered down the steps of the platform of the temple, wound our way along a street teeming with colourful hawkers, past a line of mendicants, and entered the Ram Raja Temple. In the 18th century, the principal queen of the ruler, Madhukar Shah, brought back an image of Lord Ram with the intention of installing it in the Chatturbhuj Temple. But after she set it down in a place of honour in her palace, the idol could not be shifted. And so the Queen's palace became a temple.

From this palace-temple, we drove up the hill to another unusual structure. The Laxminarayan Temple is a square structure with a central court holding a shrine. Its entrance is in one of its diagonals. The outer walls of the building are bare but the inner walls are profusely painted. There are scenes of war and the depictions of an enormous mythological creature carrying elephants in its claws, a woman warrior mounted on a horse, hunting a tiger, two foreigners, in breeches and hats, drinking at a table with a happy dog at their feet. It strikes us that this place was built as a breeze-trapping gazebo and became a temple as an after-thought.

Back in the town, we joined long lines of devotees to visit the pavilion of the revered Prince Hardaul. He willing drank a cup of poison to prove the fidelity of his sister-in-law. To this day, wedding invitations in this area are given first to this pavilion, now a shrine.

Not far from it is the Phul Bagh. This sequestered garden, designed by Madhukar Shah, once had fountains and pools and a place where water showered down from the roof to simulate rain: it can get fairly hot in Orchha. Then there are those twin towers, called Dastagirs. Rising out of large, underground, halls, these Persian-designed chimneys used the suction provided by the wind blowing across their tops to draw up the atmosphere from the cellars, allowing cool subterranean air to rush in!

Today, the cellars are closed to the public and so the coolest place in Orchha is on a raft, dodging the white water of the rapids, past the cenotaphs-tombs of the former Bundela rulers. When you're bobbing past the tombs think of the belief that sometimes, at night, people have heard a spectral rider gallop down the roads of Orchha. But don't believe this till, one still night, you, too, hear the clip clopping of a ghostly horse's hoofs.

- The Tribune, January 10, 2010

The CBSE has launched an educational campaign across all schools to preserve and protect the heritage monuments in the country. The CBSE has also decided to celebrate January 12 as "Heritage Day". The Board has also asked schools to organise events to "sensitise the youth and inculcate in them a healthy value system towards their own heritage". The project will be part of Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation for Class X, Vineet Joshi, chairperson of CBSE said in the circular.

- Indian Express, January 10, 2010

As we celebrate a thousand years of the 'Big Temple' in Thanjavur – Rajaraja Chola dedicated it to Brihadisvara, Lord of the Universe in 1010 – an ode to the monument that has never ceased to amaze with its simple design, stupendous proportions and grandeur

The Thanjavur "Big Temple" (Peria Kovil) is one thousand years old this year, 2010. Rajaraja Chola I commissioned this greatest edifice of Tamil history and performed the sacred dedication of the temple in the year 1010, the 25th year of his reign. It was the jewel-in-the-crown of Rajaraja, an extraordinarily powerful king, a grand monarch with a style of his own, a conqueror who also understood art and architecture, and a true devotee of Siva. It is a matter of pride that a Tamil king built the finest example of Tamil architecture, stupendous in proportion, yet simple in design. Siva in this temple is known as Brihadisvara — the Lord of the Universe. A gigantic stone "lingam" fills the sanctum sanctorum, sheltered by a vimanam (towering roof) which pierces the sky at 216 feet. One can gaze with awe at this majestic structure from a distance as one drives towards Thanjavur. However many times one has seen it, one cannot help but hold one's breath in amazement. And as you enter its precincts, this temple never fails to humble you, for, such is its magnificence. It is the perfect tribute to the Almighty, ordered by a great king and executed by his subjects who contributed to its building in more ways than one. To this day, it stands tall as a reminder of who we are in the history books of culture, art, architecture, religion, language, governance and trade.

The temple occupies an area measuring about 750 feet by 400 feet, in a fort, surrounded by a moat. It is a marvel of engineering, considering the technology of those ancient times. The towering vimanam is built up with stones with bonding and notching, without the use of mortar. The topmost stone, weighing about 80 tons, is still a matter of discussion for engineers who are baffled as to how the builders lifted it to that height without the help of modern contrivances. A charming tale is told about a ramp being built from a village — Sarapallam — four miles away, from where the giant stone was pulled up by elephants!

Representative craftsmanship

The details of the stone work of this imposing vimanam are representative of the masterly craftsmanship of South Indian artisans. The shilpi (sculptor) and the sthapathi (architect) came together to create their fanciful abode for Shiva. Naturally, the shape had to echo Mount Kailash itself. In its perfect geometry and distinct clarity of lines, this tower is unbeatable.

Every feature of the temple is larger than life — the monolithic Nandi, the gigantic (12-feet high) Dwarapalakas (guardian deities) and the sculptures in the niches around the central shrine. They are distinguished by an elegant simplicity in lines and ornamentation. The faces of the figures like Dakshinamurthi and Yogalakshmi are beatitude in essence.

Inside the vimanam, there is a hidden corridor surrounding the sanctum. Rarely open to visitors, this is a treasure trove of Chola painting and sculpture. The walls of this cave-like corridor were plastered with lime and used as a large canvas for the paintings. Perhaps the subjects chosen were dear to the great king's heart, for, he was a staunch Shaivite, a great warrior who took pride in his victories, and was responsible for the renaissance of the Bhakti movement through the spread of the songs of the saints ( Thevaram). The paintings, which have survived time and a 17th century coat of paint, are exquisite in detail and colour, and proportion. The colours in the paintings are subdued, the lines are delicate and the expressions vivid and true to life. Figures of Dakshinamurthi, Nataraja in Thillai, surrounded by celestials, dancers and saints in a celebration, and Tripuranthaka, the gigantic warrior, are masterpieces of Chola painting. The story of Sundaramurthi Nayanar reaching Kailash on a white elephant is depicted on another wall. The most telling of all is the portraiture of Raja Raja with his Guru Karuvur Devar. It was Karuvur Devar, the wily administrator, who master-minded the building of the temple, and fittingly he has a special shrine dedicated to him in the outer courtyard of the temple. While the sculptures of Shiva in this corridor are imposing and colossal, the fine series of 81 karanas (dance poses) are superb illustrations of the Natya Sastra. These figures are much bigger than the dance figures in Chidambaram and other temples. The renowned historian C. Sivaramamurthi averred that this group is unique as it depicts Shiva himself dancing.

Plenty of documentation

Perhaps the most exciting aspect of this temple is the vast number of inscriptions on its walls which record details of Raja Raja's reign as well as that of his successors. They reveal that Raja Raja endowed a large number of villages, money and cattle to the temple for its maintenance, daily worship, festivals, singing of devotional songs and dancing. He and his queens presented fantastic gold and gem set jewels to the temple. The king's donations, as well as those of his favourite queen Lokamahadevi, and his sister Kundavai are recorded on a slab close to the sanctum. Among the most noteworthy inscriptions is the one about the two streets given over to the occupation of the 400 Devadasis who were pressed into the service of the temple from many surrounding temples of the region. Their names, places of origin, the door numbers of the houses they occupied are also part of the details inscribed. From the inscriptions we gather that the king, his queens, and their relatives set the example followed by the nobility, the merchants and even soldiers, to return to the people what was collected by taxes etc., by erecting irrigation canals, hospitals, schools, granaries and so on.

One of the best bronze images of the period is that of Nataraja, referred to as "Adavallan" in this temple. Raja Raja named the currency of his reign, a coin, Adavallan.

Over time, many additions and improvements took place in this temple. Sevappa Nayak, the first of his dynasty who ruled Thanjavur, built the shrine for Murugan (Subrahamanya) as an integral part of the temple. It is a beautiful, elaborately-carved stone structure, a designer's delight. To copy the un-repeated designs on each of the short pillars of this shrine would take an artist weeks if not months. One can just imagine how long the stone chiseller would have taken to complete each piece. Facing this shrine one can also see a mandapamwhich houses a Maratha period portrait gallery. Done as mural paintings but in the style now known as "Tanjore painting" with gold leaf embossing, the portraits of Serfoji, his queen and other royals are a feast of colour.

Magical pull

One can spend a whole day in the Big Temple, and still want to come back to marvel at every detail of its beauty. Many kings had built temples to Shiva on the banks of the Kaveri. Many saints have sung in praise of these deities. But there is only one temple to Brihadisvara, and it stands tall a thousand years after a devotee-king climbed a ladder with a copper pot ( kalasam) anointed with holy water from all the sacred rivers, to dedicate it to history. Our history!

- Hindu, January 11, 2010

New Delhi: As it works overtime to spruce up Delhi's historical sites ahead of the Commonwealth Games, the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) is depending heavily on outsiders, generously outsourcing work to ''heritage contractors''. With conservation work in full swing at over 40 monuments across the capital, the ASI, the apex body for maintaining heritage sites, has employed some 10 to 15 agencies to implement its plans on the ground.

Mostly roped in from outside Delhi, the ''heritage contractors'', as they are called in conservation parlance, bring with them vast experience on implementing heritage projects around the country, ASI officials said. ''It is not a routine practice for us to employ outside workers for our projects in Delhi, and earlier we used to do such work on our own,'' said Delhi superintendent archaeologist K K Muhammad.

However, given the paucity of time and the amount of work to be completed within the October deadline, it was imperative for the heritage body to rope in outsiders. ''Given our limited staff and strength, it was practically impossible for us to finish this work on our own. We, therefore, brought in agencies who have worked with us earlier on crucial conservation projects in Agra, Fatehpur Sikri and some historical sites in Madhya Pradesh,'' he said. The contractors, who have been employed following a bidding process, have in turn brought to the restoration sites hundreds of labourers from nearby states.

''At some sites like Tughlaqabad Fort, the Jahapanah Wall, Qila Rai Pithora Wall and Najaf Khan's tomb, where massive restoration projects are underway, an estimated 500 labourers are currently working through these agencies,'' Muhammad said. PTI

- Times of India, January 11, 2010

An overall review of the Connaught Place re-development project that has been receiving flak owing to the handling of the traffic flow arrangement leading to massive snarls and dipping sales of shopkeepers will take place at a high-level meeting on Monday.

This comes after the traffic police were forced to intervene in the matter over the weekend and get the barricades removed from a small portion between Minto Road and Janpath in the Outer Circle and certain sections of the Middle Circle where digging work had not started in order to ease traffic flow.

According to sources, the meeting would be attended by Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Tejendra Khanna, Chief Secretary Rakesh Mehta, senior traffic police officers and representatives from the New Delhi Municipal Council which is implementing the project. According to the New Delhi Traders' Association, which is the biggest stakeholder in the project, the review could well mean a re-consideration of the no-objection certificate granted by the traffic police to the NDMC to go ahead with the project. NDTA president Atul Bharghav said: "It is clear that the project has resulted in a complete mess. There has to be a limit to which we can allow ourselves to be bulldozed by the authorities to give in just for the sake of the Commonwealth Games. We were never taken into confidence while going ahead with the project. We were against barricading large parts of CP and removal of parking as it would adversely affect our business which is exactly what has happened."

"As it is the façade restoration work is going on in 16 Blocks in the Inner Circle. On top of that the Middle Circle has been almost closed owing to digging work for construction of a service tunnel and the Outer Circle capacity has also been halved. In the rush to complete such an ambitious project before the Commonwealth Games, the NDMC has taken on more than it can chew. Since CP is a commercial area, traffic jams are bound to happen if such heavy barricading and parking removal is undertaken," he added.

Special Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Ajay Chaddha said: "We would be reviewing the overall project in the light of the objections being raised by the NDTA as well as the problems being faced by ordinary commuters."

- Hindu, January 11, 2010

The 11-acre area, housing two monuments, was being used for commercial activities by the Delhi State Bharat Scouts and Guides

After a 12-year battle between the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the Delhi State Bharat Scouts and Guides (BSG) over an 11 acre plot next to Humayun's Tomb - which houses two centrally-protected monuments - the Ministry of Urban Development handed over the land to the heritage body on Thursday.

Since 1997, the ASI has been requesting for the possession of the land, owned by the ministry. It had filed a court notice against BSG for carrying out illegal construction and commercial activities.

The BSG complex, referred to as Bharatiyam Complex, currently houses the Kunzru Stadium, Camp Office, VIP Room, Sports Complex, Bajpai Memorial Hall and the two centrally-protected monuments of Bada Batashewala Mahal and Chhota Batashewala Mahal.

In 1989, at the time of organising Bharatiyam, temporary arrangements were made for the stay of participants in the campus. A number of modules (small hutments) were constructed within six weeks on the assumption that they will be demolished after the event.

But after the event, the BSG rented out the modules to several organisations and institutes, including the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) for use as office space. In 2001, the Parkland club entered into a collaboration with the BSG to build a club over 1.5 acres and operate it on commercial basis.

In view of these commercial activities, nearly four years ago, a Supreme Court appointed Monitoring Committee sealed the complex. But the modules stand untouched even today and are home to around seven families of BSG employees.

For years, the complex also played host to students from across the country, who came for the Republic Day functions. Scouts and guides camped at the modules and practiced at the in-house stadium in the complex. The ASI raised objections on this too, as it caused damage to monuments. Over the years, the ASI made several representations for the possession of the land. The Urban Development Ministry finally took cognizance of it and officially handed over the complex on January 7.

"The complex houses two significant 17th Century monuments, which have been ravaged due to illegal constructions," said a senior ASI official. "The plot stands in the buffer zone of the Humayun's Tomb, a World Heritage site. Now that it has been handed to us, we plan to develop it and integrate it with the Humayun's Tomb complex."

Currently, the Humayun's Tomb Complex, monuments of Sunder Nursery and other monuments stand disconnected.

"The original linkages have broken as a result of subdivision of land," he said, "which has denied the World Heritage Site its rightful setting and gives a false impression that it stands in an isolated context."

The decision will provide a fillip to the Nizamuddin area, including the Humayun's Tomb Complex, which is being redeveloped by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture on behalf of the ASI.

The historic landscape can be restored and additional facilities added, the official said. "For the one million people who visit Humayun's Tomb every year, it will enhance their experience and provide visual and physical connectivity between these cultural sites."

It will also enable a 16th Century heritage trail and expand the World Heritage Site boundaries. Excavations in the area are expected to reveal foundations of several monuments, enclosure walls and the original context of the whole site, ASI officials said.

This archaeological zone is also considered significant owing to its proximity to the Grand Trunk Road, the Dargah and Chillgah of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya and several early Mughal buildings.

- Indian Express, January 11, 2010

A photography exhibition brings 25 world heritage sites in Mexico to Delhi

Instituto Cervantes is hosting a photography exhibition of the world heritage sites in Mexico at its Hanuman Road premises here.

The exhibition, which opened on Monday and is on view up to January 31, showcases photographs of 25 sites recognised by UNESCO in Mexico. They include the archaeological zone of Monte Alban (Oaxaca), the pre-Hispanic cities of Teoltihuacan (State of Mexico), Xochimilco (Mexico City), Sian Ka'an (Quintana Roo), Fortune Teller pyramid (City Uxmal), Tajin (Veracruz) and the Luis Barragan house and studio (Mexico City) among others.

The 1972 UNESCO Convention for protection of world cultural and natural heritage is aimed at preserving the creative works of human genius of "outstanding value" as well as sites of natural value, high biological diversity and natural beauty. This distinction gives Mexico a special responsibility to protect its world heritage sites for future generations.

Inaugurating the exhibition, Mexican Ambassador Jaime Nualart said UNESCO declared 29 sites in Mexico as world heritage sites. "In this exhibition we are showcasing 25 pictures of world heritage sites. Mexico is No. 3 in cities catalogued as world heritage sites in America. It is not only the responsibility of Mexico to conserve and protect the monuments, landscape and artistic beauty but of the entire humanity."

According to Instituto Cervantes director Oscar Pujol, the exhibition is aimed at showcasing the Hispaniac culture. "I hope Delhiites are able to find a connection with Indian heritage sites and Spanish archaeological heritage."

Mexico is one of the 162 States that currently adhere to the World Heritage Convention. The images were taken by independent travel photographers Ignacio Guevara, Alberto Moreno, Oscar Alvarez, Carlos Sanchez Pereyra, Claudio Contreras Koob and Rafael Doniz.

- Hindu, January 12, 2010

2010 has started on a good note for the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

It has finally got two plots of land for `care and maintenance' in the vicinity of centrally protected monuments.

A piece of one acre land is near Siri Fort adjoining its existing Children's Museum. The other land -- 13 acres -is near Humayun's Tomb in Nizamuddin.

While for the first plot, the ASI was at loggerheads with the Delhi Development Authority, in the latter, it was fighting for removing encroachment by Delhi State Bharat Scouts and Guides.

The ASI had earlier fought a long legal battle to claim halfan-acre of land on which the DDA had built a concrete building to be used as an officers' club.

The building was handed over to the ASI, which opened a children's museum there to create awareness among youngsters about heritage.

"An additional one acre of land was handed over to us last week. We now plan to use the space for life-size replicas of popular images like the Buddha statue at Sarnath or Anant Sheshshayi Vishnu idol near Lalitpur in Madhya Pradesh or Rudrashiva in Chhattisgarh," said K.K. Muhammed, the ASI Delhi circle chief.

The land, which the ASI took over on Friday, has been given to the ASI for "care and maintenance", he confirmed and not on ownership basis.

Similarly, the ASI received possession of 13 acres of land on the north of Humayun's Tomb in Nizamuddin area.

The land was occupied by Delhi State Bharat Scouts and Guides for almost three decades.

This land too was given to the ASI last week.

The ASI will also develop the place, defaced by continuous occupation and at times commercial use, as part of the ongoing conservation project being carried out by the Aga Khan Trust for the area.

- Hindustan Times, January 12, 2010

The Madhya Pradesh Government has formed the Khajuraho Tourism Development Authority to ensure development of the world heritage site inot a tourist spot of international standards.

Khajuraho falls in the grossly under-developed Bundelkhand region of the state.

- Hindu, January 12, 2010

PUDUCHERRY: The Government of India has to take steps for the inscription of Auroville on Unesco's World Heritage List. Only then can the World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation take up appropriate discussions on the proposal, Unesco Director-General Irina Bokova said on Tuesday.

On her visit to Auroville along with a team from Unesco, Ms. Bokova told journalists that a high-level panel on peace and dialogue among cultures would meet for a day in Paris in mid-February. Terming it a "global peace initiative," she said all countries were invited to join the panel.

"The International Year of dialogue among cultures will be launched on the occasion."

In a step towards establishing discussions on issues of the present-day world, the panel would look into the question of tolerance, ways of reaching more people in the globalised world, extremism, conflicts and solutions, and the importance of cultural diversity in the globalised world.

Earlier, addressing a gathering at Auroville, Ms. Bokova reiterated the need for establishing peace and humanism in the world. "There is a huge technological advance in the world. At the same time, there is intolerance and disrespect for each other. We should be more engaged in this debate."

Referring to Unesco's search for "a new balance and humanism in the 21st century," she said globalisation brought in something new to the people.

"Today, peace can be defined not as what we aspired to 20 to 30 years ago. Peace and humanism are about respecting and helping the marginalised." These were also about reconciliation between men and nature. "With climate change around us, we need to find a new balance/paradigm of how to treat nature."

Ms. Bokova said education on peace, sustainable development, tolerance and rights of every human being was essential. "We cannot have sustainable development without being accompanied by moral and ethical values and respect for each other," she said.

She urged the Auroville community to contribute to Unesco's search for a new balance and humanism in the 21st century.

Ambassador/Permanent Representative of India to Unesco Bhaswati Mukherjee, Union Human Resource Development Ministry Joint Secretary Amit Khare, Unesco-New Delhi Director A. Parasuraman; Auroville Governing Board member Aster Patel; and Auroville Foundation secretary M. Ramaswamy were present.

- Hindu, January 13, 2010

The "Future Cities India 2020: Student Infrastructure Design Projects" exhibition on the theme of "Re-development of Chandni Chowk" was held at American Center here on Wednesday.

Featuring 15 schools shortlisted from 43 entries, the annual exhibition now in its fourth year was organised by the Union Ministry of Science & Technology and Bentley Systems Incorporated to actively engage students from Delhi and the National Capital Region schools to develop solutions to real-world infrastructure challenges using their design skills with Bentley software.

From exploring different ways to organise the present parking and transportation problem in Chandni Chowk to introducing new concepts to revive the lost heritage and charm of the area, the exhibition represented a multitude of ideas reflecting the children's creativity and vision.

The 15 student teams in the competition addressed three requirements in their conceptual design for re-development of the district. These comprised using the existing land and infrastructure to the best advantage, proposing a congestion-free transportation plan for Chandni Chowk and integration of the principles of environmentally sustainable designs.

Bentley global director Scott Lofgren said: "There are no rights or wrongs here as each project represents a creative vision of youngsters and their approach to a real-world problem with each project highlighting various aspects of the multi-faceted Chandni Chowk."

A student participant from Manava Bharti School, Har Sewak Panesar, said: "We did not want to alter the basic historical character and essence of Chandni Chowk and yet make it futuristic. So combining the two concepts was the main challenge. The USP of our project is the proposal for setting up a giant Ferris wheel at Chandni Chowk which would offer a splendid aerial view of the entire place showcasing its historic monuments, people, culture and hidden charms. We have envisioned this Ferris wheel titled Chakravyuh-II to be the next landmark of Delhi for 2020 just like Qutub Minar is the city's landmark now."

Added another participant, Plash Sachdeva, "Me and several of my teammates had never been to Chandni Chowk in our life. We had our own pre-conceived notions about it and were simply shocked to see the extent of mess of civic and infrastructure facilities there on our first field visit. But as our project progressed we realised the true potential of the place and came to the conclusion that instead of blaming the authorities we could design a new and improved place for its residents."

A student of K. R. Mangalam School, Roshini Ashok, said: "Apart from enhancing my personal knowledge of the area and giving me a new perspective, the project also made me respect architects and urban planners and the various challenges they face."

- Hindu, January 14, 2010

"There is need to have a comprehensive and holistic view towards conservation of lakes, having paramount value in eco-friendly environment," said Chief Minister Omar Abdullah while presiding over a meeting for Wullar conservation here today.

Omar said besides being a historic lake, Wullar Lake was important for being eco-friendly for the Kashmir valley. Therefore, expert groups should be involved in the execution of the Wullar conservation plan, he added.

The meeting was attended by Forest Minister Mian Altaf Ahmad, Chief Secretary SS Kapur, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Khursheed Ahmad Ganai, Commissioner/Secretary, Forests, Shantmanu, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Jagdesh Keshwan, chairman of the Pollution Control Board Vinod Ranjan and other senior officers.

The Chief Minister said time had come to give more attention to environment and take all steps that would not only help maintain eco-balance of all such precious water bodies, but also help shape them as the most attractive and captivating sites.

He said, "We should not have any hesitation in acknowledging the fact that least attention was given to such places in the past."

Omar thanked the Central government for massive financial help that the state had received for different sectors, including grants for environment-oriented projects.

The Chief Minister said the Central government had already sanctioned Rs 356 crore for Dal conservation. Under lake conservation programmes, serious attention was being paid to develop Sanasar, Mansar, Wullar and other water bodies of the state, he added.

Omar said even projects that had been prepared for drudging main rivers of the state shall also help improve the quality of water flowing in such lakes. The Chief Minister said while executing the Rs 386-crore Wullar Conservation Project all authorities and agencies concerned should keep in mind mistakes committed in the past with regard to the maintenance and preservation of such water bodies and be more vigilant, henceforth.

They should ensure that all necessary survey and ground research should be made in close association with reputed experts on these subjects.

- Tribune, January 15, 2010

The prestigious Jaipur Heritage International Festival was re-launched this Makar Sankranti day with additional attractions.

The ten-day event, "re-designed" by Jaipur Virasat Foundation with the support of civil society organisations and the Rajasthan Government, would also coincide with the four-day Jaipur Literature Festival being held from January 21 to 24.

The Heritage Festival indeed had a flying start with myriad kites dotting the Pink City's skyline. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje joined the celebrations variously—flying kites, sharing the festive "til laddu", and also by trying to mitigate the misery of the homeless from the biting cold by gifting them blankets.

Hailed by heritage and culture experts as "the only real city festival of India", the Jaipur Heritage International Festival this year is incorporating the essence of the Walled City of Jaipur besides the arts and crafts of the whole of Rajasthan. The organisers also promise that at least for the next four years they would stick to the present calendar -- from January 14 to 24. "The Jaipur Heritage International Festival will promote Jaipur and Rajasthan worldwide as heritage destinations. A city festival like this can bring people together on a common platform and also contribute substantially to the economy," notes Rajiv Arora, chairman of the festival committee.

"The Festival and the partners, Vikas and Virasat, want to affirm that Rajasthan's heritage is one of our prime assets. Let us invest it for the benefit of the State and, more importantly, for the toiling craftsmen and artisans," says Faith Singh, founder-trustee of the Jaipur Virasat Foundation. "It is an attempt at better leveraging of our rich heritage to reduce poverty," she adds.

As part of the festival, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot is scheduled to inaugurate an exhibition this coming Tuesday showcasing key initiatives taken in the past for conservation of some of the finest specimens of architecture in the State.

A seminar scheduled for the day will have a delegation of heritage experts from France including Senator Yves Dauge and Minja Yang, founder of the Indian Heritage Cities Network, as participants.

One of the highlights of the festival will be the Heritage Walk through the Walled City of Jaipur, to be led by the Mayor, on January 23. The highlight of the last day will be a marathon to be organised by Sanskriti and the World Trade Park. This Sunday a car rally titled "Give us too an equal chance" will find visually challenged people as navigators.

- Hindu, January 17, 2010

In order to promote nomadic culture, the nomads have converged in the Capital to celebrate their existence and their unique lifestyles. The main aim of the festival is to encourage the nomadic groups of India and to identify knowledge centres, knowledge base, artistic hubs and crafts centres within the nomadic communities' hamlets with 'aware' nomads as its custodians.

Encouraging the nomadic music, this festival joins the people together and the tribes which were earlier outcasted and faced a social stigma of being criminals. The two-day festival which started on Saturday was an initiative aimed at linking nomadic communities of the world to raise concern and awareness about nomadic communities. Nomads from Bhopa, Banjara and Kalbeliya communities discussed various issues regarding the criminal acts of the Government with the forest department officials present in the panel discussion, which as part of the festival's programme. Various documentaries which were also screened projected various aspects of Nomadic lives.

The project has successfully linked nomadic musicians of different communities who never played together. Been with Ravanhatha and Bapang with Kaon is another rare jugalbandi of nomadic instruments displayed in the festival. The festival embarks upon a cultural journey into the roots of the tribal communities and communicating thorough them to the people of the world so that they can regain their values in the society.

Successfully linking culture with livelihood for nomadic communities, they are on their way to innervate nomads in demanding their share in governance. NOW (Nomadic Orchestra of the World.) was born to preserve, promote and transmit to the future generations as well as to raise the concerns of nomadic/gypsy communities in the world. This project links to provide nomadic musicians from 15 countries till the year 2015.

- Pioneer, January 17, 2010

In a move that could raise the hackles of conservationists, the Union government is set to arm itself with the authority to regularise all or any illegal disputed structures and constructions that fall within the banned 100-metre radius of "protected" monuments. To achieve this, the Centre is planning to bring a hastily-drafted ordinance — Ancient Monuments and Archeological Sites and Remains (Amendment & Validation) Ordinance, 2010. Sources in the government told The Indian Express that the Ministry of Culture, which also deals with the issue of protection of monuments, is planning to seek approval for the proposed ordinance at Thursday's meeting of the Union Cabinet.

Sources said unless the ordinance is issued before January 29 — a date fixed by the Delhi High Court in a judgment relating to protection of monuments — work on crucial infrastructure for the Commonwealth Games as well as the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), especially in areas such an Purana Qila, Hauz Khas, Humayun's Tomb, Sri Fort and Nizamuddin would come to a standstill.

In its order, the Delhi HC had declared all 171 permissions granted by the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) "invalid" and directed the government and the ASI to initiate steps to remove the violations that resulted from the permission. If implemented, the order would result in large-scale demolition of Commonwealth Games and DMRC infrastructure, among others. Following the HC directive, the ASI issued show-cause notice to all 171 persons/organisations, including the Delhi Government and the DMRC.

There are 3,675 monuments across the country that have been declared protected under the Ancient Monuments and Archeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958. Even though, in 1992, the Centre notified that no construction or repair work would be allowed within the 100-metre "prohibited" radius of a protected monument, in the last four years alone, the ASI has given 171 permissions, including those to private parties, to undertake construction activity within the prohibited area. These permissions, Ministry sources say, were granted on the recommendation of an advisory committee of experts that the Director General of ASI constituted in 2006.

Ironically, the Tourism Ministry is already in the Supreme Court against a 2004 judgment of the Delhi HC that asked the government to consider existing ground realities and come up with monument-specific prohibited zones instead of insisting upon a uniform 100-metre band. But, the ASI didn't accept the HC ruling, choosing instead to file a special leave petition in the Supreme Court against it. Now, the decision to bring in an ordinance to achieve the same purpose is something that the Tourism Ministry could find difficult to explain.

Top Tourism Ministry and ASI functionaries have held eight meetings with top lawyers since this month showing the seriousness with which the government views the situation. "If we don't bring the ordinance, work on major segments of Commonwealth Games and DMRC would have to be stopped. And, then there is the issue of permissions that have been granted to private parties, which allowed them to carry out constructions within the 100-metre prohibited zone around protected monuments. But, the final decision will have to be taken by the Cabinet," said a ministry official.

- Indian Express, January 21, 2010

SHIELD To bring ordinance for regularizing constructions around protected monuments

The government has NEW DELHI: The government has decided to bring an ordinance to regularize illegal or disputed structures and constructions around monuments to clear legal hurdles in the way of several infrastructure projects linked to the Commonwealth Games here in October.

The 'Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (Amendment & Validation) Ordinance, 2010' was cleared by the Union Cabinet and is being sent to President Pratibha Patil for approval, a government official said.

The government's move comes in the wake of the Delhi High Court declaring 171 permissions granted by Archaeological Survey of India "invalid" and directed the government and the ASI to initiate steps to remove the violations.

The ASI issued show-cause notices to civic agencies in connection with construction activities at and around 92 protected structures like Red Fort, Hauz Khas, Humayun's Tomb and Siri Fort.

Among those affected by the decision were the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation and the Commonwealth Games Committee over structures constructed within prohibited areas of centrally protected monuments.

The Delhi High Court had set January 29 as the deadline for the government to respond to a decision relating to protection of monuments.

- Hindustan Times, January 22, 2010

These monuments are an integral part of Delhi's rich heritage, but few know about them

D e a d lhiites walk around, into nd out of history every day. And history sometimes comes with unusual names -- Masjid Moth, Pir Gharib, Arab Ki Sarai and Khirki Gaon. But how many of us know the history of the areas we live in?

"Frankly speaking, I don't know much about Khirki Extension and Khirki Gaon or its nomenclature despite having lived there for eight years. I just know that the area was a village earlier," says Ajay Sharma.

Swati Kapoor, a Delhi University student who has been living near Masjid Moth for eleven years, just knows that the area is called so after a mosque in that area. "I agree it's an unusual name, as moth is a type of lentil, but somehow I never got down to discovering the reason," she says.

Every monument has a story to tell, if we only care to look closely. Masjid Moth, near Anand Lok in South Extension, was built by Wazir Miyan Bhoiya during the reign of Sikandar Lodi, around 1505 AD.

"Legend has it that Lodi found a grain of lentil while he was at the Grand Mosque (a mosque close to where Masjid Moth is now) and gifted it to Bhoiya as a joke. Bhoiya, instead of throwing away the lentil, planted, replanted and re-replanted the harvest from that single grain till he got enough money to build a mosque," says Rakhshanda Jalil, author of Invisible City: The Hidden Monuments of Delhi. That mosque came to be known as Masjid Moth, and its foundation was laid by Lodi.

Khirki Gaon has a similarly intriguing name. This village that lies between Malviya Nagar and PVR Saket gets its name for the Khirki (window) Masjid located here. The mosque gets its name from the numerous windows that run all around the outer wall of the structure. It dates back to the 1350s and was built by Khan-i-Jahan Maqbul Tilangani, prime minister to Firoz Shah Tughlaq.

Located within the boundary of Humayun's tomb are structures like Nai Ka Gumbad, Bu Halima's garden and Arab Ki Sarai, among others. Nai Ka Gumbad is a square tomb with a doubledome and is said to have been built for the Emperor's favourite barber. "Arab ki Sarai is believed to have housed the artisans employed in constructing Humayun's Tomb, brought from Arabia by Humayun's widow Hamida Begum,"says Jalil.

- Hindustan Times, January 22, 2010

ASI And Aga Khan Trust Will Rebuild The Tiles On Eight Canopies Of The Sixteenth Century Monument, In The Original Colours And Using The Original Blueprints

World heritage site Humayun's Tomb is all set to regain its lost architectural marvels. The eight canopies on the dome of the 16th century monument — which originally had striking blue, yellow and green colour tiles — will be restored as per the original Mughal design and architecture.

Experts said that the process of rebuilding the tiles was a very long process and involved detailed studies aimed at understanding the original design and composition of the Mughal-era tiles.

Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) director-general K N Shrivastava said: ''We are going to reconstruct the original blue tile work on the canopies of the monument. Since the monument is a world heritage site, we will have to keep Unesco updated about the plan and also about the progress of the conservation work. Under the principles of conservation, monuments have to be conserved according to the original design and shape. Reconstructing the lost blue tile work is a structural requirement of the tomb.''

According to ASI officials, the smaller canopies on the roof of the tomb were originally decorated with ceramic tiles in lapis blue, turquoise blue, green, white and yellow as was the tradition at that time. ''These striking colours were highlighted by the contrasting milky whiteness of the marble dome in the background. During the early 19th century, most of the original tiles started peeling off. Only traces of them remain today,'' said a senior ASI official.

Experts said that traces of tile work that remained have helped reveal the original pattern, and laboratories in Roorkee, Oxford and Barcelona have tested the tile samples. ''An international workshop — co-sponsored by Unesco and ASI — on conservation of Humayun's Tomb tile work was held in April 2009 to discuss, debate and find possible solutions for conservation of tiles on the tomb's canopies, including restoration of the missing tile work,'' added officials. About 40 participants from nine tile producing countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan participated in the workshop.

According to historians, tile work is a significant element in several Lodhi and early Mughal period structures and remnants of tile work can be seen on several monuments in Delhi. However, the tile-making traditions followed by the Mughals have been lost over the centuries and hence very little in conservation terms could be done when the tiles have fallen, vandalised or simply gone missing.

Tile work is a significant architectural element, and it also protects the underlying surface. The loss of tile work severely disfigures the historic architectural character/integrity of the monument.

"Conservation of existing tile work should be a priority at all sites and efforts should be made to minimise further loss of the original tiles. Any new tile work that will replace missing tiles should match the original ones in colour, texture, composition and other physical and chemical properties and the conservation work should respect the original patterns,'' said Ratish Nanda of Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC).

AKTC will also train youths of Nizamuddin Basti to produce Mughalstyle tiles and to preserve tile-making traditions in the country.

The conservation work at the Humayun's Tomb is part of a publicprivate partnership between the ASI, AKTC, Central Public Works Department (CPWD), Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and Aga Khan Foundation.

Some months ago, ASI and AKTC officials had removed a thick layer of cement concrete from the roof of the mausoleum. The concrete was putting a pressure of about 10 lakh kilos on the structure. This layer that had been added to the monument during the British rule to prevent water seepage also blocked the water drainage channels on the roof, leading to accumulation of rainwater causing considerable damage to the monument.

Making History Again

The eight canopies on Humayun's Tomb were originally covered with ceramic tiles in lapis blue, turquoise blue, green, white and yellow tile-making techniques used by the Mughals have been lost over the centuries and very little in terms of conservation has been done when the tiles have been vandalised, fallen or simply gone missing Traces of the original tile work on the canopies of Humayun's Tomb helped reveal the original pattern of the tiles built in Mughal emperor Humayun's memory in 1562 by his widow Hamida Begum, Humayun's Tomb was the first structure to use red sandstone on such a large scale and also the first garden-tomb in the Indian subcontinent. It was given Unesco world heritage status in 19933

- Times City, Times of India, January 31, 2010