Construction of Heritage: Small and Medium Towns of Gurgaon District

Abstract

Global discourses around heritage are grappling with idea of including dissonant, non-compliant voices and expanding the definition of heritage from the physical to a cultural process, pushing beyond the authorized heritage discourse. The dialogical model of heritage is presented as a means to break down the divide between laypersons and experts, suggesting new models for decision-making in the future. It is problematic to contextualize this discourse in the Indian context, more so in small and medium towns where this intellectual debate has never been formalized. Yet, there are existing ways in which the local stakeholders maintain and use sites or structures from the past that they value. Identification of these ways of keeping and using could be a step towards demystifying the construct of heritage in the local community. The Gurgaon district has witnessed an unprecedented urban growth rate from 2001 to 2011 and the eight historic small and medium towns of the district are on the verge of being enveloped in the rapid urban development. This impending change calls for a need to examine the heritage sites of these towns. Studying the historic structures in six of these towns points to the role of history and religion as connectors to heritage. This role has been explored on ground and at an ideological level, as an attempt towards understanding the construct of heritage as a process in play.