Sustainable strategies for monument protection - A panoramic view of the possibilities and pitfalls

Abstract

It is indeed a fact that the rich structural heritage is at the crossroads of extinction either due to the overexploitation of their purported existence for tourism or alternatively due to our abject apathy to their very existence. Apart from this, the prospect of irrevocably losing even the few spattering of monuments that we seem to protect and guard against their degradation through inappropriate, or in some cases highly casual and ill-informed strategies is one aspect that has attracted the attention of the global community in recent years. While, there appears to be an effort to put a system in place to ensure a proper repair and rehabilitation of these monuments, there is still a lack of understanding of the broad principles to ensure an effective yet sustainable maintenance and protection strategy. To start with these ancient monuments can be broadly characterized into few specific categories based on the materials used in their construction. The paper attempts to delineate some of them and look at the tenets to be followed to ensure a sustainable upkeep of these monuments. In doing so, a few examples of the type of problems associated with monuments in the Indian context were also looked into as illustrations.