Rajasthan govt begins documenting sites to protect heritage wealth

Though Rajasthan has a huge heritage wealth, it has never been completely documented. Officially, the state government has records of only 250 sites of historic value.

To stem the illegal trade of its heritage wealth, in November last year the government asked its 9,000 patwaris (revenue officials) to fan out in villages and come back with a list of heritage sites.

They were asked to count every temple, haveli, fort, palace, crematorium, railway station, dak bungalow and hunting lodge with a history. They were also directed to count the waterfalls, forests and ponds dating back to the 19th Century.

The results were staggering: “At last count, we had compiled a list of 7,000 structures. The number may go up by another 30 per cent,” said Shekhar. Pleased with its efforts, the government now intends to hire the service of experts to document these identified sites.

As part of the plan, 32 historians and archaeologists would be sent to every district in the state to write a detailed report on each of the identified sites. The report would focus on their importance, current state of the heritage and the efforts taken by the owner of the wealth. The second phase of this extensive survey, which will cost the government nearly Rs 3.5 crore, is to be completed by March 2007. The Art and Culture Department is scouting for experts all across the country for this survey.

In the third phase, the government plans to document each and every relic and antiquity hidden in these heritage sites. While the primary objective of the survey is to preserve the heritage, the government is also eyeing the private sector’s participation in the effort.

Once the government has a record of its heritage, it plans to invite the private sector to adopt and maintain some of its heritage under guidelines framed by the Art and Culture Department.

To dissuade smugglers and traders in antiquities, the government has also proposed a law that outlines a three year punishment (and a fine of Rs 5 lakh) for anybody found guilty of destroying protected sites.