Here’s a mystery — 50 of India’s 3,693 centrally protected monuments are missing! (View Highlight)
Heritage sites such as the Kos Minar in Haryana, the Barakhamba Cemetery in Delhi, the Ruins of the Copper Temple in Arunachal Pradesh, and the Gunner Burkill’s Tomb in Uttar Pradesh are nowhere to be found. (View Highlight)
there’s Delhi’s Barakhamba cemetery. Once upon a time, it was a tomb that was named after the 12 pillars supporting its roof. But now it’s on the list of untraceable monuments.
And a few years ago, the folks at the Mumbai Mirror tried to do some digging. They found the Barakhamba Road. But there was no cemetery in the vicinity. Instead, there was a cemetery of sorts in the Nizamuddin area of Delhi. And to their surprise, it has morphed into the Ghalib park with a dilapidated structure in the middle and a couple of graves. That’s it.
Where did the Barakhamba cemetery disappear, you ask?
Well, one theory comes from an archaeologist with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). In 1914, he wrote that the building was used by a government official who was part of the team planning the city of New Delhi. In his own words, “It is being used as an office of an executive engineer of the third project division, and has been repaired, paved and whitewashed.” And over time, people squatted in the building and it just gave way to a park. All that remains in its memory is the road that’s named after it. (View Highlight)
Note: The Barakhamba cemetery in Delhi was once known for its 12 pillars, but is now untraceable. Mumbai Mirror attempted to locate the cemetery but only discovered a park in the Nizamuddin area with a dilapidated structure and a couple of graves. According to one theory, a government official used the building as an office and over time, it was squatted in and eventually became a park. All that remains of the cemetery is the road that bears its name.
per the World Tourism Organization, culture and heritage motivate 40% of international tourism (View Highlight)
So protecting these historic sites and ruins can pep up tourism revenue. For instance, according to a disclosure by the Ministry of Culture, India earned about ₹93 crores in FY16, ₹225 crores in FY17 and ₹269 crores in FY18 from entry fees. (View Highlight)
But here’s the catch — we’re burning cash to look after our heritage sites. You see, during those same years, the ASI spent approximately 150%, 30% and 50% over and above its income to conserve, preserve and maintain our monuments. (View Highlight)
only 116 of these monuments were ticketed. India has 3,693 centrally protected monuments. And that means entry to 97% of them was free. (View Highlight)
In December 2018, they introduce a separate entry fee of ₹200 just to see the main mausoleum which houses the graves of the Mughal royals. And the ASI netted an additional ₹17 crores. (View Highlight)
people’s taste in tourism is changing. Niche heritage sites are having their moment in the sun. For instance, the monuments in Mamallapuram, a town close to Chennai, received about 1,06,000 more foreign tourists than the iconic Taj Mahal in FY22. (View Highlight)
Last year, it got a measly ₹1,080 crores for maintaining monuments. And a puny ₹3 crores in FY23 for monuments that weren’t under the central protection list. You can bet this money isn’t enough for upkeep (View Highlight)
