HISTORY, LEGENDS & MYTHOLOGY

Jaipur's Jantar Mantar, Srinagar's Dal Lake are
endangered sites: US survey

     Jaipur/Srinagar: Heritage sites in Rajasthan and Jammu and Kashmir are among the five Indian sites included in the list of 100 most endangered sites of the world. A New York-based non-profit group has come up with a World Monuments Fund's list for 2008 listing out endangered heritage sites across the world, threatened by neglect, vandalism, armed conflict, challenges or natural disaster and require international attention. The group said more than 75 percent of endangered sites on previous lists had been rescued or were well on the way to being preserved. Amer fort and Jantar Mantar in Jaipur are among the five Indian sites in the watch list. Amer fort, a magnificent palace made of red sandstone and marble, is wearing down due to climatic changes coupled with improper planning and heavy load of tourists. "Lots of unplanned construction and rise in population has increased pollution in this place, which is dangerous for the environment," said P.K. Soni, Director of Institute of Conservation of Cultural Properties.

     Jantar Mantar, an observatory built by Maharaja Jai Singh, is another site that requires immediate intervention by the authorities. It attracts about 200,000 visitors every year. "It is really scientific and for two centuries astronomical analysis, whether cosmology or monsoon prediction, has been done from this observatory. Many scientists and tourists visit this place," said B.L. Gupta, Director, Archaeology, in the government of Rajasthan. The list also includes the Dal lake and its vicinity in Srinagar, summer capital of Indian Kashmir. The heritage watchdog says silting and human encroachment of its banks is threatening the lake's environment. "The area that has been included in this (Srinagar Heritage Zone) is about 15 square kilometres. We have included Mughal garden, built architecture and part of water bodies in it. If we look at it from tourism point of view then heritage tourism is extremely important component of our efforts," said Nayeem Akhtar, secretary, Jammu and Kashmir tourism department. The two other sites identified by the group are Old Leh town, also in Jammu and Kashmir state, and Karaikudi in Tamil Nadu. Since 1996, the fund has made more than 500 grants totalling more than 47 million dollars to sites in 74 countries. The World Monuments Fund's list for 2008 for the first time included climate change as a hazard for some of the world's great historic sites, including Old Leh town where mud houses in the rain-shadow area are threatened due to less snowfall and more rains.
-June 10, 2007    

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