No nation is without history. How far is history maintained depends on the vision and upbringing of the nation in question? Great nations have great history; they have preserved it through various manifestations called heritage in its totality. As the nation grows and moves forward, its heritage become the treasure trove and it feels proud of its past reflected through various manifestations. The older the nation, the richer will be its heritage. But the condition for enriching the heritage is that it has to be preserved and protected from vagaries of nature and wear and tear caused by the passage of years and centuries.
Jammu and Kashmir has a glorious past. Millennia ago Kashmir kingdom was one of the powerful and prosperous principalities in the sub-continent. Its borders extended to Kandahar to the west, banks of Oxus to the north, Kashghar to the east and the banks of Sutlej to the south. It is obvious that this vast kingdom had resources to leave behind very rich and valuable heritage in the shape of forts, ramparts, temples, mosques, shrines, monuments, precincts, parks, ponds, statues, paintings, manuscripts and the rest of it. These fall under the category of tangible manifestations of heritage. Under intangible fall music, dance, culture, philosophy, folklore, traditions, customs etc. Intangible heritage does not suffer weathering and physical deterioration but in the case of tangible manifestation, weathering leaves deep impact.
Therefore, conservation of heritage has become essential if we want that history should not be forgotten. Our State’s rich heritage, most of which is still intact, became the catalyst for the policy planners to bring about the J&K Heritage Conservation and Preservation Act in the month of April 2010. The purpose of bringing the Act was that this special legislation would help in conservation and preservation of heritage both tangible and intangible. Subsequently, J&K Heritage Conservation and Preservation Authority was incepted and placed under the Minister in-charge of Tourism. Three years later, when the Government was reminded about the need to implement the Act, staff for the Authority was sanctioned comprising Conservationist and Conservation Assistants etc. No appointments have been made against these posts so far which shows the lack of seriousness about conservation of heritage. Meetings of the Authority were also held and recommendations made. However, on the ground no action has been taken. Decisions remain confined to the files which are collecting dust. In the meanwhile it is learnt that a sum of 50 crore rupees was allocated for the conservation of heritage. What actually happened with that money and where has it been spent is not known to anybody.
The question is whether the Government is serious about conservation and preservation of heritage or not? There is only half hearted approach to this issue. In each state, proper attention is paid to the preservation of heritage sites and monuments. We have to develop expertise in preserving the history of our past. We need to be proud of this history. Though we do not really approve the idea that heritage should be made part of tourism, yet heritage sites are what the tourists very often like to visit. The Archaeological Survey of India has its branch in the State. Apart from that we need elaborate arrangement of preserving and maintaining heritage sites on our own. It is not possible that ASI will take all manifestations of heritage under its purview. The State has to have its own team to take care of our treasure trove. For very specific monuments, ASI could be approached to help in their preservation. In a host of other heritage manifestations, it is entirely the responsibility of the State Government to preserve them.
We need to remember that if these monuments are left to their fate and are not preserved, they may not survive too long owing to harsh weather conditions. Definitely, there is urgency about their preservation. Enlisting the monuments does not really mean much; what means is drawing plans of their preservation. When the J&K Heritage Conservation and Preservation Authority is not provided wherewithal like the staff, infrastructure and funds how can we expect any plan to come from its source? The Authority should have the full manpower permissible under rules and then alone can we ask them to draw the long-term plan of preserving the icons of heritage
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