Monuments Cry For Their Awareness!

KC Jain

Agra is exceptionally rich in its amazing architectural heritages. Besides the 17th century marvel of love, the Taj Mahal and other well known monuments like Agra Fort, Fatehpur Sikri, Sikandra and Etmad-ud-daula, there are more than 60 centrally protected monuments declared about a century back of the national importance. Many of them are the specimen of the art and architecture, portraying beautiful carvings, inlay works, designs and layouts etc. and have impressive tales of our history. But, most of these heritages unfortunately suffer for our apathy and we miserably fail to showcase them to either the Agraits or the visitors to the city.

How many of the Agraits, in fact know or have seem Mehtab Bagh, Tomb of Mariam Zamani, Chini Ka Rauzah, Nur Jehan Ki Sarai, Battis Khamba, Tomb of Firoz Khan Khwajasara, Tomb of Lodi, Mosque of Humayun, Chhatri Rani Hada, Hessing’s Tomb, Kala Gumbad, Tomb of Salawat Khan Mir-Bakhshi and Tomb of Sadiq Khan Mir-Bakshi and many others. Almost none. Why? Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) wants to conserve these monuments and spend money on their conservation but for whom and why? This pertinent aspect, ASI fails to consider. After all, the conservation of the heritages without making the people aware of them serves no purpose. R. Nath, in his book “Agra and its Monuments”, rightly remarked: “Whenever the people are ignorant of their history, and have no understanding and awareness of their architectural heritage, and owing to this ignorance, they do not feel proud of it and are not emotionally attached to it, they almost carry it on their shoulders like a dead weight which they drop as easily as one drops nails and hair.” He further aptly said: “People’s awareness and intelligent, sympathetic understanding of their architectural heritage is the key to its preservation.”

We need to bring more and more domestic and foreign tourists to these monuments but the ASI, Agra Development Authority (ADA), Department of Tourism of UP (DoT) or the Ministry of Tourism of Govt. of India (MoT) do not consider it necessary to either make people aware of these heritages or to effectively market them to the visitors. None of them consider to either put their signage or road-indicators. ASI felt no hesitation in admitting (while furnishing RTI information) that it is not their part of duty to give publicity to the monuments. The website of the ASI does not spell out anything about most of these monuments nor its photo gallery contains any photo of these monuments. The marketing and publicity of the monuments is strangely not in the agenda of the ASI. No one can dispute that the Ministry of Culture needs to diametrically change its viewpoint and the awareness campaigns of the monuments should be a necessary part of its programs.

Moreover, most of the monuments do not have the plaques (the cultural notice boards) to depict their history and salient features. That is the minimum expected of the ASI. At some places, the plaques are broken (e.g. Sikandra), while as some places, the plaques are even unreadable (e.g. Tomb of Firuz Khan, Etmad-ud-daula & many plaques of Agra Fort). The plaques serve as a convenient way to let people know about the monument but the ASI says that in due course of time it would put the plaques, but when such time would come is not known. Many of the monuments also require immediate conservation (e.g. Battis Khamba).

The Common Wealth Games-2010 are approaching fast. We need to put adequate number of signage and road indicators for all of the monuments besides their night lighting. Their surroundings are to be improved and proper access and parking spaces are to be provided. All this would help to bring more tourists and showcase the 16th to 18th century monuments which we proudly have. Let all concerned agencies prepare a detailed agenda to make people aware of many of these unknown monuments and make them also feel proud of these heritages.