Activists Demand More ASI-Protected Monuments
Hyderabad: Despite its history and architectural heritage, Telangana has only eight monuments that are ‘protected’ by the Archaeological Survey of India. Heritage enthusiasts said expanding the list of protected monuments will help ensure their preservation, promote tourism and raise awareness about the historical significance of Telangana both at the national and international levels.
The request comes at a time when as many as eight heritage structures have been added to the ASI protected list in other states
Heritage enthusiasts point out that in some states, even relatively ‘young’ sites that are only 150 years old have been brought under ASI protection, while in Telangana, prehistoric and centuries-old monuments remain unrecognized. In fact, they are not even on the state protected list.
Torch – Culture and Heritage Research Team – secretary Aravind Arya said that the Gollathagudi brick temple in Mahbubnagar district needs attention. It is one and a half meters taller than the brick temple at Bhitargaon temple in Uttar Pradesh, which is currently considered the tallest structure of this type.
Arya noted that a 6th-century AD temple at Devunigatta, with Shaivate and Buddhist traditions, built using 1,600 blocks of sculpted sand rock bricks, was not on the conservation list. So is Pandavulagutta, known for its rock art paintings dating back 30,000 to 8,000 years in a single location.
According to Torch, 120 heritage sites were identified for protection and declarations were submitted, but the files were pending with the government.
Experts said the state heritage department has a limited annual budget, which is only enough to preserve one site.
If a site is protected under ASI, it attracts national attention. Borders are being protected, the Union ministry of culture is providing funding, and tourism development and conservation in accordance with archaeological norms is being supported.
For a region that hosted important empires and dynasties such as the Satavahanas, the Casetakas, the Ikshvakus, the Vishnukundins, the Chalukyas, the Kakatiyas, the Qutb Shahis and the Asaf Jahis, the inclusion of only eight monuments in the conservation list smacks of negligence.
Heritage activist Md. Heritage structures such as Charminar and Golconda fort in Hyderabad, which were once surrounded by numerous monuments, now have only a few structures, Habeebuddin said. Along with the Qutb Shahi tombs comprising 70 monuments, including mosques and idgah, three major archaeological sites of Hyderabad that are not included in the Unesco world heritage list.
