The Hindu Business Line : Heritage Valley

Famed for its pristine beauty, Kashmir is now looking forward to preserving its rich cultural heritage, and turning it into an added tourist attraction. With 5,000 years of rich history to be told through archaeological sites, buildings, and artefacts, heritage tourism is predicted to be the next big thing in the valley. The initiative to preserve and showcase the heritage structures was prompted by the inclusion of Srinagar city in the world’s 100-most endangered he ritage sites by the World Monuments Fund (WMF) in June 2007.

‘Diamond necklace’

The city’s most famous monuments, including the Shalimar and Nishat Gardens, were built after the Mughal emperor Akbar invaded Kashmir in the 16th century. The city also has many mosques, temples, hamams and bazaars. WMF in its list has covered about 15 sq km of Srinagar city — the largest-ever single area covered by the organisation. The area is being highlighted as the ‘diamond necklace’, as it winds around the Jhelum river.

“This signifies the importance of our heritage,” says Salim Beg, convenor of Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), J&K chapter. “Even the entire world endorses our history and strives to preserve it.” Currently INTACH is the only organisation championing the cause of salvaging the city’s rich heritage. Beg spearheaded a project for the cultural-resource mapping of Srinagar city on the request of the Centre for Heritage and Environment of Kashmir (CHEK). The trust has published a five-volume report detailing around 838 historical properties, including buildings, precincts, natural sites and structures like ghats, waterways and so on.

Heritage map

Srinagar has the distinction of being the second city, after New Delhi, to get its heritage sites mapped. The tourism department hopes to cash in on the current interest in heritage and cultural tourism worldwide. As Beg says, “Earlier people used to rush to beaches, urban landscape, natural spots, but now tourists are more inclined towards art, culture and history of a particular area. They want to see lifestyle, food, craft, architecture and so on.” Farooq Ahmad Shah, Director J&K Tourism, says the department is conscious of the potential of heritage tourism as a high revenue-generating sector. “These kind of tourists are the highest spenders and we are making all-out efforts to tap the market.” The department is currently developing Emperor Akbar’s Naagar Nager, the medieval city built around the Hari Parbat fort. Tourism officials say the city within city would be developed in such a way that visiting tourists would get a feeling of travelling back in time.

“Besides, we are conserving the Parimahal garden and also looking at properties in the interior city, ” says Shah. The department recently finalised the project report on Parihaspora, the 8th-century capital city of Kashmir, and the 3rd-century Harwan Buddhist Monastery. So the current mantra for the department is to preserve and promote, and both will later complement each other.

Describing the uniqueness of Srinagar, Beg says, “The city is river-based and one of the few cities where the vision is not obstructed by high-rise buildings, giving it a medieval look. Besides, Srinagar is the only surviving city in the world with the unique vernacular wooden structure.” The city is also unique in the sense that one can easily figure out the beautiful blending of Indian, Chinese and Islamic architecture among the numerous buildings here, says Riyaz Ahmad War, an architect.

Mughal gardens

Monumental interest: Nishat Bagh

WMF has particularly mentioned the famous Mughal gardens, and called for their conservation. Kashmir has the largest number of Mughal gardens in the Indian subcontinent. Although many still exist in their original layout and setting, human intervention and the ravages of time have taken their toll.

Among the Mughal gardens, Nishat Bagh with its ten terraces deserves special mention. It was built around 1633 AD on the banks of Dal Lake by Asaf Khan, brother of Mughal queen Noor Jahan. Shalimar Bagh is yet another enticing symbol of traditional architecture and was built by Emperor Jahangir for his wife.

INTACH is also putting in efforts to preserve the heritage sites. A 14th-century mosque, Aali Masjid, is being restored by INTACH in collaboration with the Department of Tourism; work on the preservation of a baradari (pavilion) in Nishat garden will also commence soon.

Need for planning

Currently, unplanned development and the absence of legal cover is leading Kashmiri heritage to a slow death. WMF in its statement had said, “Unplanned and unregulated development schemes and a lack of basic amenities make Srinagar perhaps the most threatened yet valuable site in India.” Beg lists several threats facing the heritage structures: “vandalism, dismantling of old structures, lack of revitalisation, lack of restoration and, above all, absence of legal framework.”

INTACH is calling for a legislation for the protection of these historically important sites. But some sites are in need of immediate attention.

People are removing stones from the 5-km long wall outside Hari Parbat Fort, old architecture is being dismantled and public apathy is rampant. The last 18 years of insurgency too have played a part in speeding up the process of decay. Several old buildings were destroyed in incidents of arson and many more simply crumbled as they were converted into barracks by security personnel, who had least knowledge of their historical value.

“Be it the 100-year-old SPS Museum or Kawoosa building of Nowhatta, wherever military units were stationed, the result was always the same,” rues Shafiq Khan, a resident in downtown Srinagar. In the quest for modernity people are giving least importance to their heritage. As construction activities escalate, it is the old houses and buildings which are being pulled down to give way to posh bungalows and beautiful malls.

With paucity of funds, obsession with hill resorts, absence of legal protection for heritage sites, indifferent public attitude and changing times, the government is running against time to preserve the city’s priceless heritage.