Dr. Vishakha Kawathekar, an academic who has also worked as a conservation consultant for the Archaeological Survey of India, presented a paper entitled “Legal Frameworks for Protection of Built Heritage in India” at the 2015 ICLAFI Symposium in Bhopal, India.
Dr. Vishakha Kawathekar, an academic who has also worked as a conservation consultant for the Archaeological Survey of India, presented a paper entitled “Legal Frameworks for Protection of Built Heritage in India” at the 2015 ICLAFI Symposium in Bhopal, India.

The 2015 ICLAFI Symposium and Annual Meeting took place in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India, from 19 to 23 August 2015. It was organized by ICOMOS India and the School of Planning and Architecture, Bhopal, in partnership with the Archaeological Survey of India.

Symposium theme

The symposium, the theme of which was the legal and administrative framework for protection of heritage, aimed to create environments for international cooperation for the identification, study and solution of legal, administrative and financial issues in connection with the protection, maintenance and conservation of built heritage.

The symposium proceedings are available here, and a audiovisual overview can be accessed below.

Heritage tour

Participants of the symposium had the opportunity to visit, among various places, Sanchi Stupa in Sanchi Town, Madhya Pradesh, a World Heritage Site. The Great Stupa at Sanchi is one of the oldest stone structures in India, having been commissioned by emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century B.C.E. There was also a walking tour which took in Islamnagar, the capital of the former Bhopal princely state established in the early 17th century; Taj-ul-Masajid, the largest mosque in India; and the Taj Mahal, a palace built by the ruler Shah Jahan Begum of Bhopal in the 19th century. Finally, participants viewed the Bhimbetka rock shelters, another World Heritage Site, with cave paintings dating to 10,000 B.C.E.

The Great Stupa at Sanchi in Madhya Pradesh, a World Heritage Site, is one of the oldest stone structures in India, having been commissioned by emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century B.C.E.
The Great Stupa at Sanchi in Madhya Pradesh, a World Heritage Site, is one of the oldest stone structures in India, having been commissioned by emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century B.C.E.

Ancient cave paintings in one of the Bhimbetka rock shelters, collectively a World Heritage Site in Madhya Pradesh, India.
Ancient cave paintings in one of the Bhimbetka rock shelters, collectively a World Heritage Site in Madhya Pradesh, India. Some of the shelters were inhabited more than 100,000 years ago, and the earliest cave art dates from 10,000 B.C.E. Photograph by Bernard Gagnon (CC-BY-SA 3.0 Unported).

Past ICLAFI activities

The image at the top is a view of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India, seen through an archway. Photograph by Ankit Kumar.