IIT-Madras starts centre to study, protect monuments
Each year India loses a historical monument or parts of it to natural hazards or time. Archaeologists and heritage lovers have expressed concern over the lack of a system or expert committee to study and monitor the safety and restoration of heritage structures.
IIT-Madras has now formed a consortium of archeologists, architects, historians and engineers within and outside the country to plug this lacuna. Convenor of the centre Arun Menon said, "Of the 29 world heritage monuments in India, around 70% lie in seismic zones. There is an urgent need to study and boost the safety of heritage structures in the country using fundamental research and technology."
The National Centre for Safety of Heritage Structures was set up in September with a five-year grant of Rs 12 crore from the human resource development ministry. After the five years, funds will be provided through a non-Plan grant.
A laboratory has been set up at IIT-Madras to study construction materials from historical sites and check for reactions under simulated conditions. Equipment that can be taken to the site to study construction and safety is being sourced. Scientific studies will be conducted to prepare documents on how conservation should be carried out with by-laws for each monument.
Heritage expert S Suresh of INTACH said many heritage structures are "living" monuments that are in use by government departments. So, there is regular maintenance, but not the kind one would expect to be carried out in heritage structures, which is why such documentation is important.
The primary focus of the centre would be seismic safety, an issue in India. The 2001 Bhuj earthquake wiped out a large number of heritage structures in Kutch, while 20% of heritage Buddhist monasteries were lost in the 2011 earthquake in Sikkim, a place that sees a moderate earthquake every 20 years. The centre will first study Kangra Fort in Himachal Pradesh, which is in seismic zone five (risk of high-intensity earthquakes), and Buddhist monasteries in Sikkim.
At the end of five years, the centre will start masters and doctoral programmes on structural safety of heritage structures for officials from Archaeological Survey of India and state archaeology departments to build engineering manpower to understand and protect heritage structures from natural hazards, aging and weathering.
The human resource ministry sees in the centre an opportunity to tap into traditional knowledge systems. "For instance, substances like betel nut and jaggery were among the ingredients in the lime-mortar mix used in old buildings here, but we don't know what effect they had on the structural properties of the building and how they can be incorporated in construction today. We are sitting on abundant knowledge systems that can trigger off a study on sustainable systems," Menon said.
IIT-Madras has now formed a consortium of archeologists, architects, historians and engineers within and outside the country to plug this lacuna. Convenor of the centre Arun Menon said, "Of the 29 world heritage monuments in India, around 70% lie in seismic zones. There is an urgent need to study and boost the safety of heritage structures in the country using fundamental research and technology."
The National Centre for Safety of Heritage Structures was set up in September with a five-year grant of Rs 12 crore from the human resource development ministry. After the five years, funds will be provided through a non-Plan grant.
A laboratory has been set up at IIT-Madras to study construction materials from historical sites and check for reactions under simulated conditions. Equipment that can be taken to the site to study construction and safety is being sourced. Scientific studies will be conducted to prepare documents on how conservation should be carried out with by-laws for each monument.
Heritage expert S Suresh of INTACH said many heritage structures are "living" monuments that are in use by government departments. So, there is regular maintenance, but not the kind one would expect to be carried out in heritage structures, which is why such documentation is important.
The primary focus of the centre would be seismic safety, an issue in India. The 2001 Bhuj earthquake wiped out a large number of heritage structures in Kutch, while 20% of heritage Buddhist monasteries were lost in the 2011 earthquake in Sikkim, a place that sees a moderate earthquake every 20 years. The centre will first study Kangra Fort in Himachal Pradesh, which is in seismic zone five (risk of high-intensity earthquakes), and Buddhist monasteries in Sikkim.
At the end of five years, the centre will start masters and doctoral programmes on structural safety of heritage structures for officials from Archaeological Survey of India and state archaeology departments to build engineering manpower to understand and protect heritage structures from natural hazards, aging and weathering.
The human resource ministry sees in the centre an opportunity to tap into traditional knowledge systems. "For instance, substances like betel nut and jaggery were among the ingredients in the lime-mortar mix used in old buildings here, but we don't know what effect they had on the structural properties of the building and how they can be incorporated in construction today. We are sitting on abundant knowledge systems that can trigger off a study on sustainable systems," Menon said.
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