Illuminating Taj may damage it, says ASI
When it comes to Taj Mahal, authorities don't seem to learn from past mistakes. The UP government has sought the Archaeological Survey of India's (ASI) permission to iliminte the Taj Mahal so that it would serve as backdrop for the upcoming concluding ceremony of year long Taj Mahatsav from September …
Heritage map of Srinagar launched
This 1,600-year-old city of Kashmir achieved a milestone on Tuesday, when its first heritage map compiled by the Centre for Heritage and Environment Kashmir (CHEK) was launched by Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. The five-volume cultural resource mapping, completed in collaboration with Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage …
Ladakh monuments cry for renovation
Although tourists are streaming in from different parts of the world, the cultural and ancient sites here are crying for funds. Many of them are decaying and crumbling despite local efforts.The city's cynosure
Historical sandstone building being razed: Heritage sacrificed for high-rise
A building that is protected under the Sindh Cultural Heritage Protection Act is being demolished gradually although it has been sealed off more than once by the Karachi Building Control Authority, it is learnt reliably. According to sources, there is some confusion about the actual name of the building. While …
Evidences of archaeological wealth at Khoksar
Sensing a potentially significant archeological discovery, a team from the Department of Archaeology (DoA) (Nepal) is leaving for Khoksar, Parwaha VDC in Sapari district for investigating purposes. Security situation permitting the team intends to excavate of a huge mound a small portion of which had been washed away by a …
New Bill to help protect monuments
The Delhi Assembly today passed the Delhi Ancient and Historical Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Bill. The Bill was introduced by the Minister of Education and Tourism, Arvinder Singh Lovely. While the State Department of Archaeology has been in existence for over 20 years now, the Bill will finally …
London and Beijing to exchange archaeological treasures
London and Beijing capped their status as Olympic cities by announcing an unprecedented exchange by loan of archaeological treasures over the next five years. This could lead to one or more of China's world-famous terracotta warriors going on show at the British Museum and to Chinese crowds having their first …
Peru finds giant crocodile fossil in Amazon
Peruvian explorers have discovered the fossilized remains of a giant, 46-foot-(14-meter)-long crocodile deep in the Amazon jungle, lending credence to a theory that the world's largest rain forest was once a huge inland sea, a scientist said. A French-funded expedition of 12 scientists found the remains of the crocodile's huge …
HC asks ASI for status report on city monuments
The Delhi High Court today asked the Centre to take a decision within six weeks on the manpower and funds sought by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to effectively perform its statutory duty of preserving ancient monuments in the national Capital.A Division Bench of Chief Justice B C Patel …
Orissa finds pillars of Buddha
Excavations by the researchers of the Orissan Institute of Maritime and South East Asian Studies (OIMSEAS) have yielded "amazing" discoveries in the fields of ancient history and Buddhist heritage.Archaeologists have stumbled upon four of the 10 stupas where Lord Buddha had preached and spotted the "actual capital" of the ancient …
Fossils of last ape ancestor found
From the Miguel Crusafont Institute of Palaeontology and the Diputacian de Barcelona in Barcelona, Spain have found a fossil of a new ape species called Pierolapithecus catalaunicus or its close relative that might have been the last common ancestor to all living great apes.
Atlantis hunt reveals structures in sea off cyprus
An American researcher on the trail of the lost city of Atlantis has discovered evidence of man-made structures submerged in the sea between Cyprus and Syria, a member of his team said. Robert Sarmast, who is convinced the fabled city lurks in the watery depths off Cyprus, will give details …
ASI to undertake exploration along Beas
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) will undertake exploration between Mandi and Kangra along the river Beas to look for pre-historic stone tools and antiquities, which will confirm the presence of human existence in the area. A team of the ASI from here will begin exploration along the Beas within …
A more Indian approach to conserving heritage
Breaking out of the colonial hangover, the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) has decided to take a more Indian approach to conserving heritage. An attempt to take into account the peculiar Indian situation which is not only about building but ways of building, INTACH adopted a …
Rs 1.2b yearly for primary education
The Nepal government is spending more than Rs 1.2 billion annually to universalize primary education and to achieve an ambitious 96 percent Net Enrollment Rate by 2009.
DDA is destroying Delhi history
The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) is destroying history in its Archaeological park at Mehrauli.Digging up its "protected " heritage zone to lay pipes, DDA officials are busy throwing out precious pieces of the past. Showing no sensitivity to the layers of history that their digging is damaging, officials have not …
Hazardous wastes still a threat
An year after the Supreme Court order on hazardous waste management, the situation on the ground in the Capital is much the same. According to a survey of 10 industrial areas conducted by Dilli Suraksha Samiti, a few "cosmetic'' changes have been made in the management of hazardous waste generated …
MCD to roll out heritage packages
In a first for the Capital, the MCD will chalk out heritage itineraries, working with the Indian National Trust of Art and Culture Heritage, as part of
ASI turns tomb into store
The bright red sandstone face of this 14th century monument in Malviya Nagar shows no signs of vandalism. Flanked by manicured lawns, the tomb, despite the outgrowth on the dome, looks well-preserved. But this is true only for the facade. Inside, the tomb of Sheikh Kabir-ud-din Auliya, popularly called Lal …
