Free admission to ASI sites on World Heritage Day; INTACH wants two additional sites included to the list

On April 18, World Heritage Day, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has declared free admission to all of its protected sites nationwide.

Every year, the day is marked with the goal of raising awareness of the value of cultural assets and ensuring their preservation for future generations.

Art experts believe that the Kangra area, one of the oldest towns in the world, has a special legacy that should be conserved for future generations. This history includes both physical and intangible elements.

There are multiple hundred-year-old forts, palaces, temples, ponds, wells, and gates. While many of these are less fortunate as they still need to be granted the status of “protected,” several have already been designated protected and are under the watchful care of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

Every year on this day, the Indian National Trust for Art & Cultural Heritage (INTACH) (Kangra Chapter) Convener L N Aggarwal organizes events including schoolchildren’s art competitions, quiz contests, and tours of monuments.

In order to familiarize pupils with the area’s monumental and cultural legacy, it is suggested that they go on a museum stroll this time.

He asserts that a number of privately and publicly held architectural historic sites in and around Dharamsala must be conserved.

For example, Dharamsala’s Old Boys School was established in 1926 as a high school.

In 1961, the school opened as a prototype higher-purpose multipurpose school, and in 1986, it was promoted to Senior Secondary School.

“Its building has been constructed in the typical hilly style,” said Aggarwal. The government could think about designating it as historic property and preserving it.

In a similar vein, Government College in Dharamsala has a special historical structure that dates back to the time when Punjab included the Kangra area. The Old Main Block is the building that the alumni most fondly identify with. On May 4, 1912, Sir Louis Dane, the Lieutenant Governor of Punjab at the time, laid the cornerstone for the structure.

It was the first college in Punjab that was separated to provide faculties of commerce, science, and the arts.

It was the first institution in the state to provide master’s degrees in geology, starting in 1984. The government has been strongly urged by the convenor of INTACH to designate both of these buildings as protected monuments.