Why are India’s monuments disappearing? – ‘a bit of an epidemic’

The loss of monuments such as Kos Minar and the Barakhamba Monument has raised questions about India’s commitment to protect its heritage

Factors such as poor local supervision, illegal developments and insufficient funding have been cited for the monuments’ disappearance

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The Alamgir Mosque in Varanasi, one of thousands of monuments in India. Photo: Amit Pasricha/India Lost & Found

Published: 4:00pm, 23 Mar 2024

As one of the world’s oldest civilisations, India boasts a wealth of historical structures ranging from palaces to temples but a rise in the number of disappeared monuments has triggered concerns about the country’s ability to protect its heritage.

While globally renowned attractions such as the Taj Mahal and the Qutb Minar are well preserved, many heritage structures are in decrepit condition or unaccounted for amid extensive urban development.

Last year, the Ministry of Culture reported that 50 of India’s 3,693 protected monuments were “missing” but heritage experts believe the number could be much higher.

Since the start of official monument audits in 2013, the Indian parliament has received an annual report from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) – an agency under the Ministry of Culture – including details on the country’s unaccounted historical landmarks.

“This is concerning and a bit of an epidemic as regularly there are reports that say that national monuments have disappeared,” said New Delhi-based historian Ruchika Sharma. ASI has typically cited reasons such as urbanisation for the loss of landmarks, Sharma said.