Journal of Heritage Management

This article pleads for concerted action to conserve the tangible heritage of iconic sari weaving clusters in India. Handloom weaving is an ancient and highly skilled craft. Weavers’ homes which also function as their artisanal workshops represent a unique typology of dual purpose vernacular architecture. We discuss the significance of this architecture, its close links with the traditional craft of handloom weaving, and the results of a pilot project to safeguard this valuable built heritage in the historical town of Chanderi in India.

The Krishnalila narratives have an indelible impact on the architectural imaginations and designs of artisans of Bengal from seventeenth to nineteenth century. The article attempts to identify such portrayals on the front facades of the Baranagar temples of eighteenth century in Murshidabad, West Bengal. It explores the specific reasons for their inclusion and the changing nature of narratives and iconography under the varying impact of Krishna cult. It relies on literary sources, on site interviews with the priest, temple caretaker and local people and visual data collected during field visits. While romance was the primary theme of the seventeenth century temples, the eighteenth century Baranagar temples saw a diversification of themes to include heroic exploits of Krishna; portrayal of other deities attracted the devotees of Vaishnava, Shaiva and Shakta sects. Such depictions while revealing the secular nature of the chief patron also acted as a tool for legitimization of her authority.

Kalari is the Malayalam (language spoken in Kerala) word for a special kind of gymnasium, where the martial art known as Kalaripayattu is practised based on the idea of a sound mind in the sound body. It is one of the most ancient and comprehensive art form of India rather the world, because it has an excellent system of physical training, effective self-defence techniques, both armed and unarmed, training for excellent flexibility for physical and mental strength and is based on the Dravidian culture of India. Kalaripayattu is considered as the basis for all martial arts. This martial art has been practised on the basis of a scientific system of medicine called Kalarichikilsa (Kalari-related treatment). This article investigates the potential of cultural heritage resources from a supply and demand perspective, as cultural resource management is the need of the hour to preserve and commercialize cultural and heritage resources. The study reveals that cultural heritage resources like Kalaripayattu could become a unique selling proposition of Indian tourism market, provided these resources are protected, preserved and encouraged through effective promotion strategies in various target markets.

The core areas of Indian cities present a unique case of survival and degradation co-existing. Once the pulse of Srinagar city, Ali Kadal-Maharaj Ganj area struggles for its existence today. Although the historic urban structure of the city prevails, almost in its authentic form; it lacks the pulse it must have had in medieval period, while it demonstrates potential for tourism with its heritage reserve.

This research derives traces from urban analytical studies of the area to re-invent them for effective modern use. The design effort is to intervene least while upgrading the area to its past glory. The finding of the whole process concludes to an understanding that it may not be restored to its original format; the urban life can revolve around tourism, promotion of local arts and crafts and heritage and suggests relevant design interventions. However, these need to be investigated for public and stakeholder’s opinions.

The widely recognized definition of ‘Cultural Landscape’ in current practice is borrowed from UNESCO as Combined works of Nature and of Man.¹ They are complex entities consisting of multiple layering of built-unbuilt components including intangible cultural aspects. These components are interrelated and interdependent. The landscape evolves together through combined natural and cultural processes. In current discourse and practice of heritage management, value-based assessment is a widely accepted approach. Evaluation of cultural landscapes for its Significance and Value is a complex process that requires an understanding of interwoven layers of components and attributes.²

Systematic understanding of such relationships between components and attributes is still in its infancy. Amongst various such identified intangible agencies, this study chooses to explore music. A study of secondary sources was undertaken. Cultural landscapes nominated as World Heritage Sites and identified Indian sites were systematically examined to understand various components and attributes. Using the indicators from this study and the theoretical framework of sociomusicology, a research design was prepared. Recognizing the historical association of music with the sites on the Kaveri river basin in peninsular India, a reconnaissance study was undertaken for onsite validation. Musical associations were spatially mapped for analysis and the findings are presented.

Systematic understanding of the relationships between components of a cultural landscape and intangible cultural traditions is still in its infancy. The undertaken study is an exploratory work that focuses on understanding the relationship between components of a cultural landscape and ‘intangible attributes’, especially music. A study of secondary sources was undertaken in two parts. In the first part, concept of cultural landscape has been explored. Cultural landscapes nominated as World Heritage Sites were systematically examined to understand various components and attributes. The knowledge helped in formation of indicators for evaluation of cultural landscapes. In the second part of the study, selected case studies of Indian cultural landscapes were studies with the developed indicators. Musical traditions existing in these sites were theoretically reduced to basic components and mapped for analysis.

Susan Verma Mishra and Himanshu Prabha Ray (Eds), The Archaeology of Sacred Spaces: The Temple in Western India, 2nd century bce–8th century ce. London and New York, NY: Routledge, First South Asian edition, 2017, xii+ 283 pp., ₹850 (hardback), ISBN: 978-1-138-21964-9.