Religious fundamentalism, public apathy, and the destruction of heritage structures in India: Need for a public policy

Abstract

India having one of the oldest continuing civilization on the planet and is known for variety of language, folklores, arts, traditions, rituals, monuments and overall possess great cultural heritage. However in the recent time lot of challenges has posed serious problems for the cultural heritage of India. The challenges are from within rather than without. This paper has primarily looked into how heritage buildings and structures in India got threatened due to communal onslaught, public apathy and government's lack of will. Few cases of great importance have been dealt with an exclusive treatment in the paper. The author has also made an attempt to carve out a public policy and awareness program to address the problem.