The World Heritage Day is celebrated on April 18 to create awareness among the people to conserve and protect the valuable assets and cultural heritage across the world. Heritage is something which is specific and typical of a place or region. Buildings of historic and architectural significance become part of the cultural heritage of a city and the society. Cultural heritage is the creation of human beings, who have created it by virtue of their innovative power, creativity and artistic ability.
Odisha is known for its fascinating cultural heritage, amazing temples and monuments. These heritages are well-appreciated by both national and international tourists. Heritage-related events have tremendous potential. Fairs and festivals all around the year have attracted tourists to the State. Further, they also create employment opportunities and support the socioeconomic development of areas.
The monuments and the cultural activities associated with the monuments play a very important role in the lifestyle of the people of Odisha and give a special identity to them. It is necessary to improve awareness of cultural heritage due to its historical, social, aesthetic and scientific significance. Historical significance refers to the relationship to era, person or event. Social significance refers to the social, spiritual and other community-oriented values attributed to a place.Aesthetic significance refers to the special sense of importance of a place with reference to architecture, scale and designs. Scientific significance refers to the scope or possibility of scientific findings from a site, monument or place.
Odisha has more than 3,000 monuments and archaeological sites. They include Hindu temples built in the Kalinga style of temple architecture that flourished from 7th to the 13th century AD. The most important monuments of this period can be seen in and around Bhubaneswar, Puri and Konark. The Sun Temple at Konark, Hindu temples, the Sisupalgarh and Jain caves at Khandagiri and Udayagiri in Bhubaneswar, Buddhist monasteries at Ratnagiri-lalitgiri-Udayagiri, ancient forts, palaces, etc., are the rich heritage of.Odisha, which hosts some vibrant events such as the Konark Dance Festival, the Car Festival, the Puri Beach Festival and the Mukteswara Dance Festival.
The rapid urbanisation has become a great concern for heritage conservation.There are many threats to cultural heritage sites. Due to development pressures, archaeological sites are neglected or surrounded by poorly-planned commercial development. The fine architectural elements are gradually losing their importance. In many areas, there are encroachments and narrow heritage routes. This creates problems for the visiting tourists. Efforts should be made for conservation of built heritage and delineation of special zones for tourism promotion and development. Heritage management for promotion of tourism may be emphasised in the CDP (Cultural Development Plan).
There are national and State laws for preservation of archaeological heritage.Seventy-eight monuments in Odisha have been recognised by the Archaeological Survey of India as Monuments of National Importance. A total of 218 monuments are protected by the State. However, there are a large number of monuments which are not protected by any agency.
Planning and managing heritage tourism requires a number of issues to be dealt with. The management system includes cycles of planning, implementation and monitoring. A heritage management system is a framework, made up of three important elements as a legal framework which defines the reasons for its existence, an institution which gives form to its organisational needs and decision-making and resources which are used to make it operative. The State authorities should provide a suitable legal framework to support cultural heritage conservation, such as a ban on new construction, demolition, renovation and any changes in the immediate vicinity of a protected site that might affect the appearance of heritage, restrictions on advertisements and various infrastructures.
After the guidelines are framed, buildings within heritage precincts or in the vicinity of heritage sites shall maintain the skyline in the precinct and follow the architectural style of the particular area as may be existing in the surrounding area so as not to diminish or destroy the value and beauty of or the view from the heritage sites.
Heritage tourism management is concerned with the identification, interpretation, maintenance and preservation of significant cultural sites and physical heritage assets and tourist inflow and providing them adequate facilities to understand the heritage. Tourism is vital for every State due to the income generated by consumption of goods and services by tourists and the opportunity for employment and economic advancement by working in the industry.
The Bhubaneswar Development Plan Area (BDPA) offers a rich cultural heritage with the Ekamra Kshetra being the heart of the cultural capital over the centuries and offers great potential for tourism development. There is a need for augmentation of the existing cultural facilities in distributed urban centres throughout the planning area. There are proposals in the CDP for propagation and development of culture in a Cultural Diversity Plan. This includes promotion of traditional fairs and festivals through Government and NGOs to generate awareness among people towards cultural heritage. With appropriate policy guidelines and heritage management, the cultural resources of the BDPA can promote tourism and play a meaningful role in projecting Bhubaneswar’s cultural identity.
Since tourism is nowadays used to stimulate regional development, cultural heritage tourism is used for both preservation and economic development of the regions. Recently, the concept of heritage corridor has gained much popularity in heritage tourism. Heritage corridors are innovative entities designed to encourage grassroot efforts to protect and enhance a region’s unique natural, historical, cultural resources while simultaneously promoting appropriate economic development and redevelopment. A heritage corridor can be delineated on the historical context with the inter-relationships among events and sites, the natural set up of the place, and the cultural pattern. The Departments of Tourism and Culture have decided to create a heritage corridor comprising tourism sites between Bhubaneswar and the nearby heritage area. Apart from visiting the heritage sites, the tour would enable visitors to experience communal harmony, rural lifestyle, and age-old practices of the traditional art and craft of the region.
The comprehensive planning proposal for tourism and recreation development aims to strengthen tourist attraction through improved publicity and facility upgradation. More tourists mean more business for local people in retail and service sectors. Thus, it will also create a strong economic base through various types of outdoor recreation.
Formulation of guidelines for regular augmentation and upgradation of tourist infrastructure and services of public and private agencies are required on a regular timeframe. Cultural heritages are important drivers of development. National and local authorities should allocate funds for maintaining and conserving cultural heritage as well as for innovative projects that promote the development of cultural heritage in a sustainable way. Public participation can bring many benefits to a cultural heritage site. Due to the close relationship between cultural heritage and lifestyle of the local communities, it is important to share the benefits with local communities. This way, people develop a stronger attachment to the heritage site and take care of the rich heritage of the State.
(Dr Praharaj teaches at the Department of Architecture, College of Engineering and Technology)