In the backdrop of rising tension between India and China at the Line of Actual Control ( LAC), a Central team has been constituted to scout ancient monuments, especially those bordering the Tibet-China region of the North-eastern State to bring them under the Central protection ambit.
In its two days visit from June 14 to June 18, the three members team of the National Monuments Authority (NMA) under the Union Culture Minister will meet local tribal leaders to find out places of Indigenous faith that connect Arunachal Pradesh with other parts of India through legends and verbal history.
The team members are Hemraj Kamdar and Prof Kailash Rao besides NMA Chairman Tarun Vijay. “Arunachal Pradesh has lagged behind in the area of heritage protection and enlisting of new monuments in the Centrally Protected list of national archaeological sites.
The stream of the local indigenous faiths and their monuments, tangible and intangible heritage connecting them to the westernmost coast in Gujarat and other parts of India has remained relatively unnoticed and unrecognized,” said tarun Vijay.
He shared that the NMA team will meet village elders and leaders of various tribes, each of them having fascinating stories about dharma and cultural connection through ancient monuments of this strategically important northeastern state with mainland India.
“A report will be submitted to Union Minister of Culture and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, suggesting new additions in the list of Centrally Protected Monuments and identifying cultural tourism sites that strengthen national unity in the context of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav,” said Tarun Vijay.
The Parushuram Kund, Bhishmaknagar, Bhalukpong and Tawang are a few indigenous sites of archaeological importance which connect Arunachal Pradesh with Gujarat, Goa, Kerala and the Yadava community, he elaborated.
Arunachal Pradesh, known as the North East Frontier Agency (NEFA) until 1972, is the largest state in the northeast and shares international borders with Tibet to the north and northwest, Bhutan towards the west and Myanmar to the east. The state is like a protective shield to the northeast. However, China claims Arunachal Pradesh as a part of southern Tibet.