The broken promise of India's heritage

The country continues to face a heritage crisis of monumental proportions despite several govt initiatives over the years. Can public-private partnerships and leveraging adaptive reuse help revive its built legacy?

- Manoj Sharma

Butler Palace, built in 1915 for Sir Spencer Harcourt Butler, is being restored by the Lucknow Development Authority for adaptive reuse as a cultural centre.

(DEEPAK GUPTA/HT)

In the heart of Lucknow, the majestic Chhatar Manzil stands as a silent witness to the city's Nawabi past.

Its umbrella-shaped dome and Indo-European architecture once symbolised opulence and cultural fusion. Today, parts of this 19th-century icon are crumbling after years of neglect. But its fortunes may soon change. Earlier this year, the Uttar Pradesh government announced plans to de-notify and lease several state-protected historic buildings, including Chhatar Manzil, to private firms for 30-90 years under public-private partnerships (PPPs), aiming to transform them into cultural hubs, museums, hotels, and tourism hotspots through adaptive reuse.

Last month, chief minister Yogi Adityanath urged the Centre to transfer four forts currently protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)-Talbehat Fort (Lalitpur), Kalinjar Fort (Banda), Madfa (Chitrakoot), and the Barua Sagar Ghats steps (Jhansi) to the state for tourism-focused development.

Beyond such high-profile efforts, countless other sites remain forgotten. Across India, towns and cities are dotted with crumbling palaces, havelis, and monuments-from Rajasthan's fortresses and Delhi's Mughal relics to Kolkata's colonial mansions and Tamil Nadu's coastal temples. Despite numerous central and state initiatives, much of this heritage languishes in neglect.