Delhi is a living museum: PM
September 27th, 2010 - 10:37 pm ICT by IANS
New Delhi, Sep 27 (IANS) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Monday said the city of Delhi is “a living museum” and it was the responsibility of all to “preserve, protect and study its rich legacy”.
“The city of Delhi is a living museum. We have the obligation to preserve, protect, study and document the rich legacy of one of the great cities of the world. This book will be of use not only to the many visitors who we will welcome shortly to Delhi but to its residents as well,” he said, releasing a coffee table volume, “Monuments of Delhi” published by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
The book, timed to coincide with the Commonwealth Games 2010 beginning Oct 3, intends to guide Commonwealth travellers keen on sampling the capital’s nearly 2,000-year-old recorded heritage.
Out of 174 monuments maintained by the ASI in Delhi, the book focuses on 46 monuments that are located within the “core area” of the Commonwealth Games, which cover the heart of the city. It walks the readers through the lanes, bylanes, major monuments - including UNESO World Heritage Sites - in the capital.
The text of book is based on an account by India’s one of the most well known archaeologists, Y.D. Sharma and reveals little known facets of Delhi’s pre-medieval past.
Noting the “city’s history spans many millennia from early historic times up to the present day”, the prime minister said Delhi was better known for its adventures in later periods in Indian history, particularly during the Mughal period.
“But a minor rock edict of the Ashokan period shows that Delhi was located on the trunk route connecting the main cities of ancient India in the 3rd century BC,” he said.
The prime minister said the ministry of culture was working on top priority to revitalise the ASI so that it became an institution of excellence that could manage historical treasures in a professional and imaginative manner”.
“I think there should be more efforts such as the publication of ‘Monuments of Delhi’ that stimulate public interest in our ancient monuments and in the work of the ASI as well,” he said.
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