INTACH

INTACH
Name	INTACH
Native name	Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage
Founded	1984
Founder	Kapila Vatsyayan, M.N. Buch, Charu Suri, B.N. Goswamy, Lalit Kala Akademi
Type	Non-profit conservation organisation
Headquarters	New Delhi
Region served	India

INTACH INTACH is an Indian non-governmental organisation dedicated to the conservation and protection of Monuments of India, Heritage Sites, Archaeological Survey of India, Culture of India and built, natural, and intangible heritage. It was established by a group of heritage professionals, academics and administrators to counter post-independence threats to Taj Mahal, Qutub Minar, Red Fort and other heritage assets. INTACH works with international bodies and national institutions to document, conserve and advocate for heritage across states such as Rajasthan, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Maharashtra.

History

INTACH was founded in 1984 by senior figures including Kapila Vatsyayan, M.N. Buch and B.N. Goswamy as part of a broader movement responding to challenges exemplified by conservation debates around Hampi, Ajanta Caves and the protection frameworks influenced by the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958. Early interventions addressed urgent threats to sites like Humayun's Tomb, Jama Masjid, Fatehpur Sikri and vernacular ensembles in Bengal and Kerala. Over subsequent decades INTACH expanded its network into city chapters including Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad, and engaged with national policy processes alongside bodies such as the Ministry of Culture (India), Archaeological Survey of India, National Museum, New Delhi and international agencies like UNESCO and the International Council on Monuments and Sites.

Organisation and Governance

INTACH is structured through a national council, executive committees and local chapters in states and cities, interfacing with institutions like the National Cultural Heritage Act-related authorities and advisory boards. Its governance has involved experts from Archaeological Survey of India, members of Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage-linked academic circles, and trustees drawn from institutions such as the Sahitya Akademi, Lalit Kala Akademi, National School of Drama and the Council of Architecture. Chapters collaborate with municipal corporations in Delhi, heritage conservation cells in Jaipur and preservation trusts in Ahmedabad. The organisation maintains professional panels of conservators, architects, archaeologists and historians associated with universities like Jawaharlal Nehru University, University of Calcutta, Banaras Hindu University and institutes such as the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur and School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi.

Objectives and Activities

INTACH's objectives include identification, conservation and promotion of heritage properties, inventories of immovable and movable heritage, and drafting conservation management plans for places like Varanasi, Puri, Kanchipuram and Madurai. Activities span capacity building through training with entities like the National Institute of Fashion Technology for craft revival, documentation comparable to archives in the National Archives of India, advocacy in legislative contexts such as amendments to the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958, and educational outreach in collaboration with schools linked to the Central Board of Secondary Education and universities including Delhi University. INTACH runs skill workshops drawing on masters associated with the All India Handloom Board and craftsmanship traditions from regions such as Kutch, Bastar, Sikkim and Northeast India.

Major Projects and Conservation Work

The organisation has been involved in conservation projects ranging from monumental repair to urban conservation, working on complexes like Jantar Mantar, Delhi, Qutb Shahi Tombs in Hyderabad, restoration initiatives in Lucknow and adaptive reuse projects in Kolkata's colonial precincts. INTACH has led rural heritage work in districts of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Assam and conservation of colonial-era buildings in Pondicherry and Shillong. It has produced conservation management plans for temple precincts such as Konark Sun Temple, interventions at rock-cut sites akin to Ellora Caves, and engagement in landscape preservation near Sundarbans and Western Ghats. Collaborative projects have involved technical partnerships with Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services for coastal heritage, coordination with Forest Department, India for sacred groves, and support from philanthropic foundations like Tata Trusts and Azim Premji Foundation.

Publications and Research

INTACH publishes inventories, conservation manuals, technical notes and periodicals documenting studies comparable to the scholarly output of Indian Historical Review and reports used by the Ministry of Culture (India). Publications cover case studies on Mughal architecture, Indo-Saracenic architecture, temple art of Hoysala and Chola traditions, craft monographs on Pashmina, Phulkari and Madhubani and technical guidelines aligned with standards from ICOMOS and the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property. Research collaborations include university departments at Banaras Hindu University, conservation science labs in IISc Bangalore and heritage documentation tied to archives held by institutions such as the Asiatic Society, Kolkata.

Partnerships and Outreach

INTACH partners with international organisations like UNESCO, ICOMOS and bilateral agencies such as the British Council and United States Agency for International Development on capacity building, and with national bodies including the Ministry of Culture (India), Archaeological Survey of India and state archaeology departments. Outreach programs engage with community groups in Rajasthan and tribal craft clusters in Chhattisgarh and Odisha, coordinate heritage walks in Delhi and Mumbai with local historians from Asiatic Society (Bombay), and run awareness campaigns in collaboration with media institutions such as Doordarshan and All India Radio. Training and vocational initiatives link with National Skill Development Corporation, cultural festivals like the Khajuraho Dance Festival and heritage tourism stakeholders including state tourism boards of Goa, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh.

Category:Heritage conservation in India