MISSION

HERITAGE INITIATIVE FOUNDATION has been conceived as an idea that views the heritage and culture as a man's response to the nature.The refinement of human thoughts leads to their crystallisation in the form of monuments of religious and historical significance significance.It includes a variety of structures and dwelling places that are paramount for the sustenance of life.This process does not start in isolation as it includes the environment,landscape and geography of a place where an ethnic or religious group shapes its culture.It is a mosaic of all the ingredients that a nature can offer and ultimately structures emerge on the habitats and homelands of the aboriginal societies and the religious groups.and materials used to shape these structures are locally available and compatible that give the structures their uniqueness.That is the tangible part of the heritage.
The intangible part involves the celebration of life in these natural habitats and homelands which are in harmony with the nature and the specific environs.These includes the beliefs,folklore,folk songs beside other cultural moorings like the handicrafts and the celebration of festivals and ceremonies that define the cultural contours of the aboriginal groups and define their ethnic and religious growth and social structure.
The conflict in terms of religious fanaticism and terrorism that has engulfed these places has poses a serious existential threat not only to the heritage located in these regions but to the overall existence of these indigenous communities as well.The reason being the persecution and the religious onslaught inflicted on these stakeholders in their homeland forcing them to flee to safer places for safeguarding their life and culture.This ethnic cleansing inflicted on the religious minorities is the direct consequence of the religious terrorism directed to encircle these minority groups after reducing their numbers by conversion and persecution over the centuries in collaboration of the political class which acts as a shield for the destruction of these minorities at all intellectual levels and destruction of heritage being the cardinal prinicple of the elimination process.
HERITAGE INITIATIVE FOUNDATION aims to adopt a multi pronged strategy with a researchers bent of mind to create a data base of the present and past condition of all forms of heritage at these places.The mission of the HERITAGE INITIATIVE FOUNDATION is to focus on the restoration,conservation ,preservation and above all the sensitization of all the stakeholders to inspire and educate them regarding the significance of the heritage .At the same time HERITAGE INITIATIVE FOUNDATION has a defined role to evolve a strategy that helps to recreate the aura of heritage in the market space in term of the tourism products that can influence the tourism policy makers to take heritage as an essential ingredient of the overall business.allowing the stakeholders to keep their heritage alive with the capital that comes into the heritage zone with the influx of the heritage and cultural tourists.HERITAGE INITIATIVE FOUNDATION is a catalyst that believes in relieving the heritage from the oblivion of the past to the dawn of present to celebrate the significance of the past wisdom and glory for human harmony and well being.As HERITAGE INITIATIVE FOUNDATION has a philosophy which stresses that the memory is a shield and heritage is an eternal artery of that shield and if this artery is blocked then it will lead to the collapse of the people who are its main stakeholders.So in "HERITAGE LIES THE HEART" of the ethnic communities.

TOURIST SPOTS OF RELIGIOUS SINIFICANCE

PEER KHO TEMPLE

A.K.KHANNA

Peer Kho or Cave Temple situated about two kms from the Residence Road, on the outer circular road, just ½ km by taking right turn from t Peer Mohalla down toward the Tawi bank in Jammu city. The first terrace of the River of Jammu Tawi The Siva Cave shrine located on the eastern slopes of the city just aboveThe Shrine of the Peer Kho Temple is one of the old Temples of ‘the City of Temples’. A large number of devotees throng on Puranmashi, Amavasya and Ekadashi. The important festivals held are Shivratri, Purnima amd Shravan Puranmashi or Raksha Bandhan. The lingam located inside a small calm and peaceful cave shrine embellished with white marble rectangular platform. The black stone Lingam decorated with a copper snake or Naga and Silver sheet covering the Jallari or Yoni, topped by a copper vessel hanging to pour water continuously on the Lingam. The lower part of the body of the Lingam and other features are similar to the shrine of Purmandal Temple complex and probably belong to the same period of early Dogra regime. The Peer Kho Temple and Peer Mitha are two old Temples located in the city of temples and lesser known among the people of Jammu city. During the reign of Raja Ajaib Dev, for the Saint Siddha Ghareeb Nath entitled Peer, the temple built in 15th century A.D according to the unconfirmed historical records, the two caves are twenty to thirty feet below the ground level. The Peer Kho cave temple has a lot of reverence among the local people of the old city. The shrine cave of Lord Shiva also known as Jamvant cave belongs on an old historic spot. It is located amidst igneous rocks topped by the sedimentary deposit of the River and acacia jungle in Northeast of Jammu city on the side of circular road above the terrace of Tawi River. The pink engrailed high arched gateway with a white marble stairs with a railing leads to the temple complex into a long verandah, with marble and mosaic flooring, which opens to another entrance on the opposite side from the Pacca Danga via Zullaka Mohalla. The marble railing leads through the high gateway with Burz flanked on either side of the roof. The courtyard flanked by the three shikhara on the left side with two modern and one ancient. The low round ribbed Gumbad or dome merged with the modern structure with stone finial and an inverted lotus. This served as the entrance to the cave shrines further cut into the boulder conglomerate deposit of the River Tawi, which formed due to the successive flooding, and receding of water for centuries. The round domed entrance leading to the caves embellished with beautiful later Mughal or Dogra style paintings on the ceiling with floral motifs in the centre of the dome. The pillared arched niches on the periphery of wall and ceiling painted with Dogra style painting similar to the motifs of Ram Nagar Palace complex in Udhampur District of Jammu province. The colour scheme & the style of paintings invariablely prove that the paintings belong to the mid 19th century of Jammu school of painting with emphasis on the indigo colour. The other rectangular shikhara‘s on either side with brass finials are of recent origin. There is a Devi temple built on the right side of it in the corner of courtyard with white marble miniature temple shrine embellished with beautiful image of a goddess in a glass casing. On right side, there is a series of rooms served as the residential quarters for the staff of the temple. The present Mahant of the temple is Peer Rattan Nath who holds the Gadhi or the ownership of the temple. The round domed entrance leads to a small opening to a low-level passage and bifurcates into the Amar Nath Guffa cave on the right side. The low ceiling channel further leads to a round Siva shrine or the Amar Nath Cave Siva Temple or known as Jamvant Cave after one of the Heroes of the famous Indian Epic of the Ramayana. There is another small opening on the left side goes further downwards to the Nav Durga Guffa or shrine with a long grilled temple decorated with life size idols of lord Rama, Sita, Lord Vishnu & other Gods & Goddesses. The narrow means of access further extended in a winding manner to a large covered courtyard and further down extended into another small opening to the Nau Devi’s Guffa or Nine Devi’s Cave shrine. The long platform with statues of nine Goddesses in attractive red robes a wonderful view to behold in a cave shrine. These Nav Devi’s namely are Shri Mata Shella Puri Devi, Shri Mata Bhadrachani Devi, Shri Mata Chandra Ghanta Devi, Shri Mata Sakandanatha Devi, Shri Mata Kushamandra Devi , Shri Mata Katyani Devi ,Shri Mata Kalarathri Devi, Shri Mata Maha Devi ,Shri Mata Siddi Devi. There is separate passage for entry and exist of the Cave which excavated into an igneous rock which twenty feets below the level of the temple. The peaceful, calm and serene place is suitable for spiritual attainment. The temple courtyard has a Tulsi plant pedestal in the premises, which also indicate fine reflection of the Dogra style of architecture found in Ram Nagar palace at Ram Nagar and at Zorawar Singh Residence cum Palace Complex of Vijaypur in Reasi (Udhampur Distt. of Jammu province). The unique feature of the temple is the Ghoraknath eternal Dhunni or continuous smoke-emitting shrine in the centre of the temple. There is small Samadhi of Shri Peer Shiv Nath as his memorial just opposite the main entrance from Peer Kho Mohalla Side. On the right side of the main entrance, there is a small shrine of Shani Devata. The white metal standing image of Lord Shani placed on a square platform worshipped by the local people in large number on every Saturday. The temple is located on the riverbank provide the fresh air and beautiful scenery to the visitors. There are many handicrafts and handlooms shops with a variety of crafted souvenirs for the visitors who happen to visit the temple daily on the dead end road of the Peer Kho Mohalla. The whole temple has been built on a high-elevated artificial platform to prevent the flooding of the water of the Tawi River in the rainy season. The temple requires more area for parking, the white marble staircase required to make unslippery by roughing the marble steps that is dangerous to use in the rainy season. The proper signage at the Circular Road needs improvement for easy access to the temple. The temple also requires some benches for the devotees to take some rest after visiting the temple and some viewing points on the Western side of the temple with proper shed and benches so that visitors take rest and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the River and beyond.

Peer Kho or Cave Temple situated about two kms from the Residence Road, on the outer circular road, just ½ km by taking right turn from t Peer Mohalla down toward the Tawi bank in Jammu city. The first terrace of the River of Jammu Tawi The Siva Cave shrine located on the eastern slopes of the city just aboveThe Shrine of the Peer Kho Temple is one of the old Temples of ‘the City of Temples’. A large number of devotees throng on Puranmashi, Amavasya and Ekadashi. The important festivals held are Shivratri, Purnima amd Shravan Puranmashi or Raksha Bandhan. The lingam located inside a small calm and peaceful cave shrine embellished with white marble rectangular platform. The black stone Lingam decorated with a copper snake or Naga and Silver sheet covering the Jallari or Yoni, topped by a copper vessel hanging to pour water continuously on the Lingam. The lower part of the body of the Lingam and other features are similar to the shrine of Purmandal Temple complex and probably belong to the same period of early Dogra regime. The Peer Kho Temple and Peer Mitha are two old Temples located in the city of temples and lesser known among the people of Jammu city. During the reign of Raja Ajaib Dev, for the Saint Siddha Ghareeb Nath entitled Peer, the temple built in 15th century A.D according to the unconfirmed historical records, the two caves are twenty to thirty feet below the ground level. The Peer Kho cave temple has a lot of reverence among the local people of the old city. The shrine cave of Lord Shiva also known as Jamvant cave belongs on an old historic spot. It is located amidst igneous rocks topped by the sedimentary deposit of the River and acacia jungle in Northeast of Jammu city on the side of circular road above the terrace of Tawi River. The pink engrailed high arched gateway with a white marble stairs with a railing leads to the temple complex into a long verandah, with marble and mosaic flooring, which opens to another entrance on the opposite side from the Pacca Danga via Zullaka Mohalla. The marble railing leads through the high gateway with Burz flanked on either side of the roof. The courtyard flanked by the three shikhara on the left side with two modern and one ancient. The low round ribbed Gumbad or dome merged with the modern structure with stone finial and an inverted lotus. This served as the entrance to the cave shrines further cut into the boulder conglomerate deposit of the River Tawi, which formed due to the successive flooding, and receding of water for centuries. The round domed entrance leading to the caves embellished with beautiful later Mughal or Dogra style paintings on the ceiling with floral motifs in the centre of the dome. The pillared arched niches on the periphery of wall and ceiling painted with Dogra style painting similar to the motifs of Ram Nagar Palace complex in Udhampur District of Jammu province. The colour scheme & the style of paintings invariablely prove that the paintings belong to the mid 19th century of Jammu school of painting with emphasis on the indigo colour. The other rectangular shikhara‘s on either side with brass finials are of recent origin. There is a Devi temple built on the right side of it in the corner of courtyard with white marble miniature temple shrine embellished with beautiful image of a goddess in a glass casing. On right side, there is a series of rooms served as the residential quarters for the staff of the temple. The present Mahant of the temple is Peer Rattan Nath who holds the Gadhi or the ownership of the temple. The round domed entrance leads to a small opening to a low-level passage and bifurcates into the Amar Nath Guffa cave on the right side. The low ceiling channel further leads to a round Siva shrine or the Amar Nath Cave Siva Temple or known as Jamvant Cave after one of the Heroes of the famous Indian Epic of the Ramayana. There is another small opening on the left side goes further downwards to the Nav Durga Guffa or shrine with a long grilled temple decorated with life size idols of lord Rama, Sita, Lord Vishnu & other Gods & Goddesses. The narrow means of access further extended in a winding manner to a large covered courtyard and further down extended into another small opening to the Nau Devi’s Guffa or Nine Devi’s Cave shrine. The long platform with statues of nine Goddesses in attractive red robes a wonderful view to behold in a cave shrine. These Nav Devi’s namely are Shri Mata Shella Puri Devi, Shri Mata Bhadrachani Devi, Shri Mata Chandra Ghanta Devi, Shri Mata Sakandanatha Devi, Shri Mata Kushamandra Devi , Shri Mata Katyani Devi ,Shri Mata Kalarathri Devi, Shri Mata Maha Devi ,Shri Mata Siddi Devi. There is separate passage for entry and exist of the Cave which excavated into an igneous rock which twenty feets below the level of the temple. The peaceful, calm and serene place is suitable for spiritual attainment. The temple courtyard has a Tulsi plant pedestal in the premises, which also indicate fine reflection of the Dogra style of architecture found in Ram Nagar palace at Ram Nagar and at Zorawar Singh Residence cum Palace Complex of Vijaypur in Reasi (Udhampur Distt. of Jammu province). The unique feature of the temple is the Ghoraknath eternal Dhunni or continuous smoke-emitting shrine in the centre of the temple. There is small Samadhi of Shri Peer Shiv Nath as his memorial just opposite the main entrance from Peer Kho Mohalla Side. On the right side of the main entrance, there is a small shrine of Shani Devata. The white metal standing image of Lord Shani placed on a square platform worshipped by the local people in large number on every Saturday. The temple is located on the riverbank provide the fresh air and beautiful scenery to the visitors. There are many handicrafts and handlooms shops with a variety of crafted souvenirs for the visitors who happen to visit the temple daily on the dead end road of the Peer Kho Mohalla. The whole temple has been built on a high-elevated artificial platform to prevent the flooding of the water of the Tawi River in the rainy season. The temple requires more area for parking, the white marble staircase required to make unslippery by roughing the marble steps that is dangerous to use in the rainy season. The proper signage at the Circular Road needs improvement for easy access to the temple. The temple also requires some benches for the devotees to take some rest after visiting the temple and some viewing points on the Western side of the temple with proper shed and benches so that visitors take rest and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the River and beyond.

TRADITION

HANDICRAFTS OF JAMMU A. K. KHANNA

Indian art and handicrafts have since time immemorial captivated the imagination of tourist globally. Every state of India boasts of an exclusively and specialty to its art form, handicraft and traditional skill depending upon its historical influences and raw material available due to climatic and geographical conditions. India is renowned for its variety of paintings, beautiful sculptures in stone, metal, terracotta and elegantly designed ethnic jewellry. Indian handicrafts have made a name for themselves the world over. Ancient skill since the tradition established in Indian from 3000 B.C. Nature creations and imagination of man gave shape to his art forms in making of pots, jewelry, ivory combs etc. Ancient skills perfected by the craftsmen who have learnt the art from their father, as did their fathers before them. This tradition continues over the centuries safeguarding the wide and varied artistic wealth of India. The institution of the learning and passing the same skill of the next generation is so strong for example the shape of water pot and size of Gharha has not changed since 5000 years inspite of having no school / college teaching the technique of making and firing the pot. This tradition unfolds itself in an overwhelming variety of products, combining aesthetic appeal with utilitarian value. These handicrafts are like breath of fresh air in of plastic and polymers around you. The high caliber of skill exhibited in creating the products has stood the test of time. The present era of liberalization and free trade threatened the handicrafts made mainly by the local and ruler people. Almost all handicrafts available in a market of particular place found among the tourist. The tourists provide safeguard to the employment and livelihood to the artisans who create handicraft of a region. In the same way the Handicrafts of Jammu found a market among the tourist in and around Raghunath Bazaar of Jammu. BAMBOO PRODUCTS The bamboo products such as flower vases, fruit bowls, furniture, lamp shades, magazine, racks, paper trays etc. are made in the Kathua District. BLANKETS The finest woolen blankets are manufactured in Kishtwar. The best ones comes in red and white or grey and white check designs in natural colour or dyed with vegetable and natural dyes and made on handlooms. The puttu of Kishtwar could compete the Hand made Tweed of Reid & Taylor of England if refined in its technique. These are some villages in Samba (Ghagwal) on the NHIA which make blankets all over the year around and sell them in local religious festival & fair in various parts of the state. The pattu of Kishtwar and other part of the state manufactured in variety of shade and thickness. The blankets are woven in Banni and Billawar, Kathua, Lati and Ramnagar of Udhampur, Bhaderwah in Doda, Poonch and Rajouri District for local requirement. All over the year round market for these blankets or loie could be noticed on the pavement of the entrance of Jammu railway station. BRASS, COPPER AND OTHER METAL WORKS The art of making metal ware goes back to Indus- Saraswati civilization. The continuity of the art tradition of metal ware in Jammu region with vessels for domestic use, Jammu smiths make hookah, bowls, idols and items made of hand beaten metal sheets. The dying craft have few families in Udhampur, Samba and Basohli who practice this traditional craft. CALICO AND CLIRITZ Samba once flourishing cotton weaving and calico printing handloom Industry vanished in 1947 as the talented craftsmen of Samba fled to Pakistan. The calico printing, block of wood with floral and geometric designs carved on them smeared with vegetable dyes and then press on the cotton cloth will now part of the display in the Dogra Art Gallery, Jammu. Masands and jajams (with difficult floral pattern) are cotton sheets printed with wooden blocks. These were used as floor covering, divans and floors in living and dining rooms. This art has similarity with the cotton block printing of Sanganer near Jaipur. The peculiar water and climate produce this printing on cotton. Samba has few pockets left where these calico printing handloom Industry still surviving without support and slowing the craft will its own death. CARPETS Carpets made in Jammu are made in some handicraft centers in Kathua, Poonch and Udhampur. CHIKRI WOOD Thana Mandi, in Rajouri District is known for rare Chikri tree. Kitsch handicrafts made from the wood are in great demand among all the categories of tourists. The wood is hard, fine grain and light yellow in colour with excellent property for carving on. Apart from toys ashtrays, bowls, cups, spoons and table knives are made. The introduction of the microwave oven also increased the demand of variety of wooden spoons. The Ramnagar town in Udhampur District has one artist who make Chikri wood comb require support for his survival for the dying art. DURRIES They are inexpensive cotton floor covering or placed under mattress on beds. They are made in several parts of Jammu. These thick sheets made of cotton, now modified with the increase in cotton prices instead from the cutting of the waste clothes. EMBROIDERY With variation in material and work leads to the variety of embroidery done in the various parts of the Jammu province .The shawls embroidered in the” Sozniway” in Kathua, Poonch, Rajouri district .Crewel embroidery is done in Poonch, Rajouri and Udhampur district. Staple or ari work carried out in Kathua, Poonch, and Rajouri district. This specific handicraft survived with the demand from the higher strata of the society in “designer’s showroom” only. The ingenious art of Chamba Rummala are disappearing from the craft items of Basohli due to coming of machine embroidery. FOOTWEAR – GUJJARS AND BAKERWAL These shoes manufactured for rough and tough use are made in the various villages on the nomad’s migration routes. Their Machedi and Banni in Basohli are some of these places where shoes are made for Gujjars and Bakerwal. JEWELRY The traditional Dogra rural designs are reproduced like Nose Ring with extra large with a large precious stone embedded, bangles, the chhaunk phool or a metal cap, silver anklets and Talismans or Taveez are among few favorites of the hill folks. They prefer jewelry made of pure or alloyed silver. JEWELRY GUJJAR AND BAKERWAL The true exotic chunky jewelry now preferred in the metropolitan cities worn by the women of nomadic Gujjar and Bakerwal tribes. It is invariably of silver or white metal. Kathua is the main centers of manufacture of this type of jewelry with many jewelers of Basohli also make this type of jewelry. Gujjar Bakerwal jewelry is also manufactured and sold at Bhaderwah, Doda, Kishtwar and Samba. The heavy and chunky jewelry items of these tribes are displayed in the Dogra Art Gallery, Jammu. THE LACQUER WOOD WORK The Chikri or Kitsch toys, rolling pin, table lamps , bowls and vases are painted with brown colour and then coated with the protective layer of transparent film of lacquer. The wood done in Thana Mandi, in Rajouri, Kanha Chak of Jammu city, Bernali of Kathua districts are centers this type of handicraft. LEATHER WORK The leather work is done in Vijaypur and Khour in the Jammu district among the best in the region. MATS The palm leaf products as house hold articles like mats, baskets, hand fans and other articles made in the Sungwali, Nagari, Airway Good and Kore-Pune villages of Kathua district. These products get good market in the local religions festivals of the Jammu region. These products also get space in the drawing rooms of the metro city elite class people. STONE SCLUPTURE The few families of Saryara in Basohli have skill to carve figures in stone survived which from centuries doing the work of stone carving figures for the Boalies in the Jammu region. PASHMINA SHAWLS After Kashmir and Kullu pashmina shawls, the shawls of Basohli are important of handicraft in the Jammu region. The finely woven shawls of pashmina made the weaver of Basohli are ethnic Kashmir who has fled to the Jammu, Punjab and Himachal in the late 19th century due to the lack of demand of shawls in Europe. SILK There is huge quantity of silk produced in the Ramnagar belt of the Udhampur district. Since 19th century the merchants from Beneras ( U.P) and Mysore(Karnataka ) to buy the cocoon of silk. There are few products made in the Jammu region like tasseled or ornament to bind their hair and men weave fine cords of silk for their pyjamas. WICKER WORK OR WILLOW BASKET Various kinds of baskets and trays are made in Bhaderwah and Doda cities for local consumption. TERRACOTTA TOYS The ancient terracotta of Manda of Indus Valley Civilization which continued upto the 6th century A.D. with Greek influences could not survive the ravages of time. PHULKARI / BAGH The native craft of Punjab Phulkari is a colour sheet of cloth every millimeter of it covered with geometric and floral embroidery. The glaring and glossy look of the thread used is unfinished rough dyed silken floss. The women wear shawls made of the Phulkari. The local craftsmen, migrated to various region of Jammu province still carry out the work for personal consumption in Kathua, Poonch, and Rajouri and Udhampur district. PERFUMES The perfumes sold in Jammu near Jama Masjid, Talab Khatikan and Raghunath Bazaar are made most in the perfume town of Kannanj in Central India. The Jasmine and rose perfume are made in Jammu shopped at one of the corner shop in the city chowk. MINIATURE PAINTING OF BASOHLI Early Basohli painting tradition began in 17th century A.D. are known for their vibrant colour Hume faces and tree are stylized rather in their realistic form. They lack depth and prescriptive as in the nature paintings of Mughal phase. The various schools flourished in the erstwhile estate of Jammu region like Jammu, Poonch, Ramnagar, Jasrota etc. with the support of the artists from the neighbouring state of Himachal Pradesh. The efforts made of Shri Parvez Diwan for the re-birth of the Basohli School of Painting is worth praising still require some efforts from the court / NGO to come forward to save the dying art of the painting.

TOURISM

Tourism cannot thrive in isolation MAHESH KAUL

Tourism is an economic activity that has impact on almost every sphere of human life. It cannot thrive in isolation as it depends on peripheral industries like transportation, accommodation etc. But with the passage of time and the economic boom all over the world, the tourist demand has been affected in many ways as it has made great impact on the disposable income. This has been a blessing for the destinations that have spots of great tourist appeal. The influx of tourists to the destinations areas has solved the problem of the host community to some extent. But unfortunately the planners and policy makers in majority of the destination areas marketed the destination without taking into consideration the carrying capacity, infrastructure and other parameters like the cultural beliefs of the host populations. It has resulted in conflict between the host and the guest (tourist). But handling of such conflicts to some extent has been manageable. Another important factor that is posing a serious challenge to the tourism professionals, policy makers and the tourism organisations is the “climate change”. No part of the world is today free from this threat to the environment and hence, tourism. The world climate is today guided by uncertainties. In the present scenario the realties of tourism within the context of global climate change are in terms of its impacts as far as adaptation to it at tourism destinations are concerned and the economic risks of climate change. It leads to tourism “vulnerability hot spots”. Other realities are the implication for the tourism demand at the destination area, impact on the climate as resource for tourism, tourist behavior arising from climate change, impact of the mitigation policies on tourism demand. Emissions from tourism activities, the calculation of emissions from the tourism sector and its mitigation policies have caught the imagination of all the professionals linked with the tourism directly or indirectly. To meet the challenges posed by the global climate change the United Nations World Tourism Organization(UNWTO) has proposed this years theme for the World Tourism Day as -”Tourism: Responding to the Challenge of Climate Change.” The determination to face this challenge lies in the input from the 2nd International Conference on Climate Change and Tourism, convened by the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), United nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organization(WMO) in Davos, Switzerland in 2007, now popularly known as Davos Declaration. The stress has been laid to change habits, position renewable sources of energy, encouraging the tourism stakeholders to adapt, to mitigate and to use new technology. Emphasis is also to secure finance for the poor countries to respond to the climate change. Davos declaration has helped to identify the following challenges that need to be faced head on as far as the global climate change is concerned: 1) Effective policy making 2) Capacity building 3) Financial Systems to support adaptation and mitigation activities 4) Reduction of knowledge gaps 5) Address vulnerability hot spots 6) Multidisciplinary action Effective policy making is key to any plan that can be materialized into workable action plan. It needs the inclusion of professionals from various fields that have bearing on tourism product or destination. Capacity building is needed not only in terms of the destination but also in terms of the human resource that are involved in the handling of tourism. It is more or less linked with imparting the adaptation techniques to see threats in terms of climate change as opportunities. For that the scientific methods need to be simplified and not oversimplified so that the adaptation does not loose its luster. Financial support system is the backbone of any economic activity. The policy of setting up of financial support systems for the adaptation and mitigation activities is based on the policy that the developed countries will not be allowed to discriminate against the developing countries. It has been clearly stated in the Davos declaration that the adaptation to respond to climate change is meant for the developing countries and the mitigation of carbon products is meant for the developed nations. Reduction of knowledge gaps means that the technical know how should be communicated in effective manner from the experts and scientists to common people in simplified language so that there is no communication barrier. Thus leading transformation to be seen in the destination area in vivid manner. To address the vulnerability spots is the key area of concern. The attention should be focused on the areas that are prone to natural calamities like tropical storms, heavy rains, floods, drought, coastal erosion etc. so that the adaptability measures are implemented to minimize the adverse effect on the tourism and the tourist activity. As already said in the beginning- tourism cannot thrive in isolation. It involves the support of various peripheral organizations and fields like transport, railways, airways, waterways, scientific community (like geographers, conservators, conservation architects, historians etc.) Thus integration of these experts and many more is required to develop multidisciplinary action to face the threat of global climate change in order to develop sustainable tourism for better, peaceful and eco-friendly world.

Heritage Preservation for Enhancing Tourism Potential A case of ethno-religious conflict zone MAHESH KAUL

HERITAGE is the most used and misused word. It’s in terpretation becomes confusing and dubious when the environment in which it is defined is politically volatile. It is always defined without analyzing its association with the social system and roots that have made it to evolve over the period of time. Heritage is a time consuming process. What we see as heritage today whether tangible or intangible is the refined product influenced by the process of refinement that has with stood the test of the time. Heritage leads to the evolution of culture and monuments that bear testimony to the particular time period from where they originated. It highlights the customs and religious inclinations of a particular social group or community. Culture and heritage are closely intertwined. There can be no two thoughts about the fact that the community possessing a rich culture is bound to have a even greater heritage to look back. Heritage should be a source of enrichment and empowerment. It should not be the source of conflict socially and politically. Thus leading to the eruption of emotions, which in turn pave the way for the exploitation by the political establishments that are ever ready to hijack sophisticated heritage and historical issues for misusing them for polarizing the society in terms of vote banks. This aspect is more important in this state of J&K which is already divided on ethnic and communal lines, the seeds of which were sown in the 1931 and since then this unfortunate state has witnessed tremendous strains and vandalizations. The beautiful state of J&K has never witnessed uniform and even growth of economic activity - the tourism being the primary one. The reason being the lack of comprehensive policy and planning that should have integrated the state so that the resources would have been exploited to generate sound economic atmosphere in the state. Thus, prompting the investors to contribute from outside the state in the infrastructural development. The state of J&K is a cultural mosaic appropriately called the Crown of India. It comprises of three main regions Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh. Ladakh covers 96,000 square kilometer, Kashmir 19000 square kilometer and Jammu 26,000 sq. km. But all of these regions have never performed uniformly and generated economy, as should have been the case, in terms of tourism. The reason being the lack of planning, infrastructural development. And above all the adhoc policy that is devoid of integration of all three regions of the state administratively. Whenever, the Kashmir tourism gets the fillip, the Jammu region feels neglected and Ladakh feels that it has been given the step-motherly treatment. The political uncertainly and the eruption of armed conflict that the state is witnessing since early 1990s has had an impact of vast magnitude on the state’s rich culture and heritage. The ethno-religious conflict that has engulfed this beautiful and diverse land has exposed many fault lines viz a viz social, religion and political. Terrorism and social unrest has lead people to be less sensitive towards the interpretation and preservation of heritage. Religious places and historical structures belonging to a particular community have been the victims of vandalizations. Encroachment is another lethal factor that has shrinked the domain of heritage. The prevalence of ethno-religious conflict has led to the definitions of heritage that are neither scientific nor rational. Thus, in such a situation interpretation and sympathetic reuse of heritage becomes utmost important. The heritage interpretation becomes unique and complex in this state of J&K in comparison to the rest of India because the threat is not from the outside elements but unfortunately from within as the ethnic and communal divide is doing the immense damage. One region’s heritage is pitted against that of other. It leaves the preservation and conservation in abeyance. The 14th century, historic structures of Mubarak Mandi have witnessed 36 minor and major fires, the cause of these fires and their impact on the archives has never been properly reported. This urban historic area has shrunk to great extent due to the disappearance of open spaces and outer ring of buildings surrounding the area. Then another aspect is the weather that has played the devastating role as moisture has affected its foundations leading to the growth of unwanted weeds. Besides the earthquakes have also ruptured the structure. The impact of the recent earthquake in October 2005 is still clearly visible. The nonsympathetic reuse is another factor that has altered its heritage character. The use of incompatible material further enhances the process of demolition and devastation. The great problem that heritage faces in J&K is the same as in India that is the process of preservation and conservation only starts once the structure has already lost its part or whole. Before that the public gaze is never attracted towards a tangible heritage structure. The impact of such an instantaneous hysteria is immense and negative as it evokes the emotion of the people on wrong lines, protests are led in haste and decision taken by authorities are half-baked thus, lacking the proper planning and implementation strategy. The state of Mandi Mubarak is too critical but it can act as a standard from where the heritage conservation and preservation should gain a substantial momentum. What emerges out of the vandalization of structures like Mubarak Mandi can be listed as follows : I. That there is a need for the documentation of heritage sites and monuments. II. That people should be sensitized about their heritage. III. That vandalization of heritage structures should not be allowed to be the source of public hysteria as it leads to adhoc policy and planning. The focus should be on early documentation and collection of data for the policy makers so that these structures are not allowed to be subjected to political misuse. It only adds to the already existing faultlines which makes it further difficult to accommodate the aspirations of a particular region. The urgent need is to define heritage in this state with its proper interpretation keeping in view the onslaught from the ethno-religious conflict that has not only degraded heritage but at the same time brought about demographic change due to the internal displacement of religious minorities from one region to another, prominent being the ethnic-cleansing of the minuscule minority of the Kashmiri Pandits from their homeland, Kashmir in 1990. That has left a vacuum as far as the Kashmir’s culture is concerned. Various temples and shrines of the community, left in the valley, having heritage character have suffered utter neglect and hence, destruction thus altering the heritage of the Kashmir itself, which has been the fountainhead of Shaivism and Buddhism, that spread beyond the borders of India. That gave it a recognition of intellectual hub. The need of the hour, in the modern times is to recognize the value of heritage in terms of broad humanism and economy. And above all the need is to see how heritage can create value addition for tourism products thereby, generating customer value. J&K offers vast and diverse belt for heritage tourism that needs to be exploited for reaping the dividends in terms of the multiplier effect. Keeping in view the multi-ethnic character and political faultlines there is an urgency to derive a common heritage plan. That should include both tangible and intangible heritage e.g. architecture, art, music and the value of civilization. This can only be done by adopting the multi-pronged strategy that involves the following : i. Identification ii. Documentation iii. Preservation and conservation iv. Market segmentation and marketing The identification process should focus on the projection of heritage in terms of commonality. Dogra heritage should not be pitted against the Kashmiri heritage. No political points should be scored from the heritage identification. Heritage is evolution so there can be nothing like Muslim and Hindu heritage. Heritage should mean refinement and humanism injected into the society from any religion or social group. Documentation should involve the professionalism covering all aspects of historicity and time frame. Keeping in view the neglected state of the heritage buildings like Samba Fort, Mandi Mubarak etc., the emphasis should be laid on the preservation and conservation. So that heritage tourism product is capable of sustaining the market demand. The juvenile ideas of using cable car from Mandi Mubarak and Bahu Fort should be put to halt at once as these ill thought projects can add to the devastation of the heritage monuments. Market segmentation and marketing should be made keeping in view the kind of heritage product that is to be marketed. No heritage product should be marketed without proper analysis. When Mubarak Mandi caught the public gaze due to all bad reasons like the Fire that engulfed the Toshakhana on 16 December, 2006; it was the case of negative marketing. People thronged to see the complex. It laid a tremendous stress on the structure which is already in a dilapidated condition. It leads to thefts and mutilation of the tiles and other items that can give clue to its magnificent architecture and history. Jammu Festival created a virtual stampede at Mandi Mubarak as no care was taken about the carrying capacity. For Heritage Tourism, the preservation and conservation should be the primary area for creating heritage circuit in J&K. Encroachments, non-sympathetic reuse, vandalization pose great threat to heritage structures. To evolve, heritage conservation and preservation plan heritage task force or body like that should be constituted for all the three regions of J&K. This should be utmost priority as unfortunately J&K has no Ministry of Culture. It is a paradox that a culturally rich state like J&K is devoid of such a policy making body. This has led to a state of confusion as to who is the custodian of heritage and culture in this state. This often leads to conflicts as far as decision making is concerned and eventually, no proper strategy is made for preservation and promotion of heritage. The heritage task force at all three regional levels not only needs to devise a plan but sensitize the people regarding heritage. As it is the people, who are the real stake holders and beneficiaries of heritage as far as its economic effect in terms of economy is concerned. The key areas of the focus for heritage preservation and enhancement of tourism should be i. Documentation ii. Preservation iii. Constitution of Ministry of Culture/HTF (Heritage Task Force) iv. Sensitising the people v. Emphasis on sympathetic reuse vi. Development of common/ shared heritage This should not be an exclusive effort but inclusive one that includes, tourism professionals, historians, conservators, conservation architects, policy makers. So that customer value with innovation from all professionals as mentioned above should be utilized for creating heritage tourism product and circuit. So that Crown of India shines with pride and confidence, paving the way for national integration by making it possible with the movement of heritage tourists from India and abroad into the land of cultural mosaic - that is J&K.

HERITAGE INITIATIVE FOUNDATION

HERITAGE INITIATIVE FOUNDATION is an organization dedicated to the heritage issues in totality.The multidisciplinary approach towards the heritage forms the basic policy of the organization.HERITAGE INITIATIVE FOUNDATION lays stress on the historical,cultural,traditional,geographical,political,economic aspects of the heritage and the other related issues like culture.
Heritage in both tangible and intangible form faces threats from major obstacles from terrorism guided by religious fanaticism and the changing environment.The serious set back has been received by the heritage of the aboriginal communities directly from the terrorism that has led to their displacement from their homelands leaving their tangible heritage in the hands of the fanatics and tier intangible heritage faces threat from the psychological factors that come into play due to absence of the political empowerment ,the reason being their fractional number in terms of vote bank politics.which leads to their exclusion from the policy making in the heritage issues as minority issues are held hostage to the majoritarian policy formulations.
HERITAGE INITIATIVE FOUNDATION addresses these issues from all viable perspectives and aims to create comprehensive policy formulation for preservation ,conservation and marketing of the heritage issues in terms of tourism and research aspects .Thus making it a universal issue that concerns all the world citizens.