Cultural heritage is defined briefly as the legacy of the ways of living from the past, what we live with today and what we pass on to future generations
Evolution of concept of cultural heritage
The concept of cultural heritage developed as a result of complex historical processes spanning over many centuries and is constantly evolving. It encompasses many tangible and intangible elements. In fact cultural Heritage is” an expression of the ways of living” developed by a community and passed on from generation to generation, including customs, practices, places, objects, artistic expressions and values.
Cultural heritage objects are sometimes referred to be symbolic. They represent identities in terms of culture and natural surroundings. Connection to and traditional activities around these objects create a sense of community.
— primarily created by the human community as an expression of living. The emergence of the concept of” cultural heritage” is the outcome of a long historical development over millions of years in which different values were attached to monuments, buildings, works of arts, artifacts, landscapes, etc
Tangible &intangible heritage
Cultural Heritage is often expressed as either Intangible or Tangible. It encompasses tangible artifacts like traditional clothing and monuments, as well as intangible aspects such as oral traditions and performing arts.
They are representing the life of a community over the years in its various aspects. It represents the lifestyles, standard of living , mastery of skills etc. For instance, tangible heritage can be seen in traditional clothing, modes of transportation, tools, buildings, monuments, and artwork of any community or group. In contrast, the intangible heritage is the intellectual wealth, which is nonphysical. Intangible heritage includes oral traditions, performing arts, local knowledge, traditional skills, and language that have been passed over generations.
Need to preserve the heritage
The cultural heritage of any land has to be preserved for the posterity. In this information era, digital techniques can substantially reduce the difficulty of preserving intangible cultural heritage. Digital archives in the cultural and historical domains are mostly a collection of digital copies of original cultural heritage objects.
Cultural heritage sites include hundreds of historic buildings and town sites, important archaeological sites, and works of monumental sculpture or painting. These tanglible heritage is preserved by the Archeological department of the government in most of the countries globally.
Natural heritage
Natural heritage is also an important part of any culture, and it encompasses the countryside and natural environment, including flora and fauna. Natural heritage are the outstanding examples of the Earth’s record of life or its geologic processes; ongoing ecological and biological evolutionary processes. These sites also furnish habitats for rare or endangered animals or plants and therefore they are known for their exceptional biodiversity.
UNESCO – the preserver of heritage sites
UNESCO is a specialized agency of the United Nations established in 1945. Its stated initial goal was to contribute to peace and security by promoting international collaboration through education, science, and culture in order to further universal respect for justice, the rule of law, and the human rights and fundamental freedoms proclaimed in the UN Charter. It has marked many world heritage sites of significance. Indian subcontinent also has many tangible and intangible heritage sites marked under UNESCO.
Please follow the link to know about world heritage sites of India.
Blogs – Cultural heritage
Thalagunda – Pranaveswara temple a connecting link to the history of south India
Sanchi buddhist monuments
