उपराज्यपाल, दिल्ली
It gives me immense honour to welcome delegates of the 46th World Heritage Committee, at this historic monument, known as “Old Fort or Purana Qila”, in the Heritage City of Delhi.
2. At the outset, I would like to recall the words of Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi Ji - विकास भी, विरासत भी – at the inauguration of the World Heritage Conference.
3. In his words, “Heritage is ‘not only history’, rather a shared consciousness of humanity”. Heritage, to my mind, is our socio-economic, cultural and political inheritance. It is to be preserved, conserved and protected as dearly as we protect our legacy – our family silver.
4. Friends,
Delhi ranks as one of the most ancient and historic city of India. It has been the Capital of mighty Empires and powerful Kingdoms. Successive periods in time, have left behind a plethora of monuments, showcasing the grandeur and glory of bygone ages.
5. Delhi is a city, which traces its history to Mahabharata - the great epic tale of wars, fought between the Kauravas and the Pandavas. It was the victory of the Pandavas in this epic battle, that led to the foundation of Indraprastha, which we now know as Delhi. It was the capital of the Pandavas.
6. Delhi also has monuments tracing back to Harrappan period, Mauryan period, the Gupta period & the Rajput period. Over the centuries, seven cities namely, Qila Rai Pithora, Siri, Tughlaqabad, Jahanpanah, Firozabad, Shergarh (Purana Qila / Dinpanah) and Shahjahanabad were founded by different Rulers of the Rajput, Delhi Sultanate & the Mughal dynasties.
7. This historic place, where we are gathered today, is known as Old Fort (Purana Qila) which occupies the ancient mound, which perhaps conceals, the ruins of the city of Indraprastha of Mahabharata. Subsequently, Sher Shah Suri demolished the city built by Humayun and on the same site raised this fort.
8. The city of Delhi was passed on to the hands of the British in 1803 AD and developed into Lutyen’s Delhi. It was only in 1911 AD, that the capital of British Empire was shifted from Calcutta to Delhi. It remains our National Capital.
9. Delhi has more than thousands of monuments & Heritage Structures, including 3 World Heritage Sites, the Qutub Minar, Humayun’s Tomb & the Red Fort.
10. The Government is making many efforts for preserving & maintaining the tangible & intangible heritage of Delhi. This will attract more tourists and open the portals of our heritage, for the knowledge of domestic as well as international audience.
11. It is here, that I will once again go back to what the Hon’ble Prime Minister said about ‘Vikas Bhi Virasat Bhi’, while he underlined the balance between developmental needs and preservation.
12. Heritage has been extremely close to my heart and it has been my experience that preservation cannot be alibi to neglect of our heritage. The way forward is restoration. Similarly, isolating our heritage, only leads to, it getting decayed. To preserve our heritage, it is essential that people – the community at large becomes a stakeholder in preserving and protecting it.
13. I have, with the help of my government, in the last two years, put in a lot of efforts for the preservation, rejuvenation and restoration of our heritage sites and structures.
14. One of such major example is the DDA Mehrauli Archaeological Park, which has evolved as the capital’s latest tourist destination in addition to the 3 World Heritage Sites.
15. The restored St. James Church right beside the Walled City, the Roshanara Bagh – where the famed imperial princess lived and is laid to rest and the Shalimar Bagh, where the emperor Aurangzeb was coroneted, are other such examples of restoration, leading up to making the community itself, stakeholders in their preservation.
16 It has been the vision of our Government, to get Delhi the status of a World Heritage City from UNESCO which is long awaited.
17. It is indeed a proud moment for Delhi to be hosting the UNESCO World Heritage Committee first time in India. I hope that the visiting delegates had a first-hand insight into the wonders that are India and Delhi.
Thank You
Jai Hind.
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