INTACH

INDIAN NATIONAL TRUST FOR ART AND CULTURAL HERITAGE

Himani Soni | Sem 05 B | Electives

MISSION
INTACH’s mission to conserve heritage is based on the belief that living in harmony with
heritage enhances the quality of life, and it is the duty of every citizen of India as laid
down in the Constitution of India.

The objectives spelt out in the Memorandum of Association constitute INTACH’s

Mandate and Vision. Its stated mission to date continues to be:

• Sensitize the public about the pluralistic cultural legacy of India

• Instill a sense of social responsibility towards preserving India’s common
heritage
• Protect and preserve India’s living, built, and natural heritage by
undertaking necessary actions and measures
• Document unprotected buildings of archaeological, architectural, historic
and aesthetic significance, as well as the cultural resources, as this is the
first step towards formulating conservation plans
• Develop heritage policies and regulations, and make legal interventions to
protect India’s heritage when necessary
• Provide expertise in the field of conservation, restoration and preservation
of specific works of art; and encourage capacity-building by developing
skills through training programmes
• Undertake emergency response measures during natural or man-made
disasters and support the local administration whenever heritage is
threatened
• Foster collaborations, Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) and
partnerships with government and other national and international
agencies
• Generate sponsorships for conservation and educational projects.
India is known all over the word for its rich culture and traditions. With the
objective of preserving these priceless national assets, and bringing awareness to
India's people, a group of art-lovers came together in New Delhi to found the
Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) on the 27th of
January, 1984. The founder members vision, led by the trust's first chairperson, Mr.
Rajiv Gandhi, was to create a membership organisation that acts as a catalyst for
heritage awareness and conservation in India. Since its inception, INTACH has
been a trailblazer in the protection and conservation of the country's natural and
cultural heritage.

INTACH timeline:
• 1984 INTACH was founded.
• 1984 Project Ganga was launched.
• 1984 INTACH's first newsletter was printed.
• 1984 INTACH sets up the Art Heritage (AH) division.
• 1984 INTACH set up Natural Resource division.
• 1985 Lucknow Conservation Centre was established as INTACH's first
conservation centre.
• 1987 First listing (Shekhawati) was completed.
• 1989 Orissa was the first state to finish listing.
• 1990 INTACH Art Conservation Centre at New Delhi was established.
• 1993 INTACH Chitrakala Parishath Art Conservation Centre was established
at Bangalore.
• 1995 ICI (Indian Conservation Institute) Orissa Art Conservation Centre at
Bhubaneshwar and ICI Art Conservation Centre at Rampur were
established.
• 1996 ICI Meharangarh Art Conservation Centre was established at Jodhpur.
• 1997 NTACH's Head Offices' new building at 71, LodhIi Estate, New Delhi
was completed.
• 1998 INTACH Heritage Education and Communication service (HECS) was
established.
• 1999 INTACH's national website, www.intach.org, was launched.
• 2000 Mural painting conservation research and training centre at Trissur
was established.
• 2001 Intach Visakhapatnam chapter was established.

PAGE 1
FUNDING
INTACH has established chapters not only within India but also outside it. It now
uses funds raised by its international chapters in Belgium and the United
Kingdom, to take up restoration, conservation and protection projects of historical
structures and heritage buildings across India.

Figure 1 Restoration work at INTACH Art & Material Heritage

Figure 2 Restoration work at INTACH Art & Material Heritage

PAGE 2