New Delhi [India], December 3 (ANI): The International Conference on the Preservation of Rural Buddhist Heritage concluded on November 30 with adoption of the Delhi Declaration — a framework to protect and revitalise India’s extensive but often overlooked rural Buddhist sites. The three-day event, organised by the Indian Trust for Rural Heritage and Development (ITRHD) at the Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, gathered Indian and international scholars, conservation experts and policymakers to discuss community-driven, systematic heritage preservation.
A major outcome is the proposal to establish a National Academy for Rural Heritage Conservation and Development Training at Nagarjunakonda. The Andhra Pradesh government, led by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, has allocated five acres for the project, aiming to create India’s first institution dedicated to training, coordinated conservation planning and community capacity-building for rural Buddhist heritage.
ITRHD Chairman S. K. Misra said the Delhi Declaration will steer future efforts and urged annual reviews to ensure recommendations yield measurable results. Final-day sessions shifted toward practical strategies, covering digital documentation tools, the role of local communities as custodians, education-oriented outreach, and sustainable tourism practices that protect fragile sites. Delegates emphasised that rural Buddhist heritage is both archaeological and a living cultural asset tied to identity, livelihoods and regional development.
Harvard’s Dr. Prajapati Trivedi stressed the need for a shared definition of success for long-term coordination. Conservation architect Prof. A. G. K. Menon highlighted gaps between agencies and argued heritage protection and development must be integrated, assessing national progress by village conditions as well as urban centres. International participants praised the conference’s scope; Dr. Victoria Demenova of Ural Federal University called it unusually comprehensive with potential to influence global heritage management.
With the Delhi Declaration and a concrete institutional plan, organisers say India is better placed to build a national framework for preserving rural Buddhist legacy while enhancing community involvement and cultural diplomacy. (ANI)
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