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AKDN Cultural Activities in India

Cultural activities in India are undertaken by the The Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC). The largest cultural project to date has been the restoration and revitalisation of the Garden's of Humayun's Tomb, which has since expanded to the neighbouring Nizamuddin area. Other activities include collaboration on the on-line architectural resource ArchNet.org. In addition, a number of buildings and projects in India have received the Aga Khan Award in Architecture. In addition, the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage and the Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology in Ahmedabad have made important contributions to ArchNet.org, an Internet-based global community of architects, planners and educators supported by AKTC.

Introduction
His Highness the Aga Khan's gift to the nation of the property that is today the Gandhi Memorial in Pune (also referred to as the Aga Khan Palace) was one of a number of decisions that sought to promote productive reuse of important cultural assets. Now a historical landmark, the palace was built in 1892 by His Highness Sultan Muhammad Shah Aga Khan III and was given in 1969 by the Aga Khan during the Gandhi Centenary Year celebrations.

Preserving Cultural Heritage: The Gardens of Humayun’s Tomb
The revitalisation of the gardens of Humayun’s Tomb by the AKTC in collaboration with the Archaeological Survey of India under the aegis of the National Culture Fund is one of several AKTC projects undertaken at World Heritage Sites worldwide. It is also the first privately funded restoration of a World Heritage Site in India.

The objective of the project was to revitalise the gardens, pathways, fountains and water channels of the chahâr-bâgh, or four-part paradise garden surrounding Humayun’s Tomb in Delhi, according to the original plans of the builders. The preservation of historic gardens requires close attention to the living and renewable landscape elements.

Work was completed in March 2003. In addition to the National Culture Fund and the implementing organisations - ASI and the Trust - two other parties also played a role: the Indo-British Fiftieth Anniversary Trust and the Oberoi Group of Hotels. The rehabilitation project included the following main elements:

• Reinstating the walkways and conserving the edging stones,
• Repair, extension and reactivation of the irrigation system,
• Establishing water sources for the water channels and irrigation system, including a pump station for a water-recycling system,
• Conserving, repairing and rebuilding the water channel system,
• Re-levelling the planted zones and revitalising them with species and arrangements that conform to the customs and patterns of Mughal sources, and
• Support for research that informs the conservation and restoration process, contributes to the development of educational materials for use in schools of architecture, conservation and heritage management, as well as for visitors to the Tomb.

For more information, please see the Revitalisation of the Gardens of Emperor Humayun's Tomb.

Aga Khan Award for Architecture Recipients in India
Seven projects in India have received the Aga Khan Award for Architecture. Click on the links for more information from the Aga Khan Awards web pages:

• Mughal Sheraton Hotel, Agra, India (1980)

• Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India, Ahmedabad, India (1992)

• Aranya Community Housing, Indore, India (1995)

• Slum Networking of Indore City, Indore, India (1998)

• Lepers Hospital, Chopda Taluka, India (1998)

• Vidhan Bhavan; Bhopal, India (1998)

• Barefoot Architects, Tilonia, India (2001)

For more information about the Award, please see the Aga Khan Award for Architecture.

ArchNet.org
The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage and the Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology in Ahmedabad are making pioneering contributions to a unique venture in technology through partnerships with another AKTC programme, ArchNet. ArchNet is an Internet-based global community of architects, planners and educators developed by the AKTC in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The central goal of ArchNet is to provide an extensive, high-quality, globally accessible, on-line resource focusing on architecture, urban design, urban development, and related issues. It is available through the Internet, at www.archnet.org, to scholars, practitioners, and interested non-specialists.

For more information, please see the ArchNet website.