Another example is a 100cm by 50cm sculpture of a tiger in Kumta. An example is a 17th-century forge-welded iron cannon in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. This includes pieces of sculpture, statues and cannons. The second major problem is the inclusion of several moveable antiquities. Surely, it would be better to offer more limited protection to them, perhaps as state-level monuments. Although there is a case for protecting them, it is unclear why they should be treated as national monuments (along with attendant complications for expanding highways). They account for 49 of Haryana’s 91 NPMs.

Similarly, the list includes 109 kos minars, brick columns that acted as milestones on Mughal highways. Yet, they are supposed to get the same level of protection as our most cherished monuments. The structure has no architectural value, and the individuals were of no historical consequence.

The graves are those of public works department engineer John Albert Cope (died in 1880), and Henry Gassen (died 1877) who worked for a cotton ginning company. An example is a small brick wall enclosure containing two graves located in Kumta, Karnataka. The list, for instance, includes 75 graves of colonial-era soldiers or officials of no particular importance. We estimate that this applies to at least a quarter of the current list. The first and most obvious is that it includes a large number of minor monuments with no national significance. There are several problems with the list of NPMs. The list includes several minor monuments with no national significance. As a result, we now have an unwieldy list that requires drastic rationalisation. However, there is almost no discussion about the existing list of NPMs, and why a monument is deemed to have national significance. There is the occasional public debate about the level of protection or preservation, the complications caused by the 100-metre plus 200-metre restriction zone, the quality of visitor amenities, the availability of funds and the unclear role of the National Monuments Authority. India has 3,695 nationally protected monuments (NPMs) under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

Sanjeev sanyal land of seven rivers