India being an ancient country, boasts of innumerable historical monuments. There are certain sites which are thousands of years old.

Prehistoric sites like Bhimbetaka caves have archeological importance. Apart from these, there are innumerable historical monuments like Taj Mahal, Red Fort, Jaisalmer Fort and host of other sites.

At the same time India has hundreds of religious places which are centuries old including Minakshi Temple in Madurai, Tamil Nadu,Tirupati Balaji  in Andhra Pradesh, Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati in Assam and Konark Sun Temple, Odisha, just to name a few. Several of Indian sites have been accorded World Heritage site status by the United Nations.

The historical value of all these and innumerable other sites needs to be preserved for the coming generations. The efforts for its restoration needs to be taken. It is done by the Archeological Survey of India in our country.

The monuments located world over  have to face the vagaries of weather, climate change and pollution, as  also vandalism, irresponsible behavior of tourists and apathy of local administration. 

One will be pained to see wall scratches, graffiti and defacing of these invaluable archeological and historical monuments. Many vintage and antique artifacts go missing on account of neglect. This list could go on and on.

To raise the awareness in this regard, International Day for Monuments and Sites is observed. It is observed annually on April 18.

It was started in 1983 by UNESCO.  The initiative for this was made by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS).

ICOMOS is an international organization of professionals. It works on efforts to conserve  the archaeological and architectural heritage sites around the world. It’s  members include not only archaeologists and historians, but also architects,  geographers, anthropologists, engineers and the town planners. They all work along with each other to improve the heritage preservation.

International Day for Monuments and Sites highlights public awareness regarding the diversity of the world's cultural heritage. It draws mass attention to the need for its conservation and protection.

The ICOMOS International Secretariat selects a global theme every year. The  National committees are motivated to arrange events based on the given theme.

The activities and events  organized on International Day for Monuments and Sites include competitions, exhibitions, discussions, award distribution ceremonies, dedicated radio and television programmes,  related educational activities at schools, colleges and academic centers.

Let’s all be aware  of our heritage and its legacy in form monuments on this International Day for Monuments and Sites. These are left for us by our ancestors. It is duty of all of us to preserve the same for the generations  to come.