Parliament Question: Heritage Monuments and Archaeological Sites in Tamil Nadu

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CULTURE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.5832 ANSWERED ON 30.03.2026 HERITAGE MONUMENTS AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES IN TAMIL NADU 5832. SHRI MALAIYARASAN D: Will the Minister of CULTURE be pleased to state: (a) the details of total number of heritage monuments and archaeological sites in Tamil Nadu currently protected and maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India; (b) whether the Government has undertaken any recent assessment or survey to evaluate the conservation status, structural stability, and maintenance requirements of these protected monuments; (c) the details of total funds allocated and utilized for the restoration, conservation and preservation of heritage structures during the last three years, including projects undertaken under various heritage conservation programmes; and (d) the details of steps taken/being taken by the Government to promote cultural heritage tourism at lesser-known heritage sites, including initiatives for improving visitor facilities, digital documentation, public awareness campaigns and collaboration with State Governments to enhance accessibility and sustainable tourism development across the country? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF CULTURE AND TOURISM (SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT) (a) There are 412 protected monuments and protected areas in the State of Tamil Nadu under the care and maintenance of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). (b) Periodic inspections are carried out by the officials of ASI to assess the condition of the monuments and sites. Accordingly, conservation measures are taken up subject to availability of resources, following the National Conservation Policy, 2014. (c) Details of the funds allocated and expenditure incurred on conservation and maintenance of 3686 protected monuments and protected areas in the country, during the last three years are as under: (Amount Rupees in crores) Year Allocation Expenditure 2022-23 392.71 391.93 2023-24 443.53 443.53 2024-25 313.43 313.04 (d) Tourist facilities are provided as per the requir ement and feasibility at the different protected monuments and protected areas which also includes World Heritage properties in the country including Tamil Nadu. Further, amenities like drinking water, toilets and facilities like benches, pathways, wheel chairs, ramps, signages, Braille signages, etc. are provided at ticketed and World Heritage Monuments. Providing such facilities and upgrading them is a continuous phenomenon. In addition to promote cultural heritage cultural awareness programmes like heritagewalk, exhibitions, street play, drawing competitions, etc. are organized on various occasions like World Heritage Day, World Heritage Week, International Museums Day, Republic Day, Independence Day, Gandhi Jayanti, etc. involving school and college students and general public. Further, as per mandate of National Mission on Monuments Antiquity (NMMA) workshops are conducted regularly in various regions to raise awareness and training programs are organised for universities, colleges, NGOs, and other interested organizations, in coordination with field offices of ASI and the State-Level Implementation Committees (SLIC) in each State to speed up the documentation work. ******