India is one of the oldest civilizations in the world. India’s heritage and cultural legacy have been the most distinct and glorified one in the world. Its diverse culture took thousands of years to become what it is today. The architecture of a place contributes a lot towards its glory. Historical monuments, effigies of gods or great historical personalities are meant to be preserved in order to keep the heritage alive. India has masteries in the field of architecture. Notably, the monumental heritage of India attracts tourists from all over the world. Especially the capital territory of Delhi has always been a centre of political and trade activities. Delhi has served as a gateway to India for foreign traders and rulers. Numerous kingdoms including the Sultanate was rooted from here. Hence a unique amalgamation of several cultures, traditions and impressions can be seen in the architecture of this place.

Delhi has been a hot spot of architecture and exulted in the engineering of historical monuments over the centuries. A number of monuments had been built here at different intervals of time. The most prominent ones are of the Mughal period. The Mughal emperors had raised some of the magnificent monuments in Delhi. Red Fort and Jama Masjid built by Shahjahan in 1638 and 1650 respectively are the most well-known. Humayun’s Tomb which was commissioned by his first wife in 1569 holds much fame as well. Architecture, in older days, was a symbol of a prosperous empire and was often meant to celebrate the triumph of the kings. Patronage of architecture has always been a rationale behind their construction. Over time, evident changes are seen on their architectural as well as visual grounds. However, there are numerous environmental factors and human activities that have affected the beauty of these monuments.

Delhi is the capital of India and a metropolitan city, which has an ever-increasing population due to the everyday increasing rates of urbanization. Urbanization has always been a much-talked topic when it comes to discussing pollution. This, in one way or the other, is the most responsible factor that causes pollution. Pollution, in the very first place, leads to deterioration of historical monuments. The above-mentioned architectural artworks suffer immense degradation in the guise of being situated in Delhi. This is because the pollution rates in Delhi has increased specifically over the last decade. Delhi had been ranked the sixth most polluted city in India and eleventh on the global scale. Eventually, pollution largely affects the environment which, in turns degrades the fabric of historical artworks.

One such dangerous consequence of increasing pollution is Acid Rain, which superficially as well as internally causes damage to the monuments. Acid rain has demolished the outermost layer of these monuments which has climactically changed their texture, colour and appearance. Combustion of fossil fuels results in the emission of sulphur oxides and nitrogen oxides in the atmosphere. These gases can rise up to a high altitude into the atmosphere. They get mixed with water molecules which are then, poured down on earth as acid rain. The substances in acid rain can harshly change the chemical-physical structure of the monument. This dwindles up the stability of artwork and lessens its life span. One such example of such spoliation can be observed at Humayun’s Tomb where the peripheral staircase has diminished because of the weakening of material used. Acid rain is the reason behind such degradation. The intricate artwork done on the outer layer gets spoilt. This leads to ‘peeling off’. Most of the research studies show that acid deposition on heritage buildings make them vulnerable to corrosion. Hence, renovation or restoration and retrofitting are must in order to guard them.

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In Delhi, a number of historical buildings are under restoration processes these days. Restoration is always taken as synonymous to conservation. However, this act can have an adverse effect indeed. Since the structures are engineered with rocks and carbonate stones, restoration methods sometimes give rise to a phenomenon known as ‘Efflorescence’, which basically arises due to renovating or reconstructing the monument with bricks and cement. This term means ‘to flower out’ in French. In this process, the salts get migrated to the surface of a porous material, where it forms a coating. This is the powdery substance or deposit which appears on the bricks, cement layer, etc. These being porous attract the moisture from outside, which then enters through the pores.

Inappropriate and incompetent efforts at restoration can cause equivalent damages done by other factors to the monument. Monuments taken under restoration or retrofitting are, at times, treated ham-handedly. Tacky and so-called ‘cheap and cheerful’ attempts at repairs can damage the building in the long run if done against ‘historical accuracy and aesthetics’. Red stones of the inner walls of the Red Fort have turned greyish due to this phenomenon. The captivated moisture can loosen up the structural basis of the building. Thus, gives rise to the threat of demolishment of that particular area of the monument. Along with this, the monument also sacrifices its aesthetic appeal. In several cases, the use of cheap or low-quality material during repair works is a deed meant to satisfy the greed of the people involved in the very procedure. This puts forward an example of a loss of general apathy and pride for our historical monuments.

In one way or the other, traces of human negligence can be found in every aspect of substances. Starting from the forest, water bodies, contaminations in them to memorials of history. This is meant to infer the concatenation between environment downgrading, restoration processes and their collaborative effects in the deterioration of our historical monuments. It was a very broad and general outlook about the situation of monuments in Delhi alone. It will not be surprising to know that hundreds of memorials, palaces, tombs and other places of historical importance are now left ridiculously to abandon. This history of India and its culture is so vast that it is impossible to get its collective knowledge through books and manuscripts. Other aspects like food, art and architecture are of extreme importance in the process of gathering the knowledge. If the monuments continue to be left abandoned or taken heavy-handedly will close one giant door to that era we strive to know about.