Natural Stone and World Heritage: Delhi-Agra, India

188 Pages·2020·12.544 MB·\188

by  Gurmeet Kaur (Author), Sakoon N. Singh (Author), Anuvinder Ahuja (Author), Noor Dasmesh Singh (Author)

Natural Stone and World
Heritage: Delhi-Agra, India
Natural Stone and World Heritage
Edited by Dolores Pereira
Department of Geology, University of Salamanca,
Salamanca, Spain
ISSN: 2640-0162
eISSN: 2640-0170
Volume 2
Natural Stone and
World Heritage
Delhi-Agra, India
Gurmeet Kaur, Sakoon Singh,
Anuvinder Ahuja and
Noor Dasmesh Singh
Cover image: courtesy of Gurnoor Arora (NAFA Singapore)
CRC Press/Balkema is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
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Published by: CRC Press/Balkema
Schipholweg 107C, 2316XC Leiden, The Netherlands
e-mail: [email protected]
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ISBN: 978-0-367-25180-2 (Hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-429-28639-1 (eBook)
DOI: 10.1201/9780429286391
https://doi.org/10.1201/9780429286391
To Our Parents

Contents
Foreword ix
Preface x
Acknowledgements xiii
List of acronyms xv
1 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, International
Union of Geological Sciences and Heritage
Stone Subcommission 1
2 Delhi and Agra vis-à-vis monuments 23
3 Repository of stones used in Delhi and Agra
UNESCO Sites: Aravalli Mountain Belt
and Vindhyan Basin 37
4 UNESCO Heritage Sites of Delhi and Agra:
An account 60
5 Historical quarries of the Makrana Marble,
the Vindhyan Sandstone and the Delhi Quartzite:
An account 109
6 Preservation, conservation and restoration
of UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Delhi
and Agra 142
7 Conclusions 151
viii Contents
References 156
Glossary 168
Natural Stone and World Heritage 171
Foreword
The famous monuments and buildings in India, such as Taj Mahal, Qutb
Minar, the Humayun’s Tomb and the Victoria memorial in Kolkata, are
widely known and recognized as Indian heritage. However, the construc-
tion of such historic buildings, the stone that was used for their construc-
tion and the meaning of the stone through its use over the centuries are
details that, at least for the vast majority, are unknown. Now this book
brings us closer to the historical constructions of emblematic places
such as Delhi and Agra, with the UNESCO recognized monuments
Humayun’s Tomb, made of red sandstone, and the Taj Mahal, made of
Makrana marble. But many others will see light that without a publica-
tion like this would continue to have an unfairly limited diffusion. This
book is another step in the recognition of natural stone and the heritage
built on stone.
Prof. Dolores Pereira
Secretary General, Heritage Stone Subcommission
Chair, IUGS Publications Committee