"Best conservation practice" in ancient Indian conservation ideology and its application in contemporary days

Abstract

Eurocentric conservation principles have long been major references for heritage in contemporary days. Given the distinct cultural contexts of architecture in the West and the East, the application of Eurocentric conservation principles on built heritage of the East has always been questioned for its appropriateness. Among the Eastern conservation guidelines, this research focuses on an ancient Indian conservation ideology – Jiirnnoddharana – specially prepared for south Indian Hindu temples. The ideology has been recently valued and considered to be adopted in contemporary conservation practice. Jiirnnoddharana, a Sanskrit term, to a certain extent equivalent to the meaning of “conservation,” heavily emphasises on cultural and spiritual authenticity. With scholars claiming that Jiirnnoddharana has “complete consensus” with contemporary conservation practice, the little discussed and controversial issues have been whether the ideology contradicts present-day international standards of conservation best practice as well as its relevance to contemporary conservation practitioners. Thus, this research focuses on understanding Jiirnnoddharana by studying Jirnoddharadasaka (for short, Dasaka), a recently rediscovered and translated Hindu literary text. The comparative textual study of Dasaka and the selected international conservation charters investigates the compliance of Jiirnnoddharana and contemporary conservation practice in terms of conservation ideology, objective, approach, principle, and concerns on intangible heritage. With a distinct fundamental understanding of built heritage, Jiirnnoddharana sees a temple as a living organism, while contemporary conservation practice considers heritage as a physical fabric with cultural significance. It is proved that Dasaka has more spiritual, cultural, and religious concerns when it comes to practice, while international conservation charters have a more practical and straightforward concerns. This research demonstrates the importance of recognizing the differences between the ideologies and respecting Jiirnnoddharana as an integral part of the conservation of south Indian Hindu Temple. With the completeness, intactness, and appropriateness of Dasaka, this research concludes with the recommendation of utilizing Dasaka as a general guideline for south Indian Hindu temple conservation. To conclude, this research embraces the continuation of the traditional conservation ideology Jiirnnoddharana.