Public perception: Built heritage conservation in Chettinad region, Tamil Nadu

Abstract

Heritage building conservation in India is still in its infancy. India has initiated the effort of
conserving heritage a few decades ago. But in the last decade the efforts on conservation of
the built heritage is tremendous. Over the years the ever increasing developmental pressures
and neglect of the heritage areas and their environs resulted in the call for evolving
harmonious strategies and conservation measures. Fortuitously, increasing awareness about
heritages in the recent decades has been leading various organisations to identify heritages as
well as to delineate heritage zones based on a set of defined criterion. However, whether
those building are worthy of conservation is always a question asked by many. Are the people
in chettinadu are aware on withstanding of those buildings at present and is it important to
them? This paper aims to review the people’s perception on heritage building conservation
besides identifying their physical connectivity of the buildings with their past.