Archaeology Research Seminars: Rethinking Heritage Loss in the Late Mughal City of Farrukhnagar

Around 80% of the built heritage landscape in South Asia is under active risk of loss due to climate change, political uncertainty, urban development, and lack of resources. In India alone, about 186,000 built heritage sites have been recorded in secondary literature. Out of these, only 3% are protected while only 0.025% are officially listed. The research takes the case of the late Mughal (18th century CE) town of Farrukhnagar, which was once a prominent centre of salt trade in North India. Largely excluded from heritage listings during the colonial period (18th-early 20th century CE), several undocumented built heritage structures in Farrukhnagar are being rapidly lost due to increasing urban growth and development pressure. This seminar will outline results from the recent fieldwork in India and looks at the question of whether Corporate Social Responsibility can be a viable tool for navigating built heritage loss in urban landscapes.