Shradha Chandan: Preserving the past, Empowering the future: Unveiling the heritage and identity of the religious cities of India. (EN)

The lecture will delve into the significance of pilgrimage on society, with far-reaching implications in politics, culture, economics, and social dynamics, shedding light on its conceptualization and scrutinizing the often-blurred boundary between tourism and pilgrimage.

It will emphasize the crucial role of local communities in achieving successful conservation practices within historic cities, addressing the imperative of approaching urban conservation in a manner that respects diverse cultural traditions, fosters innovative techniques, and establishes effective management systems with active community collaboration to ensure social acceptance and financial sustainability. The study will also discuss urban development endeavors in Indian pilgrimage cities, highlighting challenges in applying complex concepts within constrained timeframes, mainly due to an inadequate understanding of local socio-cultural contexts and community dynamics.

Dr. Shradha Chandan is working as a Scientific Associate at the Dept of Art and Design and International Heritage Centre IHZ of the Bauhaus University Weimar. She was awarded the DAAD Postdoctoral Researchers International Mobility Experience (PRIME) 2023 Fellowship for her ongoing research on Cultural Heritage in the Context of Social Transformations and Community Participation with the Bauhaus University, Bologna University, and Barcelona University. She studied Architecture at the NIT Bhopal and completed her Master’s in Urban Planning at the NIT Jaipur, India, with a Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering scholarship. She earned her doctorate in 2022 with her thesis on integrating community-based participatory research to preserve pilgrim cities of India. She also worked as an Assistant Professor at Lovely Professional University, India. Her research interests include cultural heritage, urban conservation and planning, socio-cultural transformations, and community development.

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