India's Crowdsourced Project Saves Forgotten Monuments

When 29-year-old architect Riya Bissa organized community events at a 200-year-old sandstone mansion in her hometown, something magical happened. The building she'd admired since childhood suddenly mattered to her neighbors again.

Bissa is one of thousands of volunteers helping document India's forgotten architectural treasures through India Lost and Found. The crowdsourced photo project is creating a digital map of historical buildings that tourists never visit and locals have stopped noticing.

Professional photographer Amit Pasricha launched the initiative in 2018 after a sobering realization. India's Archaeological Survey lists over 2,500 historical monuments, but barely 200 get visitors. The rest sit weathered, undocumented, and unloved.

Pasricha initially tried photographing forgotten temples, stepwells, and ancient homes himself. But one person with a camera couldn't possibly capture them all across a country as vast as India.

So he turned to citizens. Anyone with a camera phone who spots an interesting ruin can now contribute photos to the archive. Pasricha traveled to colleges nationwide, teaching students photography skills and giving them a platform to showcase their work.

The digital archive now serves a dual purpose. It provides crucial documentation that helps drive conservation efforts for buildings at risk of collapse. But perhaps more importantly, it's creating what Pasricha calls "a new generation of people passionate about history."

The Ripple Effect

When communities see their local monuments featured in exhibitions and online galleries, something shifts. Buildings that residents walked past for years without a second glance suddenly become sources of pride.

Bissa experienced this firsthand when she brought art contests and heritage walks to Patwon Ki Haveli in Jaisalmer. "I felt the old building come to life when it was used and enjoyed by the community," she says. The mansion's intricate courtyards and latticed windows weren't just tourist attractions anymore. They belonged to the people again.

The project proves that preservation isn't just about mortar and stone. It's about rekindling emotional connections between people and places. When locals care about a building, they protect it.

Thousands of India's architectural gems are getting a second chance, one smartphone photo at a time.