Original Article ISSN (Online): 2582-7472 ShodhKosh: Journal of Visual and Performing Arts January-June 2023 4(1), 205–215 How to cite this article (APA): Bansal, K., and Chhabra, P. (2023). Existing Trends of Heritage Conservation in Shimla: A Hill Town in India. ShodhKosh: Journal of Visual and Performing Arts, 4(1), 205–215. doi: 10.29121/shodhkosh.v4.i1.2023.312 205 EXISTING TRENDS OF HERITAGE CONSERVATION IN SHIMLA: A HILL TOWN IN INDIA Kanika Bansal 1 , Pankaj Chhabra 2 1 Professor & Dean Academics, Chitkara School of Planning and Architecture, Chitkara University, Punjab, India; Research Scholar, Department of Architecture, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, Punjab, India 2 Assistant Professor, Department of Architecture, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, Punjab, India ABSTRACT India is bestowed with rich cultural diversity manifested by a wide range of tangible heritage resources. The formal inception of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) during colonial rule paved way for heritage conservation protecting the National Monuments pan India that are less than 0.01% of the total existing heritage resources. Though the State Archaeology Department and the National Monuments Authority have taken various initiatives at the state levels, the adopted conservation process lacks an integrated approach due to the involvement of a wide array of stakeholders ranging from the Central Government to the local authorities to the various conservation groups. Each of these agencies employs vivid funding sources and mechanisms and variable sets of guidelines and norms with diversity in delivery models for various heritage conservation projects limiting the conservation process to piecemeals. Shimla, a colonial hill town in the north of India, and the state capital of Himachal Pradesh is home to vast stock of tangible and intangible heritage resources. Amidst rapid growth and urbanization, over the past two decades, several initiatives have been taken by the state government of Himachal Pradesh (GoHP) in resonance with the urban local bodies of Shimla but only a few of the conservation projects have seen success. However, the findings of the research bring out that though the GoHP has been proactive in protecting its heritage resources, however, a large part of the heritage resources in Shimla remain in a state of neglect and lack maintenance and management. This is because of the complexity involved in the conception and implementation of heritage conservation because of the vastness of heritage resources and the involvement of diverse groups of stakeholders in the process, as the role of urban local bodies directly impacts the efficiency of the conservation program. The study brings out the heritage conservation process adopted in Shimla by various government agencies. Received 17 January 2023 Accepted 20 February 2023 Published 02 March 2023 Corresponding Author Kanika Bansal, kanika.bansal@chitkara.edu.in DOI 10.29121/shodhkosh.v4.i1.2023.312 Funding: This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. Copyright: © 2023 The Author(s). This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. With the license CC-BY, authors retain the copyright, allowing anyone to download, reuse, re-print, modify, distribute, and/or copy their contribution. The work must be properly attributed to its author. Keywords: Heritage Conservation, Stakeholders, Colonial Heritage, Shimla, Urban Local Bodies 1. INTRODUCTION Colonial hill towns in India are landscapes created by the British, to bring home- like lifestyles to a foreign country, as they felt that it was crucial to return to colder climates from the enervating low altitudes Aiken (1994). The paradox of imperialism and its implication for growth and development outline the trajectory of colonial development and give these hill towns their significance Dasgupta and Garg (2020). Most of the colonial buildings that exist in these hill towns are manifestations of the social and cultural legacy associated with these towns. They