PM Modi's France trip: Agenda to go beyond civil nuclear talks & include pact to pair heritage sites

By Anubhuti Vishnoi

NEW DELHI: When Prime Minister Narendra Modi touches down in Paris, his agenda will go beyond civil nuclear and defence talks and include an agreement to pair national monuments and heritage sites — possibly starting with New Delhi’s imposing India Gate and the Arc de Triomphe in the heart of the French capital.

The agreement that India and France are expected to sign to ‘twin’ iconic structures and monuments, based on similarities they share, may include as many as six pairings and are aimed at strengthening the cultural links between the two countries, officials from the Ministry of Culture and the Archaeological Survey of India said.

While the modalities of the arrangement will be worked out later by the governments and associated bodies such as ASI and its counterpart in France, the ideas being discussed include putting up plaques at the monuments to generate awareness about their foreign twins and to have imprints of both structures on tickets and publicity brochures. India Gate and the Arc de Triomphe have many similarities that make them ideal as paired monuments.

Both are triumphal arches built to commemorate unknown soldiers who laid down their lives for the country, are located in the capital and revered as patriotic sites. The 42 metre high India Gate commemorates the 70,000 Indian soldiers who lost their lives fighting for the British Army during World War I. The Arc de Triomphe, at 49.5 metres, stands at the centre of the Place Charles de Gaulle in honour of those who fought for France, especially during the Napoleonic Wars. The names of soldiers are engraved on both structures.

Just as the Memorial Flame at the Arc de Triomphe was introduced later, the Amar Jawan Jyoti was added at India Gate after Independence. Both the triumphal arches stand in the midst of grand monuments and structures — India Gate along Rajpath in New Delhi and the Arc de Triomphe on the route that stretches from the courtyard of the Louvre Palace to the outskirts of Paris. Five other historic sites in India and France could be paired.

There is a proposal to link Jaisalmer Fort with Carcassonne — both outstanding examples of fortified settlements and World Heritage sites. The Basilica of Bom Jesus in Goa is proposed to be twinned with the Chartres Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Chartres. Both are Catholic churches and key pilgrim centres. Other sites that could be linked are the prehistoric rock shelters of Bhimbetka in MP with the Lascaux Caves in southwestern France, famous for Palaeolithic cave paintings.

New Delhi’s Lodi Gardens could be linked with the Jardin des Tuileries — both much-frequented and loved public parks in the capital cities. There is also a plan to link Mysore Palace with a château in France. India and France are also expected to collaborate on preventive and underwater archaeology, training of personnel and joint research.