Monsoon intensification and localized extreme rainfall events are increasingly overwhelming traditional hazard models in Himalayan and hill regions, causing damage to vernacular and historic buildings.
India’s historical buildings were built to last. Temples, forts, mosques and cave complexes were shaped around local climate, available materials and seasonal rhythms. Many have stood for centuries with little intervention. What they were not built for is instability. Climate change has altered the conditions around them in ways that traditional conservation was never meant to address.
Heat arrives earlier and stays longer. Rain falls harder, often within shorter spans of time. Cyclones travel further inland. Coastal erosion has picked up speed. Monsoon intensification and localized extreme rainfall events are increasingly overwhelming traditional hazard models in Himalayan and hill regions, causing damage to vernacular and historic buildings. Sudden heavy floods and cloudbursts, such as those experienced in Uttarakhand and Kedarnath, have added further risk to historic structures in mountainous areas. Damage can accumulate gradually, without obvious warning. More often, it appears as slow damage that builds between one season and the next.
Ongoing deterioration
At sites such as the Konark Sun Temple, small cracks now run through sandstone blocks, allowing moisture to enter and weaken the structure from within. Along India’s coastline, the Shore Temple at Mahabalipuram continues to absorb salt from rising seas and stronger wave action. In Agra, the Taj Mahal’s marble shows the combined effect of pollution, acid rain and repeated exposure to heavy rainfall.
Much of the damage is not obvious to visitors. High humidity supports algae and fungal growth on stone and wood. Sudden changes between heat and rain cause expansion and contraction in masonry, stressing joints and mortar. Painted surfaces at Ajanta, Khajuraho and Sanchi respond poorly to prolonged dampness, with pigments fading or flaking once moisture enters.
These processes were once slow. They are no longer. Weather events are closer together, leaving little time for structures to dry, stabilise or recover.
Location as vulnerability
Many of India’s major heritage sites sit in areas already exposed to climate extremes. Temples in Odisha and Tamil Nadu lie close to the coast. Forts in Goa and Kerala face river flooding and saline air. Others, built near water for ritual or defence, now face rising water tables and erosion.
Weather events have increasingly affected heritage sites. Damage was reported at the Jagannath Temple after Cyclone Fani in 2019 as per Archaeological Survey of India. Heavy rain caused part of the wall at Jaisalmer’s Sonar Fort to collapse in August 2024, while a section of Nalagarh Fort failed the year before under similar conditions. The Taj Mahal sustained rain-related damage in 2020, with additional cracking observed in 2024.
Urban heritage is also affected. Humayun’s Tomb in Delhi faces seepage from polluted runoff and declining air quality after nearly five centuries of exposure.
Scale of heritage at risk
India has 43 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, first listed in 1983, including the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Ajanta and Ellora (UNESCO). Thousands of other monuments fall under national or state protection, and many more remain outside formal oversight. A large number are over a thousand years old.
Climate stress affects materials differently. Stone erodes under heat and moisture. Timber dries, cracks, or rots. Metal corrodes faster in humid or saline conditions. Desert regions such as Rajasthan face erosion driven by heat and sudden rainfall. These impacts are now being reported across regions, not as exceptions but as patterns.
Conservation Systems and Their Limits
The Archaeological Survey of India is responsible for 3,698 centrally protected monuments and sites. Conservation work includes chemical treatments, structural consolidation, and moisture control, carried out under the National Policy for Conservation, 2014. Technology has begun to play a larger role. Automated Weather Stations, installed with support from ISRO, monitor rainfall, temperature and wind at select monuments. Air Pollution Laboratories track particulate levels at sites such as the Taj Mahal and Bibi ka Maqbara.
Risk planning has grown in scope. The National Disaster Management Authority, together with the Archaeological Survey of India, has prepared guidelines for protecting heritage sites and handling recovery after extreme events. In January 2025, ASI officers took part in an international workshop on disaster management for cultural heritage, organised with UNESCO in New Delhi.
These steps improve response capacity but do not resolve deeper gaps. Drainage planning around monuments remains uneven. Green buffers are often absent. Urban construction and traffic continue close to heritage zones. Funding rarely matches the scale or frequency of damage now being recorded.
The wider climate context
The pressure on heritage sites reflects wider patterns in the built environment. Buildings accounted for 38 per cent of global carbon dioxide emissions in 2019, according to UN data. Cooling needs are increasing worldwide as hotter conditions persist, and air-conditioning use is projected to rise substantially by mid-century. Heatwaves are lasting longer and recurring more often. Delhi touched 52.9 degrees Celsius in May 2024, as recorded by the India Meteorological Department.
The International Energy Agency estimates that cutting emissions from buildings to net-zero by 2050 would require direct emissions to fall by about 50 per cent and indirect emissions by roughly 60 per cent by 2030, or reductions of close to 6 per cent each year. Urban pollution levels, heat retention and energy use shape the conditions surrounding historic structures.
Why delay carries cost?
Structural damage at heritage sites is often recorded after deterioration is established. Material loss from erosion or foundation movement cannot be reversed. Restoration reduces further damage but does not recover original fabric. Exposure is increasing at sites along the Odisha coast, in the Sundarbans, Goa, and in smaller towns and villages.
The response to climate risk within conservation systems will influence what is retained. The outcome will reflect present-day choices.
Article Credit: dnaindia