About WPD

India has a vast and exquisite collection of wall paintings existing across its various heritage structures. However, there are still many more wall paintings that are yet to be discovered. To address this need, the ‘Wall Painting Directory Project’ (WPD) was initiated in November 2015 under the Art and Material Heritage Division of INTACH. The project aims to conduct surveys and documentation of wall painting and rock art sites in the country. Furthermore, it also intends to document all the known and unknown wall painting sites around the country to raise awareness as well as promote emergency conservation. With many wall painting sites disappearing due to the demolition of old buildings, destruction of heritage towns, environmental changes and natural degradation, these sites need to be precisely identified and recorded in the database for future reference. Moreover, documenting these wall painting sites will not only increase their heritage value but also provide a better chance of preservation and conservation.

The project has covered ten states since its inception, namely Delhi, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Haryana, Orissa and Bihar. Survey work has been completed in six of these states including Delhi, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. So far, a total of over 8,000 sites have been surveyed and 1560 sites have been documented, covering an area of approximately 22,62,435.85 sq ft.

The arduous research and documentation have led to the release of four publications i.e., ‘Wall Painting Sites in Delhi’, the first volume of the series – ‘Wall Painting Sites of Rajasthan’ (Jaipur Edition), ‘Wall Painting Sites of Uttarakhand’ and ‘Wall Painting Sites of Himachal Pradesh’. Additionally, publications on Wall Painting Sites of Uttar Pradesh (Awadh region) and Wall Painting Sites in Rajasthan (Dhundhar region) are under process.

Furthermore, WPD also takes immense pride in launching the ‘Directory of Museums in India’ which is a compendium including information on 1186 museums existing across the country.