Current Status of WPD Project
India is home to a vast number of heritage sites for which there are no historical records or data available. The WPD team across the country is working to record, document and create a database of these sites, making them accessible to scholars, researchers, future conservators, tourists and others. Due to the diverse nature of our country, the task is extremely challenging, yet the team is doing its best to prepare the list of monuments under the Archaeological Survey of India and State Archaeological Departments, as well as several unprotected and unknown structures across the country.
District-wise surveys are conducted by WPD teams, and many interesting findings are discovered in the process. At many sites, new constructions and features are found added to the structures, which in turn makes the tasks even more challenging.
Present Status
Since its inception, the nine states have been covered by the project, namely Delhi, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Haryana, and Odisha. Currently, the WPD team is surveying in Bihar and Gujarat. A total of 11,954 sites have been surveyed, and 2,169 wall painting sites have been documented so far, covering the painted surface area of approximately 3,193,466.69 sq.ft.
Note: These are approximate figures as the survey of Bihar and Gujarat is in process.
WPD Table Draft
| Name of State | Name of Survey Team | Total Sites Surveyed | Total Wall Painting Sites Found | Total Painted Surface Area (sq. ft. approx.) |
| UTTAR PRADESH | WPD LUCKNOW | 4885 | 385 | 1,06,554.76 |
| RAJASTHAN | WPD JAIPUR | 2722 | 1338 | 2,541,418.21 |
| KARNATAKA | WPD BANGALORE | 142 | 79 | 96,845.38 |
| DELHI | WPD DELHI | 370 | 16 | 12,879.00 |
| UTTARAKHAND | WPD DEHRADUN | 77 | 37 | 47,964.97 |
| HIMACHAL PRADESH | WPD SHIMLA | 89 | 37 | 1,97,843.74 |
| ODISHA | WPD BHUBANESWAR | 42 | 24 | 51,467.91 |
| MADHYA PRADESH | WPD GWALIOR | 346 | 72 | 49,431.90 |
| HARYANA | WPD DELHI | 38 | 2 | 12,464.00 |
| BIHAR | WPD PATNA | 2677 | 37 | 2,928 |
| GUJARAT | WPD GUJARAT | 566 | 142 | 73,669 |
| Total States = 11 | 11,954 | 2,169 | 3,193,466.69 |
|
STATES |
2015-16 |
2016-17 |
2017-18 |
2018-19 |
2019-20 |
2020-21 |
2021-22 |
2022-23 |
2023-24 |
2024-25 |
2025-2026 |
|
|
(sq. ft.) |
(sq. ft.) |
(sq. ft.) |
(sq. ft.) |
(sq. ft.) |
(sq. ft.) |
(sq. ft.) |
(sq. ft.) |
(sq. ft.) |
(sq. ft.) |
(sq. ft.) |
| Delhi |
6,890.00 |
5,989.00 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Madhya Pradesh |
0 |
48,757.90 |
674 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Uttar Pradesh |
6,558.00 |
23,742.00 |
12,603.68 |
17,497.90 |
6,167.87 |
13,134.00 |
11,481 |
15,370.31 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Karnataka |
43,569.20 |
28,779.18 |
24,497.00 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Rajasthan |
15,679.60 |
65,111.36 |
2,68,304.98 |
1,10,492.91 |
445,575 |
36,604.41 |
2,90,684 |
1,308,966 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Himachal Pradesh |
43,058.89 |
1,54,784.85 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Haryana |
0 |
12,464.00 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Uttarakhand |
0 |
0 |
47,119.97 |
845 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Odisha |
0 |
0 |
2,464.91 |
49,003.00 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Bihar* |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
370.5 |
1,749 |
808.6 |
| Gujarat* |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
31, 722 |
41,947.39 |
|
Total |
1,15,755.69 |
3,39,628.29 |
3,55,664.54 |
1,77,838.81 |
4,51,742.87 |
49,738.41 |
3,02,164.93 |
1,324,336.33 |
370.5 |
33, 471 |
42,755.99 |
|
* – These are approximate figures as the survey of the state is under process. |
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DELHI:
The survey and documentation of wall painting sites was first initiated in 2015 in Delhi, where the head office is located. The survey team from the WPD HO surveyed 370 sites and found only 16 wall painting sites in the Delhi and NCR regions. The area of Delhi was divided into north, east, west, south, and central regions for systematic surveying, which began from Lodhi Gardens. Within the NCR region, only Gurugram was surveyed, which led to the discovery of a single wall painting site named Dayaram ki Chhatri. The total painted surface area documented was 12,879 sq.ft.
The survey has been completed, and the book is now available.
Safdarjung Tomb
UTTARAKHAND
The survey and documentation work in Uttarakhand began in April 2017 from Dehradun, the capital district. The survey team from WPD Dehradun, guided by Shri Lokesh Ohri, surveyed painting sites in 13 districts, but the paintings were discovered only in 4 districts, namely Dehradun, Haridwar, Almora and Chamoli. The survey was completed in a short span of 3 months, covering a total of 77 surveyed sites, out of which 37 wall painting sites were documented. Additionally, 4 rock art sites were found in the Almora and Chamoli districts. A total of 47,964.97 sq.ft. of painted surface area was discovered in the region.
The survey work has been completed. The book now stands published.
HIMACHAL PRADESH
The survey work in Himachal Pradesh was completed in a span of nine months, from January to September 2016. Out of the 12 districts, wall painting sites were found only in 10 districts, namely- Solan, Hamirpur, Mandi, Kullu, Kangra, Chamba, Lahaul and Spiti, Kinnaur, Sirmaur, and Una. The survey and documentation work were carried out by the WPD Shimla survey team, starting from Shimla, the capital town. A total of 89 surveyed sites, and 37 wall painting sites were documented, covering a painted surface area of approximately 1,97,843.74 sq.ft.
The survey work has been completed. The book is now published.
Radha Krishna Temple, Kangra
Phu Monastery, Lahaul Spiti
The Golden Temple (gSer-Lha-Khang), Tabo MonasteryRAJASTHAN
Rajasthan is by far the largest state which was documented for the WPD project. Led by Ms. Dharmendar Kanwar, Convenor, Rajasthan, the Jaipur survey team worked under her guidance. Based on the history of the state, the survey and documentation of this area were divided into various regions. The survey of the Jaipur Region was completed between December 2015 and January 2017, with a total of 358 sites surveyed, out of which 170 had wall paintings. The Marwar Region, which includes Barmer, Bikaner, Hanumangarh, Jaisalmer, Jalore, Jodhpur, Nagaur, Pali and Siroh, boasts 64 wall-painted sites out of the 215 sites that were surveyed in the region between November 2017 and August 2018. The sites in the Dhundhar Region (Ajmer, Alwar, Bharatpur, Dausa, Karauli, Sawai Madhopur and Tonk), on the other hand, were documented between February 2017- January 2019, with a total of 245 sites surveyed, out of which 120 sites had wall paintings. The Mewar Region, whose survey was conducted between February 2019 and January 2021, consisted of 82 wall-painted sites out of 225 surveyed sites. The Hadoti Region, i.e. Bundi, Kota, Baran, Jhalawar, was documented between December 2019 and March 2021 with a total of 99 surveyed sites, out of which 38 had wall paintings. The survey of the Shekhawati Region (Udaipur, Rajasamand, Bhilwara, Chittorgarh, Dungarpur, Pratapgarh, Banswara) has the largest number of wall paintings in the state, i.e., 855. The survey was carried out between July 2021 and October 2022.
The total number of sites surveyed adds up to 2722, out of which 1338 have wall paintings. The painted surface area documented is 25,41,418.21 sq.ft.
The survey work has been completed. A publication on Wall Painting Sites of Rajasthan (Jaipur Edition) was published and released in 2021. The other books, including Wall Painting Sites in Rajasthan (Dhundhar and Marwar region), are underway.
Shree Raghunath ji ka Mandir, Udaipur
Shree Gyan Gopal Ji Mandir, Ajmer
Chitrashala, Garh Palace, Bundi 
Kunj Bihari ji ka Mandir, JodhpurUTTAR PRADESH
The survey of Uttar Pradesh began in September 2015, from its capital city, Lucknow, and continued in other districts until it ended in Baghpat in June 2022. The survey team of WPD Lucknow, based in ICI Lucknow Centre, conducted the survey and documentation work within the region. The state was divided into four divisions, and survey work was initiated division-wise, starting with Awadh/Madhyanchal, Poorvanchal, Paschimanchal, and Bundelkhand. A total of 4885 sites were surveyed, out of which 385 wall painting sites were documented, covering a painted surface area of approximately 1,06,554.76 sq.ft.
The survey work has been completed. The publications are in the process.
KARNATAKA
The survey for Karnataka was conducted between January and February 2016. With the support of the ICI, Bengaluru Centre, 142 sites were surveyed. Out of these, 79 wall painting sites were discovered in the 19 districts across Karnataka, including Bangalore, Belgaum, Bellary, Bidar, Bijapur, Chamarajanagara, Chitradurga, Dakshin Kannada, Gadag, Hassan, Kodagu, Koppal, Mandya, Mysore, Raichur, Tumkur, Udupi, Uttara Kannada, and Yadgir. Additionally, rock art sites were also documented in the districts of Bagalkote, Bellary, Chitradurga, Koppal, Raichur, and Udupi. An area of approximately 96,845.38 sq.ft. of wall painting sites was covered.
The survey work has been completed. The publications are in the process.
Virupaksha Temple, Bellary
Sri Mutt, HassanMADHYA PRADESH
The survey and documentation work began in Madhya Pradesh in May 2016, starting from Bhopal. So far, the team has surveyed 13 districts, including Bhopal, Datia, Gwalior, Sheopur, Burhanpur, Tikamgarh, Chhatarpur, Panna, Bhind, Sagar, Satna and Rewa. During the survey, some rock art sites were discovered in the districts of Panna, Rewa, and Satna. The WPD Bhopal survey team surveyed a total of 346 sites, including 72 wall painting sites, and found a painted surface area of approximately 49,431.90 sq.ft.
The survey work has been completed. The publication is in process.
ODISHA
The survey and documentation of Odisha began in October 2017 and continued till March 2018. A total of 42 sites were surveyed, and 24 wall painting sites were discovered. An area of 51,467.91 sq. ft. of painted surface area was documented by the survey team.
HARYANA
The survey and documentation of Haryana began in July 2016. A total of 38 sites were surveyed, out of which only 2 sites had wall paintings. An approximate area of 12,464 sq. ft. of the painted surface was documented.
BIHAR
The survey work in Bihar was initiated in 2023. So far, 2,677 sites have been surveyed, out of which 37 sites had wall paintings. Approximately 2,928 sq.ft. of painted surface area has been discovered so far.
Or
Survey work in Bihar was initiated in 2023 which is still on-going.
Bihari ji ka Mandir, BuxarGUJARAT
The survey work in Gujarat was initiated in 2024. A total of 566 sites have been surveyed, out of which 142 sites had wall paintings. Till now, 73,669 sq.ft. of painted surface area has been documented.
Or
Survey work in Gujarat was initiated in 2024 which is still on-going.
Tambekar Wada, Vadodara
Tambekar Wada, Vadodara
Tambekar Wada, Vadodara
