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 Archeological 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. The oldest wall painting sites documented by the WPD team date back to the 7th century CE.
Present Status
Since its inception, the ten states have been covered by the project, namely Delhi, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Haryana, Orissa and Bihar. Out of these ten, survey work was completed for Delhi, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, with more than 8,000 sites surveyed and 1560 sites documented, the area covered is approximately 22,62,435.85 sqft.
| Name of State | Survey Status | Total Districts | Districts Surveyed | Total Sites Surveyed | Total Wall Painting Sites Found | Publication Name |
| UTTAR PRADESH | Completed | 75 | 75 | 4326 | 317 | Wall Painting Sites of Uttar Pradesh – Awadh Edition |
| RAJASTHAN | Completed | 33 | 33 | 2257 | 949 | Wall Painting Sites of Rajasthan – Jaipur Edition |
| KARNATAKA | Completed | 31 | 31 | 142 | 79 | In process – ‘Wall Painting Sites of Rajasthan – Dhundhar Edition (Vol. 2)’ |
| DELHI | Completed | 11 | 11 | 370 | 16 | Wall Painting Sites in Delhi |
| UTTARAKHAND | Completed | 13 | 13 | 77 | 37 | Wall Painting Sites of Uttarakhand |
| HIMACHAL PRADESH | Completed | 12 | 12 | 89 | 37 | Wall Painting Sites of Himachal Pradesh |
| ODISHA | Hold | 30 | 6 | 42 | 24 | NA |
| MADHYA PRADESH | Hold | 55 | 12 | 346 | 72 | NA |
| HARYANA | Hold | 22 | 1 | 38 | 2 | NA |
| BIHAR | On-going | 38 | 3 | 300 | 4 | NA |
Total Painted Surface Area (sqft approx)
Total WP – RA sites documented
Total Sites Surveyed vs. StateSurvey Record:
Rajasthan – Survey in all 33 districts of Rajasthan has been covered which led to the discovery of 949 wall painting sites. ‘Wall Painting Sites of Rajasthan – Jaipur Edition’ had been released in 2021 and focuses primarily on the wall painting sites in the region of Jaipur.
Modi Haveli, Jhunjhunu
Seksaria Well, Chirawa, Jhunjhunu
Ram Gopal Poddar ki Chhatri, Ramgarh, Sikar
Kuchaman Fort, Nagaur
Goyenka Haveli, Fatehpur
Shree Raghunath Temple, Bhindar, Udaipur
Natwar Temple, Ramgarh
Chitrashala, Garh Palace, Bundi
Uttar Pradesh – Survey work has been completed in the state of Uttar Pradesh in 2023. A total of 4326 sites have been surveyed and 317 sites have been documented.
Gulab Vatika
Mathura
Delhi – Survey work in Delhi ended in 2017 and brought into light 16 wall paintings
Himachal Pradesh – Survey work was completed in 2016 and a total of 89 sites were surveyed out of which only 37 comprised wall paintings.
Karnataka – Survey work was completed in 2018 and a total of 79 wall painting and rock art sites were brought into light.
Uttarakhand – Survey work ended in 2018 and a total of 37 wall painting and rock art sites have been brought forward.
Haryana – In Haryana, the survey was carried out by the WPD secretariat in which, only Gurugram district has been covered. Plans of surveying the other districts of Haryana in the near future has been underway.
Madhya Pradesh – In Madhya Pradesh, 12 districts have been surveyed by the MP Chapter of INTACH.
Odisha – In Odisha, 3 districts have been covered by the WPD Bhubaneswar survey team.
Bihar – Survey work in Bihar was initiated in 2023 which is still on-going and 3 states have been surveyed so far.
