Project Mausam: Maritime Routes and Cultural Landscapes, is a multi-disciplinary project of Ministry of Culture, Government of India. It aims to explore the multifaceted Indian ocean region and to revive the long-lost ties among the nations of Indian Ocean by building new bridges of cooperation and exchange. One of the main goals of project is to showcase the maritime cultural landscapes across the Indian Ocean as a trans-national property on the World Heritage List of UNESCO. The project Mausam was launched on June 20, 2014 at the 38th session of World Heritage Committee at Doha, Qatar.
Background:
The word Mausam’ (or Arabic word ‘Mawsim’) refers to a season when ships could sail safely. That particular season is a result of distinctive wind-system of the Indian Ocean region, which follows a regular pattern: southwest from May to September; and northeast from November to March. It is popularly known as Monsoon today. Indian and Arabian people had knowledge of this wind-system since ancient times. They utilized it for easier movement of people and goods across the Indian Ocean. It not only helped in trade, but also facilitated the exchange of culture, values, ideas, and religious practices.
The Project Mausam will explore and document the diversity of cultural, commercial and religious interactions in the Indian Ocean. It will promote research on themes related to the study of Indian Ocean Maritime Routes. Project Mausam will cover Africa, Arabian Peninsula, Indian subcontinent, Sri Lanka and the Southeast Asian archipelago (look the map below).
Components & Goals of Mausam:
The project Mausam is a purely cultural project. It has two major units: Project Research and World Heritage Nomination. The Archaeological Society of India (ASI) is the nodal agency of Project Mausam. The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) works as the Research Unit in this project.
Goals of Mausam:
- Reviving lost linkages with nations: Revive ancient links between countries of Indian Ocean through documenting and celebration of common cultural values and economic ties.
- Creating links to existing World Heritage sites: Providing a platform to connect discrete Cultural and Natural World Heritage sites across the Indian Ocean ‘world’ by providing a cross-cultural, transnational narrative.
- Redefining Cultural Landscapes: Identifying and filling gaps in listing of sites by providing a holistic, multi-layered perspective and drawing relationships between the existing categories of ‘Natural’ and ‘Cultural’ Heritage.
- Transnational nomination under World Heritage: Promoting ‘Indian Ocean Maritime Routes’ as transnational nomination to the World Heritage List of UNESCO.
Activities:
- Establishment of documentation and research standards for all the component sites.
- Capacity building on documentation standards, geophysical survey methods and Maritime Routes.
- Improving partnerships and development of networks between institutions and experts of the sub-regional and world.
- Project nomination preparation through a series of workshops.
- Digitization of archives.
Some themes of Project Mausam:
- Coastal Architecture as Cultural Landscapes
- Underwater Cultural Heritage
- The world of the sailing ship
- Spice Route trade and cultural products linked to it
- Pilgrimage and Religious Travel across the Ocean.
- Movable Heritage and Artifacts
- Maritime Museums