UOS Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities (ISSN # 2224-2341)
UOSJSSH, Volume: 7, No. 1
Impacts of the Partition on Cultural Heritage of the Subcontinent
Mubashra Shaheen
Assistant Professor of Political Science
Govt. Graduate College for Women, Jhelum, Pakistan.
Email:
[email protected]
Abstract
Cultural heritage of subcontinent covers a variety of tangible and intangible cultural
attributes. A cherished culture gives a sense of pride and identity to the present as well as
future generations of the country. Subcontinent is a land of magnificent architectural
monuments, art and archives, names and nomenclature, fiction and literary works.
Partition of Subcontinent in 1947 due to atrocious British Rule left bloody marks on
cultural heritage of subcontinent as it caused mass migration and annihilated victims of
partition and cultural assets across the borders. These pains of partition have been
reflected in language and literature of both countries. After partition, governments and
people of diverse communities did not pay much heed to respect and safeguard the cultural
heritage of each other. Religious and communal disharmony left striking marks on cultural
homogeneity among different segments of society after partition in the subcontinent.
Present study is highly significant as it will come up with the best possible outcomes for
preservation of cultural heritage in the subcontinent especially by eliminating the scares of
religious antagonism and communal riots caused by the process of partition. The study has
followed the exploratory and qualitative methodology for the research.
Key Words: Impacts, Partition, Culture, Heritage, Subcontinent.
Introduction
Cultural heritage is the legacy of a number of tangible and intangible attributes of communities
inherited from the past generations, maintained and preserved for future generations. The word
“Culture” derived from a French term “colere” (Kumar) symbolizes people’s way of life,
religion, food, dress, language, music, art etc. Cultural heritage brings to mind paintings,
drawings, sculptures, historical monuments as well as archeological sites. It is not only confined
to material objects but the non-material elements such as traditions, rituals, performing art and
skills transferred from ancestors to present decedents.
Unique culture of subcontinent has been greatly influenced by ancient civilizations. The
tangible culture encompasses archeological sites of the Hakra-Indus Civilization to Harrapan
sites. The intangible heritage is rich with oral poetic and literary creations, the alluring music as
well as the rich folk traditions and value system depicting life style of the communities of
subcontinent.
To preserve distinguished heritage of subcontinent is the foremost and collective
responsibility of both governments and communities of Pakistan and India. International
community is equally responsible to preserve this shared heritage of humankind. But concerted
efforts to preserve these historical and cultural legacies have not been made at government level
by both states.
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Mubashra Shaheen
This paper has been divided into following five sections: (1) Historical Background of
Cultural Heritage in Subcontinent (2) Cultural Heritage of Subcontinent: An overview (3)
Partition of Subcontinent 1947 (4) Impacts of partition on Cultural Heritage in Subcontinent (5)
Conservation/Preservation of cultural heritage in Subcontinent.
Historical Background of Cultural Heritage in Subcontinent
Before partition, subcontinent was full of natural as well as physical beauty in terms of
mountains and rivers with multiple climates having deep influence on the regional culture.
Region has been under invasion from the Aryans, the Dravidians, the Parthians, the Greeks, the
Sakas, the Kushans, the Huns, the Turks, the Afghans, and the Mongols who brought their
distinguished cultural attributes resulting in amalgamation with Indian culture which gave rise to
Indian Valley Civilization (Naqvi, Ibrar, & Bangash, 2011).
The civilization evolved between the time periods of 2500BC to 1700BC. Its two major
cities Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro were excavated in 1921 and 1922 respectively. Excavations
have revealed that the two cities were scientifically well developed with brick houses and had
well established sanitation and transport system. Other notable objects such as copper coins,
ancient jewelry, standing figures and many other artifacts were also spotted. The civilization
belongs to the Bronze Age and somehow is related to the civilizations of Egypt and
Mesopotamia. Later in subcontinent, arrived the Gandhara civilization in the era of 600BC to
500AD (Carmichael). It comprises certain cities of KPK and Taxila in Punjab then all the way to
Afghanistan. Buddhism originated in this area and multiple dynasties that came over in this
region adopted it as religion. This era is marked with the arrival of Alexander the great and later
the great prince Asoka. The ruins found by archeologist, rock carvings and the silk route confirm
the existence of Gandhara civilization in the subcontinent (Härtel, &Yaldiz, 1982).
Islam entered India during 711AD with the arrival of the Arabs in subcontinent as
conquerors. This era is marked with the arrival of Muhammad bin Qasim. The Arabs built
mosques in the area referred as Mansura. The most ancient mosque of south Asia was developed
in the region of Bhambore by Arabs. Excavations revealed Arab coins, remains of mosques and
other relics. Mahmud of Ghazni entered the subcontinent in 1000AD. He was known as the idol
breaker and thus the Hindu culture of worshipping idols disappeared as Islam was accepted in
the religious and cultural lives of the people. The Delhi sultanate originated in 1206AD and was
founded by Qutub Uddin Aibek. The tomb of Rukh-ne-Alam was built in this era, which is
described as the “One of the most splendid memorials ever created in the honor of the dead”
(Sultana, & Ahmad, 2015) was built in 1320AD by Ghiyass Uddin Muhammad Tughluq.
The Mughal era was founded by Zaheer Uddin Mohammad Babur which is marked with
rich culture, including architecture, literature, calligraphies, music and paintings. The text of
Holy Quran was carved in this time. Most of the cultural heritage of subcontinent belongs to this
period including Taj Mahal, Badshahi Mosque, Rohtas fort and many others. The Mughal era
brought about the concept of Sufism.
The Muslim empire ended in 1858 and the subcontinent then came under the rule of
British crown. British introduced western culture and influenced the architecture, mode of
paintings and other heritage of the subcontinent and were almost considered as aliens by Hindus
and Muslims. They developed departments of archeology which worked under the supervision of
Sir John Marshall and Sir Mortimer Wheeler and excavated relics and remains of early
civilizations of the subcontinent. During British rule, railways tracks, sea ports, offices, banks
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Impacts of Partition on the Cultural Heritage of the Subcontinent
and educational institutions were built. The British rule came to an end by 1947 and thus the
subcontinent was divided between two nations Hindus and Muslims.
Cultural Heritage of the Subcontinent: An Overview
Subcontinent was very rich in cultural heritage called as “Sa Prathma sanskrati
vishvavara” (Ali, Sandhu, & Chan, 2016) meaning “The first and supreme culture in the world.”
The subcontinent consisted of Muslim majority – Pakistan, Bangladesh and Hindu majorityIndia (All three of these are now independent states). Each of these had very rich cultural
heritage irrespective of cultural beliefs.
The Indian architecture has been evolving by constantly absorbing the new ideas. Having
looked at the history, the Buddhist and Hindu temples were considered as the fine example of
architecture of the time. As the time passed, different invaders kept on invading this land but
with the advent of Islam in this region the Indian architecture adopted a new style. Taj Mahal,
Gol Gumbaz, Qutub Minar, Red Fort of Delhi in India and Badshahi Mosque, Alamgiri Gate,
Mohabbat Khan Mosque, Shah-Jahan Mosque and many other architectural monuments in
Pakistan are considered as the greatest creations of the time.
Taj Mehal was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in the memory of his queen
Arjumandbano Begum and titled “Mumtaz Mehal.” Humanyun’s tomb, built by Mughal emperor
Humayun, in 1570 in Delhi is known as the first ever garden-tomb in subcontinent which keeps
great importance in evolution of Mughal architectural history. A sacred Jammia Masjid built by
the emperor Shah Jahan in 1650 is amongst the top most visited place for Muslims in India.
Qutub Minar, a famous historical monument with magnificent structure was named after Khwaja
Qutub Uddin Bakhtiyar Kaki. Its Construction was started by Qutub Uddin Aibak in 1199 and
completed by his successor, Iltutmish (Dar, 2019).
Lal Mahal or Kushak-i-Lal was built by Ghiyas Uddin Balban (1266-1286 AD). "Lal
Mahal was constructed with red sandstone, over a plinth comprising a central domed room, with
a verandah having a flat roof supported by pillars and lintels." Goraknath Temple in Gorkhatri
area of Peshwar, Pakistan is dedicated to Guru Gorakhnath who founded the Kanphata Jogi order
at Tilla Jogian in the first century BC. Hindu women and children started visiting this temple
when it was reopened after a petition in the Peshawar High Court by Phool Wati, the daughter of
the shrine's cleric. Gurdwara Panja Sahib, a famous shrine in Hasan Abdal, Pakistan is important
as the handprint of Guru Nanak, founder of Sikhism, is believed to be imprinted on a boulder at
the gurdwara which is visited twice a year by Sikh pilgrims across the globe (Johnson, 2015).
Partition of the Subcontinent in 1947
Before partition in 1947, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh were included in Indian
subcontinent but today they are autonomous states. India got independence from British rule, due
to hostilities among Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs living in the country. The partition dislocated
around 14 million people, creating refugee crises, large scale violence, bloodshed, massacre,
religious antagonism among communities e.g., Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs. There was large
scale mass-migration in the history of the World, approximately 12 to 15 million people in
human history; almost 200,000 to 500,000 people were killed and nearly 75000 women in the
process of migration, loot and communal riot (Baixas, 2008).The savage and unrelenting
partition not only influenced the tranquility and regional stability of South Asia but also arose
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Mubashra Shaheen
serious socio-political and economic issues between India and Pakistan while affecting the
innocent Indian culture sorely.
As the subcontinent was separated by the demarcation of boundaries, it resulted in the
division of cultural heritage of the two nations. The descendants of those who innovated and
enriched the cultural life of Muslims in the subcontinent were now divided partly into people of
India and Pakistan. The heritage of the two countries is not only bound to what came in their
geographical territories but it also referred to everything noble and historical that was the part of
Muslim India.
Impacts of Partition on Cultural Heritage of the Subcontinent
The partition of Indian subcontinent was an annihilating event for both Pakistan and
India. The impacts of partition were quite traumatic as it caused the large-scale migration of
people and was the root cause of violence among the people. Communal riots took place
throughout the country and the law-and-order situation worsen. Hindu and Muslims destroyed
cultural heritage of one another as reactions to the cruelties caused during partition. Holy Places
were burnt and people were killed. Women were kidnapped and raped. The people who were
living together for thousands of years became the worst enemies of each other. Moreover, those
who after suffering these great hardships reached India and Pakistan had to face the great social
and economic problems. Among the worst victims of ruthless partition, cultural heritage is
considered as one of the sufferers. Before Partition all Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and other
minorities have the same culture but due to the partition it undergoes the transition at the large
scale. The partition of India cast its shadows on the social and political lives of people as well as
on the cultural heritage of Indian subcontinent.
Architectural Demolitions and Negligence
Pains of partition had not been removed from the minds of communities in subcontinent
so cultural and religious heritage sites were targeted during communal violence. With 298
dargahs, 205 mosques, 17 temples and three churches (Hole, 2013)were either demolished or
destroyed in just two months. A famous old mosque in Isanpur, a monument, was destroyed.
Dargah of renowned Urdu Poet Wali Gujarati was dashed to the ground at Shahi Baugh in
Ahmadabad.
Somanatha temple, a great symbol of colonial period was also destroyed by the Muslim
ruler Mahmud Ghazanvi in a raid in Gujrat. Famous Babri Masjid was demolished on 6th
December, 1992 by Kar Sevaks of the Ayodhya Movement supported by Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP), and other Hindu right-wing organizations. The demolition was seen against the Muslim
segments of society showing hatred among the communities of Hindus and Muslims. Hindus
violated and ignored historical monuments of Islamic traditions in India.
Tipu Sultan’s armory at Srirangapatna was moved by 100meters to make way for railway
line to connect Bengaluru and Mysore (Rajani, & Rajani, 2021). However, unfortunately Tipu’s
armory has not been declared a protected monument yet. Devarakonda Reddy, president of
Karnataka Ithihasa Academy, said that the armory in Bengaluru is highly neglected and has
turned into a public lavatory dismaying historians and cultural heritage which is identity of
glorious past of the subcontinent (Ahmed, 1997).
The spacious building of Taj Mehal attracts everyone towards itself. It has great importance in
the history of subcontinent. After partition, India was bestowed with this artifact but the Indian
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Impacts of Partition on the Cultural Heritage of the Subcontinent
bureaucratic incompetence and negligence led to destroy India’s great monument. Large part of
the Jamia Masjid is damaged due to environmental and social hazards which are threat to 20,000
worshippers who come there daily but the government of India did not take actions for its
preservation (Sutton, 2007).
Lal Mahal or Kushak-i-Lal built by Ghiyas Uddin Balban was encroached upon and used
as a residence. Ajmer Sharif, Dargah of Muslims in India was under serious security threats. In
year 2015 there was a bomb threat creating chaos. Such incidents could create insecure
environment for minority communities in India, claimed by spiritual head
of Ajmer Sharif Dargah (Asher, Asher, & Asher,1992). Taj Mahal in Agra constructed by
Mughal emperor Shah Jahan is regarded as a “Jewel of Muslim art in India”. The building is
conserved by the Indian government just for economic gains as it is the site of great tourist
attraction (Sekhar, 2003). Recently the building has turned yellow due to pollution so the
government planted Taj trapezium zone for its preservation. The tomb of Alexander the Great
located in Alexandria city was robbed and attacked several times and was also flooded away by
tsunami. There is no definite record and traces of the tomb due to inability of the authorities to
preserve it.
On the other hand, historical places of Hindu art and architecture are highly neglected in
Pakistan. After partition, most Hindu temples of Punjab were taken over by migrants (Khan,
2017) or property grabbers. There were rare efforts by the locals to preserve the sanctity of the
temple depicting Hindu art and culture. The Rohtas fort located in Jhelum, Pakistan built by the
Mughal emperor Sher Shah Suri went under major destruction and remained ruined until 2006.
Later, the Himalayan Wildlife Foundation (HWF) with the funds provided by USAID worked on
the renovation of fort. Previously the fort was used by the people to defecate because of the
unavailability of proper toilets. The site was deteriorated. The HWF built proper night lights and
toilets in the surrounding areas. The ministry of culture did not support the renovation of the fort
and thus it was worn out by 2010 due to negligence of governing authorities (Araujo, 2010).
Katas Raj Temple located in the district of Chakwal is one of the sacred places of Hindus.
Many temples built within it are being renovated by Pakistan’s government. Recently the
Supreme Court of Pakistan has ordered (Bowman, 2021) cement factories in Chakwal to fill the
pond of the temple with fresh and purified water thus to preserve the worship places of
minorities. Gurdwara Panja Sahib is the place of worship of Sikhs located in the city of Hassan
Abdal. In 1960, government of Pakistan under the act of rights of minorities conserved the place
and in response to it many Sikhs migrated from India to Pakistan but still it needs renovation and
preservation.
There are many other historical sites which suffered demolition and destruction because
of communal violence caused by pains of partition. The illegal and unauthorized constructions
against the protective wall of the Shalimar Garden are damaging the art and beauty of this site.
Badshahi Mosque is somehow maintained as it is the site of tourist attraction. The Varundev
temple in Manora, Karachi which was abandoned after the incident of Babri Masjid is now being
restored. Whereas the gurdhwara in Manora is preserved by the government and is open for Sikh
communities to perform prayers (Khalid, 2016). The Baoli Wala Mandir located on the Jhelum
Road is in bad state (Jawad, & Arif, 2009). The area where the idol placed is deserted and no
efforts are made for its preservation. The shiva temple in Behra is another site that is isolated
(Menon, 2013)). This negligence of cultural heritage is due to the inability of the governing
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authorities of the two states who are unable to procure and preserve the heritage of ancestors.
These conditions indicate towards the negative influences of partition of the subcontinent.
Literary Creations
Bloody riots during partition were reflected in literary creations (Parveen, 2017) in terms
of massacres during the migration and difficulties faced by the refugees in both countries. Bhatia
Nandi in his article Twentieth Century Hindi Literature gives details regarding the human cost of
independence and partition. Forgotten Atrocities by Bal. K. Gupta, Toba Tek Singh by Saadat
Hassan Manto, Urdu poems such as Subh-e-Azadi by Faiz Ahmad Faiz, A Bend in the
Ganges (1965), and Bapsi Sidhwa's Ice-Candy Man (1988), were great literary works depicting
the importance of independence, mass annihilation during partition process and untiring struggle
for freedom (Escherle, 2013). Salman Rushdie's novel Midnight's Children (1980) highlighted
magical attributes of children who born on the night of Independence. Freedom at
Midnight (1975), a non-fiction work by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre , depicted the
event occurring on the Independence Day celebrations in 1947 in chronological order.
Cinematic Reflections
Process of Partition and atrocities not only affected writers but also affected Cinema, film
and music industry in both countries. Roy, Anjali Gera mentioned in his work “Partitioned Lives:
Narratives of Home, Displacement and Resettlement (Ghosh, 2015) that Nemai
Ghosh's Chinnamul (Bengali) (1950), Dharmputra (1961) Lahore (1948),Chhalia (1956), Nastik
(1953) Garm Hava (1973) and Tamas(1987) were based on pre and post partition scenario. A
number of films including Train to Pakistan (1998), Khamosh Pani (2003), Pinjar (2003),
Partition (2007), and Viceroy's House (2017) were made to highlight the atrocities and pains of
partition and mass migration (Imran, 2021). The biographical films Gandhi (1982) and Jinnah
(1998) were based on towering characters of partition. Daastan, a Pakistani drama, highlights the
miseries of Muslim women being raped during partition.
Artistic Depictions
The art of the Indian subcontinent suffered a lot after the partition. In the events of
partition, many sculptures and paintings on both sides of the border were lost; consequently,
cultural heritage of the states suffered a huge blow. Many Hindu and Muslim artists were badly
influenced by this traumatic incident and thus conveyed their feeling and the situation of the
subcontinent at the time of partition by their sketches and paintings. The classical art disappeared
after partition and was replaced by the modern arts. In Pakistan the miniature style of painting
with some modifications is present and in India the classical Indian styles of painting are present.
Partition of the Indian subcontinent has been largely addressed from a political and
historical perspective only. Often related to shame or volatile refugee situations, personal
accounts of the partition and women’s plight remained taboo subjects. More recently, endeavors
have been undertaken to focus on the nature of human experience, lending voice to those who
were and continue to be affected by this tragedy. Other attempts have been initiated to introduce
the “Partition in the sphere of the visual arts (Nasar, & Dadi, 2012).”
Aanchal Malhotra and Sharlene Bamboat, two emerging South Asian Canadian artists,
began to develop artistic projects in link with the partition, more specifically addressing how it
had affected their families. Then, a series of challenges pose themselves; how is it possible to
make the Partition visible? How does one introduce into the present such traumatic
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Impacts of Partition on the Cultural Heritage of the Subcontinent
circumstances, which can be related to what Jacques Lacan calls the real? Without answering
these complex questions, it is necessary to state that none of the artists has intended to represent
this troubling historical event through visual components (Scott,1994). Instead, their intentions
stress the importance of memory transmission, beet fictional or real, as a healing process across
generations, and the necessity to question and transcend various types of borders that have had
an impact on their surrounding environment. The selected compilation of eclectic data by
Malhotra, collected mostly through interviews conducted on both sides of the Pakistani-Indian
border in the cities of Delhi and Lahore, acts as a tribute to the first generation of people who
experienced partition. Dr. Trishanjit Kaur, elaborates in his work entitled “1947 Partition
Archive: Preserving Memories of Partition in India”, that “The Archive has been preserving oral
histories of partition witnesses since 2010. Over 3000 stories have been preserved on digital
video from 320 cities in 12 countries across the world in different languages and a plan to record
10,000 stories by end of 2017 (Kaur, & Kaur, 2017).
Socio-Cultural Diversity
Since the Partition, traditions and customs of both Pakistan and India are influenced by
each other. The formation of geographical borders reinforcing the cultural diversity and
assimilation made the societies into dynamic ones, ensuring social development over the
generations. However, it has also caused irreparable damage to the culture of the
subcontinent.Persian was considered as the heart of languages in the Indian subcontinent. Right
after partition the Indians developed an insight that Persian is the heritage of Muslims and so was
replaced by Hindi and Sanskrit. Sanskrit was the “Deva Bhasha” (Khan, 2013) for Hindus
whereas Hindi was introduced in literature by Muslim emperors but it was soon ignored because
of its unworthy speech. Urdu was a symbol of Hindu-Muslim unity but its importance was
declined by Hindus. At the Nagpur session in 1940, Gandhi said, “Urdu was developed by the
Muslim kings. It is for the Muslims to develop it, if they so desire.”
The music and dance of the countries have also been modified a lot since the partition.
Although the roots of these arts for both the countries are the same, Pakistanis now condemn the
use of the art forms as worship, and refuse to recognize dances like kathak as their own. The
original heritage of the country has been forsaken due to hatred, while additions are being made
which are not their own. In addition, before partition, Muslims and Hindus used to dance and
sing in religious festivals together normally. However, after partition, it is considered a taboo to
dance in Hindu festivals like Holi in the present Pakistani society. The most important
developments in music in the subcontinent were done by Muslims, and the partition left such
households in India. These, called Gharaanas, are now in India which make most of the music
and awe-inspiring poetry in present day in India. It can be said that the partition bestowed India
with cultural gems with respect to music and poetry.
The attire of the two nations changed after partition and later became the national dress.
Before partition the dress common between males was Sherwani but after partition, Hindus
adopted kurta and lungi whereas the dress code of Muslims remained Shalwar kameez. Among
females, Sari was very common before partition and after partition, resulted in the adoption of
shalwar kameez and dupatta by Muslim females. Thus, the partition even influenced the apparels
of the people of subcontinent.
Partition was basically demanded on the basis of religion as extremist Hindu communityimposed restrictions on Azaan and on the slaughtering of cows. Thus, Pakistan was created on
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Mubashra Shaheen
the name of Islam, a religion that provides complete code of conduct of life. Whereas, Hindus
continued to practice Hinduism, the oldest religion of India. Thus, the separation of religions was
however a positive impact of partition. The celebration of festivals also changed after the event
of partition. Muslims mainly celebrate three festivals of Eid-ul Fitr, Eid-ul-Adha and Eid Miladun-Nabi (PBUH). Whereas Hindus celebrate Holi, Diwali and many other events of pujas. Both
the nations celebrate festivals according to their cultures. Dietary habits have also been
influenced by their religious and cultural tastes. Before partition Muslims were not allowed to
slaughter the cow and thus, they were forced to eat the vegetables and fruits. But after partition,
the diet patterns of people changed and they shifted from solely vegetarian diet to both
vegetarian and non-vegetarian diet.
The partition also caused new ethnicities to be born, adding in the cultural heritage of the
subcontinent. Most important of these are the Muhajirs on both sides of the borders, the people
most affected by the segregation of 1947. They have a separate identity in Pakistan as Urdu
speakers and are often called as rejected people from India. Similarly, the partition created the
ethnicity of Sindhis in India, who had no area to claim their own. Through hard times they
survived and grew as one, establishing and strengthening the Sindhi community in India. Such
attitudes have been cultivated due to extremism which has been generated in the countries since
the animosity of partition.
Conservation/Preservation of Cultural Heritage in Subcontinent
Conserving cultural heritage is imperative as recognition of the necessity of the past and
so that future generations are bestowed with similar benefits of self-discovery by learning of the
history. The demolition of historical monuments and cultural objects cause irreparable damage to
the heritage sites of the countries. So, both Pakistan and Indian governments should take critical
actions to preserve and remember the glorious heritage. cultural heritage should be preserved for
research purposes, so that nations continue to discover about their days of past, thus
strengthening their unity and identity and broadening the scope of their knowledge .It can be
inferred that intellectuals from both federations, media, state governmental institutions
,Ministries of Culture and Archives, NGOs and individuals should contribute to the existing
cultural diversity that is shared across borders and protect it (from attacks both external and
internal) through combined efforts, by forsaking the past loathing for good, so that the identity of
the nations is brought back from the cusp of endangerment and loss as it is rightly said that time
does not obliterate tradition unless tradition is given up by the people themselves through
forgetfulness or suppression by invaders.
Conclusion
Cultural Heritage is often expressed as way of living developed and transferred from
generation to generation, including norms, values and artistic depictions. Cultural heritage is
based on tangible and intangible elements. Tangible heritage identifies physical objects as
buildings, monuments or landscapes but intangible heritage includes customs, traditions and oral
history. Mostly this is perceived through cuisine, dresses, traditional skills, religious festivals and
performing artsetc. Subcontinent has vast treasure of cultural heritage which has been from prehistoric times one of the richest and most worked on heritages in the world. It comprises of its
architectural magnificent designs and monuments, glorious art, books, language, knowledge,
ethnicities, historical remains, practices, traditions, rituals cuisine etc. The partition of Indian
8
Impacts of Partition on the Cultural Heritage of the Subcontinent
Subcontinent in 1947 was the apocalyptic event that had the horrifying impacts on Cultural
heritage as it caused the mass destruction, violence, communal riots and ravaged both the
countries. The architectural monuments were destroyed in both the countries and the literature
was used as a tool to intricate the relationships of Muslims and Hindus by inculcating in their
mind’s hatred for each other. Pains of partition were reflected in literature, art, paintings and
sculptures, movies, writings, documentaries etc. Cultural heritage of a society provides it with a
sense of identity and unity by acting as a peep hole in the past. Cultural heritage helps
communities remember their cultural diversities and its understanding develops mutual respect
and co-operation with different countries. So, it is the need of the time that Hindus and Muslims
must develop certain policies to preserve the cultural legacy of each other. This consequently
will lead to the development of their respective countries in almost all aspects of their national
prosperity.
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