ANCIENT MONUMENTS AND HERITAGE SITES IN SOUTH INDIA

The Ministry of Culture reports that 1,100 monuments and heritage sites in South India are declared of national importance and are maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). State‑wise counts are: Andhra Pradesh 136, Karnataka 506, Kerala 30, Puducherry 7, Tamil Nadu 412, Telangana 9. ASI conducts periodic inspections and undertakes maintenance, preservation, restoration and conservation activities under the National Conservation Policy, 2014, stating that no protected monument is deteriorating. Financial allocations and expenditures (in ₹ crores) for the last five years are: 2021‑22 56.64/56.44, 2022‑23 94.48/94.48, 2023‑24 97.83/97.83, 2024‑25 67.48/67.44, 2025‑26 79.89/79.89. ASI also promotes community participation through heritage walks, lectures, exhibitions, competitions, guided tours and outreach programmes, and provides visitor amenities such as drinking water, toilets, Braille signage, QR‑code information, souvenir shops and sound‑and‑light shows at high‑footfall sites.