Figure 46 Monumentality across India- Pakistan Border

MONUMENTALITY ACROSS BORDERS: A SYMBOL OF UNITY

Man's proclivity to build monumental structures has been observed from time immemorial.

“Research suggests that the revival of the monolith signals a distinct change in global political philosophy.”

According to Carpo, the term "monument" had previously fallen out of favor in favor of the gentler "memorial. Monuments and memorials serve different purposes; memorials serve as a memorial to victims or tragedies rather than lionizing individuals or deeds or reinforcing national pride. Carpo cites the Eiffel Tower in Paris as an example of technological prowess. He goes on to say that the only modern Parisian attraction that comes close to being as popular is a memorial to Lady Diana, a much-loved former British royal, who died in a car accident. Suffering the aftershocks of two devastating World Wars, citizens were acutely aware of nationalism's destructive power, particularly given its role in both wars. Focusing on losses, events, and tragedies kept the public's attention on the dangers of forgetting what nationalism had wrought. Thus, monumentality can serve as a symbol of cultural and socioeconomic unity not only for the mainland, but also at borderlands where neighbouring nations meet. The case of monumentality across the India-Pakistan border has been considered for a better understanding. (Sibi n.d.)

Such monuments are also common along the India-Pakistan border. Along the border, structures ranging from as small as a 5 sqm stone memorial to mega edifices such as border crossing point terminals spanning more than 250 000 sqm are visible. Thus, a study was conducted to map the location, typology, and time period of construction of these monuments in order to understand the framework of what has been built along the border and when, and thus what can be restored.

Figure 46 Monumentality across India- Pakistan Border This survey was carried out using Google Maps to locate and Google Earth to survey the aforementioned monuments. As a result, due to a lack of other source material, this is a nonexhaustive list of monumental structures within a radius of 15 kilometres (with some exceptions) of the international border and the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir.