Desk Correspondent , Leh - India is set to establish its first “Petroglyph Conservation Park” in Leh, Ladakh, with the foundation stone laid on 18 April, World Heritage Day. The park, inaugurated on the banks of the Indus River, aims to protect and showcase ancient rock carvings threatened by tourism, infrastructure development, and natural weathering Nearly 400 petroglyph sites have been identified across Ladakh, many along the Indus and Zanskar rivers. Vulnerable carvings will be carefully relocated to the park for safe display in a curated, educational environment.

Petroglyphs are prehistoric images and symbols engraved on rock surfaces, dating back to the Palaeolithic Age. In Ladakh, these carvings depict hunting scenes, animals like ibex and snow leopards, Buddhist symbols, stupas, and inscriptions in ancient languages including Sanskrit, Chinese, and Arabic. They serve as open-air museums, recording early human life, trade routes, migrations, and cultural transitions. The region boasts one of the richest collections of such rock art in South and Central Asia, making conservation an urgent priority.

Lt. Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena, who laid the foundation stone, highlighted the threats and the need for collective action. “Beyond natural weathering and climate stress, human activities, such as road construction, blasting of rocks, and unregulated tourism, pose serious risks to these petroglyphs. Conservation of these heritage sites must be treated as an ethical responsibility and integrated into development planning,” he said. He also described Ladakh as a “repository of ancient heritage” and the petroglyphs as “civilisations carved on stone,” urging locals, monks, and youth to become custodians of this legacy.