The National Maritime Heritage Complex (NMHC) at Lothal represents one of the most ambitious cultural infrastructure projects undertaken in independent India. Conceived as a world-class maritime museum and cultural destination, the project has the potential to showcase India’s maritime traditions, ancient trade networks and civilisational links with the world. However, if NMHC ultimately functions only as a museum, India would miss a historic opportunity.
NMHC must evolve into India’s Maritime Heritage Command Centre.
India possesses a coastline exceeding 7,500 kilometres, numerous ancient ports, submerged settlements, shipwrecks, maritime traditions, coastal communities and a civilisational relationship with the Indian Ocean stretching back several millennia. Yet the country lacks a central institution that integrates research, exploration, conservation, policy, training and public outreach in the field of maritime heritage.
Museums preserve the past. Command centres shape the future.
The history of Indian maritime archaeology itself demonstrates this need. From the underwater investigations at Dwarka and Bet Dwarka to explorations in the Gulf of Khambhat, Lakshadweep, Goa and the eastern coast, several important discoveries have been made during the last four decades. However, these initiatives have largely remained project-based, institution-specific and dependent upon individual researchers or agencies.
India requires a permanent institutional framework.
NMHC can fulfil this role by functioning through five major pillars.
First, it should become a national research centre for maritime heritage studies. Dedicated research divisions in underwater archaeology, ancient navigation, coastal settlements, maritime trade, cultural landscapes and heritage management can generate new knowledge and support universities across the country.
Second, NMHC should serve as India’s underwater cultural heritage coordination centre. At present, underwater archaeology activities are scattered among different organisations. A central body can maintain databases, develop standards, coordinate surveys and formulate national priorities.
Third, it must become a training and capacity-building institution. India requires maritime archaeologists, conservators, scientific divers, GIS specialists, heritage managers and digital documentation experts. NMHC can establish specialised training programmes in collaboration with universities, the Indian Navy, the Coast Guard and international institutions.
Fourth, the complex should house conservation laboratories, digital archives and heritage repositories. Artefacts recovered from underwater environments require specialised conservation facilities that presently remain limited in India.
Finally, NMHC should emerge as India’s principal centre for international cooperation in maritime heritage. UNESCO’s emphasis on underwater cultural heritage, climate change and ocean governance presents an opportunity for India to contribute intellectual leadership from an Indic perspective.
The case of Dwarka illustrates why such an approach is necessary. Dwarka is not merely an archaeological site, a religious centre or a submerged settlement. It represents the intersection of mythology, faith, cultural memory, underwater archaeology, tourism and heritage management. Similar complexities exist at several other coastal sites across India. Their effective management demands interdisciplinary thinking.
Lothal itself offers a powerful lesson. The ancient city was not merely a dockyard. It was an urban settlement, a manufacturing centre, a trade hub and a node within wider maritime networks. The modern NMHC should similarly function as a dynamic ecosystem rather than a static exhibition space.
India has successfully established institutions such as ISRO, the Archaeological Survey of India and the National Museum Institute to advance specific national objectives. Maritime heritage deserves comparable institutional attention. As India increasingly projects itself as a maritime nation under the vision of SAGAR and the Blue Economy, cultural heritage must become an integral part of maritime policy.
The inauguration of NMHC should therefore not mark the completion of a museum project. It should mark the beginning of a national maritime heritage mission.
If NMHC becomes merely a collection of galleries, its impact will remain limited. But if it becomes India’s Maritime Heritage Command Centre, it can guide research, influence policy, train future professionals, strengthen cultural diplomacy and position India as a global leader in maritime heritage.
The question is not whether India needs another museum.
The question is whether India is prepared to build an institution worthy of its maritime civilisation.
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Dr. Vikrant Pandya
India’s First Ph.D. in Maritime Heritage Management