Lucknow: Lucknow will host a two-day international conference on “Riverine Civilisations and Conservation: UP and Adjacent Areas” on December 7 and 8, 2026, focusing on the preservation, management and development of Uttar Pradesh’s rich riverine, archaeological and cultural heritage.
The conference will centre on “Issues of Policy, Management and Development” and will be held at Visvesvaraya Hall, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University (AKTU), Jankipuram Extension, Lucknow. It is being jointly organised by the Directorate of State Archaeology, Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow, and the Faculty of Architecture and Planning at AKTU.
The event is being organised under the guidance of Tourism and Culture Minister Jaiveer Singh and Amrit Abhijat, Additional Chief Secretary, Culture, Tourism and Religious Affairs, Uttar Pradesh.
The river valleys of Uttar Pradesh and adjoining regions have historically played a major role in the development of human civilisation. The banks of the Ganga, Yamuna, Gomti, Ghaghra and Betwa have supported archaeological sites, historic cities, pilgrimage centres and cultural hubs. These river systems have also influenced settlement patterns, economic activity, social traditions and indigenous knowledge systems.
Experts will discuss the relationship between rivers and human civilisation, river-based archaeological landscapes, cultural memory, heritage and pilgrimage routes, traditional Indian knowledge systems, river conservation, floodplain management, disaster risk reduction, public participation and policies governing water systems.
The conference will have two broad themes. The first, “Archaeology, Heritage and Traditional Knowledge,” will cover archaeological landscapes, cultural memory, cultural and pilgrimage routes, heritage circuits and traditional Indian knowledge systems. The second, “Clean Rivers in Ancient Times: Governance and Policy Perspectives,” will examine community participation, stakeholder engagement, floodplain management, disaster risk reduction and policy and governance frameworks for water systems.
Archaeologists, historians, architects, conservation specialists, academics, researchers, planners and other experts from India and abroad are being invited to participate. Original and unpublished research papers are being sought. Abstracts of 300–500 words accompanied by five to six keywords may be submitted, while full papers should contain 5,000–6,000 words.
The deadline for submission of full research papers is October 30, 2026. Acceptance notifications will be issued on November 15, with revised papers to be submitted by November 30. The last date for registration is November 25, with a registration fee of ₹1,000.
Selected papers will be considered for publication in an upcoming volume of Pragdhara.
The conference is expected to provide a platform for national and international discussion on conserving Uttar Pradesh’s riverine civilisations and associated archaeological and cultural heritage, while exploring ways to strengthen the relationship between rivers, heritage, environment, society and development.
