British Association for Cemeteries in South Asia
Encyclopedia
British Association for Cemeteries in South Asia (BACSA) is an organisation founded in 1977 that seeks to maintain and record for posterity European cemeteries
in former South Asia
n territories of the East India Company
such as India
, Pakistan
and Malaysia.
. They provide financial aid to people in these areas who are willing to restore European cemeteries. They state that it is only by the impetus for restoration coming from the local community, that there is a chance that the old cemeteries will survive, and not relapse back into ruin and desolation in a few more years.
and maintenance work in cemeteries in South Asia, the organisation supports and publishes books detailing cemetery monumental inscription
s that have been transcribed by members. BACSA also publishes a journal, Chowkidar, other works relating to cemeteries and keeps an archive that forms a unique record of over 1,300 cemeteries based on official sources with inscriptions and photographs.
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
in former South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
n territories of the East India Company
East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
such as India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
and Malaysia.
Scope
BACSA estimates that two million Europeans are buried in the Indian subcontinentSubcontinent
A subcontinent is a large, relatively self-contained landmass forming a subdivision of a continent. By dictionary entries, the term subcontinent signifies "having a certain geographical or political independence" from the rest of the continent, or "a vast and more or less self-contained subdivision...
. They provide financial aid to people in these areas who are willing to restore European cemeteries. They state that it is only by the impetus for restoration coming from the local community, that there is a chance that the old cemeteries will survive, and not relapse back into ruin and desolation in a few more years.
Work
As well as facilitating restoration, preservationHistoric preservation
Historic preservation is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance...
and maintenance work in cemeteries in South Asia, the organisation supports and publishes books detailing cemetery monumental inscription
Monumental inscription
A monumental inscription is an inscription, typically carved in stone, on a grave marker, cenotaph, memorial plaque, church monument or other memorial....
s that have been transcribed by members. BACSA also publishes a journal, Chowkidar, other works relating to cemeteries and keeps an archive that forms a unique record of over 1,300 cemeteries based on official sources with inscriptions and photographs.
See also
- FIBIS - Families In British India SocietyFIBISThe Families British India Society is a genealogical organisation who assist people in researching their family history and the background against which their ancestors led their lives in British India.-Scope:...
- Former cemeteries in SingaporeFormer cemeteries in SingaporeA number of former cemeteries in Singapore were cleared of graves with the land redeveloped during the second half of the twentieth century. The cemeteries had closed when they were either full or were relocated...