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The main event of the year was a day of dialogue held in the Durbar Hall at Umed Bhawan Palace Kotah on Thursday, 6th August, 2026.

Dr. Shika Jain, founder of Dronah Foundation and Historic Cities, was the keynote speaker. Harpreet Singh Arora and Dr. Shaheena Khan came to speak on 'Leveraging Cultural Assets for Sustainable Development' and to interact with Kota's town planners. Several members of KHS were invited as well, as were other heritage activists in Kota.

This was the first time ever that Kota's town planners had met with the Royal Family and other citizens in the context of heritage being incorporated into urban planning as an asset to attract visitors to Kota and to confirm the unique nature of Kota's monuments and heritage as an essential part of its identity.

It was a small step and one on which we can build. Thanks to Umed Bhawan Palace Kotah and the Rao Madho Singh Museum Trust for organising the event as part of the Historic Cities Series 2026 programme.

Dr. Shika Jain delivering the keynote address.

(Photo Credit Umed Bhawan Palace Kotah)

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The Royal Family all participated in the event and here Her Highness Maharani Sahiba of Kotah, Kalpana Devi (MLA) is speaking after an excellent lunch. To her left is His Highness Maharao Ijyaraj Singh of Kotah and to his left Dr. Shika Jain and Harpreet Singh Arora. Maharaj Kumar Jaidev, the organiser, is filming his mother. Dr. Shaheena Khan is between Maharani Kalpana Devi and her mother-in-law Raj Mata Uttara Devi.

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By the time this group photograph was taken the government planners and other officials had left, but the Collector, Piyush Samaria, had arrived and is sitting to the right of His Highness who is in the centre next to his mother, the Raj Mata. Several KHS members are in the photograph including the President Jaiwardhan (in orange scarf) and Secretary Harshvardhan second from the right in the front row. Dr. Shika Jain had had to leave, but Dr. Shaheena Khan (Heritage Architect) and Harpreet Singh Arora (Urban Planning Consultant) are seated.

(Photo credit Umed Bhawan Palace Kotah)

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Kota Banner for Historic Cities Series 2026

A drone photo shoot was held in June to capture the unique nature of Kota as an Historic City for future publicity events.

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Historic Cities was launched on World Heritage Day, 18^th April 2026, with a joint KHS & Rao Madho Singh Museum Trust event at Kotah Garh. Twenty students from the six government schools in the Old City were invited to the Garh for a free tour and a workshop taken by three students from the School of Planning & Architecture, Delhi based on the maps they had made. International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) kindly sponsored the printing of the maps and booklets for each student.

The event was hosted in the beautiful mid-18^th century Bhim Mahal and the Trust provided refreshments for the participants. Thank you to Maharaj Kumar Jaidev Singh and the Trust, and to Gaurav Panda, Pallav Thapa and Niranjan Yadav who came from Delhi for the occasion.

(L to R) Joyti Saxena & Lea Singh (KHS members), Gaurav Panda (SPA, Delhi), M.K. Jaidev Singh of Kotah, Pallav Thapa & Niranjan Yadav (SPA, Delhi) and Victoria Singh (KHS Treasurer)

Follow-up workshops were held at Maharani Girls School in Rampura in May encouraging the girls to think about the Old City and how they would like it to be in the future.

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School of Planning & Architecture, Delhi - Jan 2026

M.Arch. students from the School of Planning and Architecture in Delhi spent two weeks in historic Kota in January mapping the Old City. They focused on the area between the Garh and Patan Pol (seen here in the background).

While in Bada Mahal at the Garh they spent time doing detailed drawings.