Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory of Ladakh, Shri Vinai Kumar Saxena, on World Heritage Day, April 18, 2026, laid the foundation stone of India's first Petroglyph Conservation Park at Sindhu Ghat on the banks of the Indus River in Leh. The day-long programme was organised by the Department of Tourism and Culture, UT Ladakh, in collaboration with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) Mini Circle Leh and the Himalayan Cultural Heritage Foundation (HCHF), under the regional theme "Ancient Art, Modern Challenges: Safeguarding Petroglyphs and Shaping Tourism Circuits in Ladakh." Petroglyphs are rock carvings that span prehistoric, early historic and Buddhist periods and have been described by the Lieutenant Governor as "open-air museums" facing threats from unregulated tourism, infrastructure development, climate stress and insufficient awareness. The Petroglyph Conservation Park at Sindhu Ghat is intended to provide a protected habitat for thousands of such carvings recorded across Ladakh, with documentation, signage, scientific conservation and visitor management as core functions. Other highlights of the day included an exhibition of Ladakh Rock Art at The Zen Hotel, the release of the Ladakh Rock Art Handbook, four academic sessions covering prehistory, the early historic period, Buddhist artistic expression and conservation challenges, and the signing of an MoU between the Department of Archives, Archaeology and Museums and ASI. The Lieutenant Governor also proposed designating Kumuk village as Ladakh's first Heritage Village. The international theme adopted by ICOMOS for World Heritage Day 2026 was "Emergency Response for Living Heritage in Contexts of Conflicts and Disasters."