India is one of the country in the world having a very rich heritage of over 5000 years history. Very few countries in the world have such a magnitude of cultural heritage and innumerable historical monuments. A need to create awareness of this cultural heritage and to preserve it for next generation was felt while organizing festival of India, in the late 1980s. The idea of INTACH was conceptualized by Smt. Pupul Jaykar and was endorsed by Smt. Indira Gandhi, the prime minister of India. Intach is dedicated to the conservation and preservation of natural, cultural, tangible and intangible heritage in India, with participation of peoples and aims of society development, which promotes opportunities for economic growth. "Intach has been founded by the government of India and has the secretaries of the central ministries of Environment.
INTACH was awarded the "Premio Honorfico Award", at the 9th Biennial International Honorary Congress held at valladolid, spain at its closing gala (2015). The award is constituted "to honour an institution or person for their outstanding contribution to the conservation and promotion of cultural heritage in Spain or any other country around the world".
While presenting the Union Budget on 28 February, 2013 the then Finance Minister Shri P. Chidambaram, mentioned INTACH in his speech as "Center Of Excellence" and donated a sum of Rs.100 crore to its cause. At present, more than 200 projects are implemented under INTACH across the country.
Intach’s mission to conserve heritage is based on the belief that living in harmony with heritage enhances the quality of life, and it is the duty of every citizen of India as laid down in the Constitution of India.