In a meeting held at Hotel Grand Dragon on 3rd November the Indian National Trust for Art and Culture Heritage (INTACH) Ladakh Chapter, expressed their gratitude to the World Monument Fund, USA for choosing Mgon Nila Phuk Cave Temple and Fort at Saspol in the 2016 World Monument Watch List.

The cave temple and fort were declared as World Endangered Heritage Site in an International Press Conference which was held in New York on 15 October 2015 by World Monument Fund, USA. World Monument Watch List 2016 includes 50 sites from 36 countries and the Cave temple and Fort at Saspol are the only listed sites from India.

The caves are adorned with Buddhist wall paintings which are said to be 1000 years old. Presently they are in a bad condition due to the neglect of regular maintenance and harsh weather conditions.

Seeing the precarious condition that this heritage site is in, INTACH Ladakh Chapter managed a financial assistance of € 29,335(₹20, 81,944) from a Netherlands based International Premier Non-profitable Charitable organisation called the Prince Claus Fund for the emergency protection of heritage site. 

It is hoped that with the site being listed as endangered by World Monument Fund, the organisation will monitor and provide international attention to this threatened Temple and Fort of Saspol. 

This will also help mobilise the required financial support for its proper conservation as per international conservation norms and ethics. 

World Monuments Fund is a private non-profit organization founded in 1965 by individuals concerned about the accelerating destruction of important artistic treasures throughout the world. Now celebrating 50 years, World Monuments Fund has orchestrated over 600 projects in 90 countries. Today, with affiliate organizations established in Britain, India, Peru, Portugal, and Spain — World Monuments Fund sponsors an on-going program for the conservation of cultural heritage worldwide. 

The World Monuments Watch, a global program launched in 1995 on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of World Monuments Fund, aims to identify imperilled cultural heritage sites and direct financial and technical support for their preservation.