Now 42 heritage sites in India, Shantiniketan and Hoysala temples also included in UNESCO list
-
When UNESCO unveiled 27 new World Heritage Site designations
-
The committee had added several sites in Ukraine to its endangered list due to the ongoing Russian invasion.
UNESCO World Heritage Sites of India: The World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has finally decided to add 27 new sites to its prestigious heritage list and India’s Santiniketan has also made it to the list. , making it a moment of joy and pride. To be included in the Honorable List, a natural or cultural site must be of outstanding universal value and meet at least one of 10 other criteria for selection. It must be a “masterpiece of human creative genius”, or contain “areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic significance”.
The decision was taken on Monday, when UNESCO unveiled 27 new World Heritage Site designations. These include a diverse list of culturally significant areas, including the sacred temples of Cambodia, the ancient tea forests of China and European cities.
Recently, the committee added several sites in Ukraine to its endangered list due to the ongoing Russian invasion. St. Sophia Cathedral of Kiev and Lviv were also added to the list. “While facing the threat of direct attack, these sites are also vulnerable to shocks caused by the bombing of the two cities,” a UNESCO statement said.
Shanti Niketan included in UNESCO World Heritage List
Shantiniketan, located in Birbhum district of West Bengal, has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Shantiniketan was started as an ashram in 1863 by Rabindranath Tagore’s father Debendranath Tagore. In 1901, Rabindranath Tagore converted it into a residential school and art center based on the Gurukul system of ancient India. Tagore established Visva Bharati here in 1921, which was declared a Central University and an Institute of National Importance in 1951. Rabindranath Tagore spent a long time of his life here. Archaeological Survey of India said that Shantiniketan is the 41st heritage of India to be included in the World Heritage List. For a long time there was a demand to include it in the heritage list.
Beautiful 13th-century temples of the Hoysala dynasty in Karnataka have been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, taking the total number of such sites in India to 42, the Archaeological Survey of India said after UNESCO announced its inclusion. .
A statement said, “This is an occasion of great joy and celebration for the whole of India.”
ASO said that with this successful nomination, India has a total of 42 World Heritage properties, including 34 in the cultural category, seven in the natural category and one mixed property. Currently, India is the country with the sixth largest number of (UNESCO) sites in the world. The statement said that the countries which have 42 or more World Heritage Sites are Italy, Spain, Germany, China and France.
PM Modi said- This is a proud moment for all Indians
Prime Minister Modi has expressed happiness over Shantiniketan being included in UNESCO’s World Heritage List. PM Modi said – I am happy that Shantiniketan, a symbol of India’s rich cultural heritage, has been included in the World Heritage List. This is a proud moment for all Indians.
I am happy to know that Shantini Ketan, the embodiment of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore’s dream and India’s rich cultural heritage, has been engraved. @UNESCO World tradition list. A proud moment for all Indians. https://t.co/Um0UUACsnk
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 17, 2023
Holy temples of Hoysala included in UNESCO World Heritage List
‘Hoysala group of sacred temples’ The Hoysala temples of Belur, Halebid and Somnathpura in Karnataka have been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. This is the 42nd heritage of India to be included in the World Heritage List. Hoysala temples were built in the 12th-13th century. This was the capital of the Hoysala dynasty, considered the patron of art and literature. Three Hoysala temples are protected monuments under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
“The coming together of creative genius, architectural eclecticism and symbolism in this outstanding sacred architecture makes these Hoysala temples a true work of art and their inscription is truly a tribute to India and the entire world heritage community,” the ASI said.
The ASI on Sunday termed the inclusion of the Shantiniketan inscription in the UNESCO World Heritage List as a “significant achievement”. In a post on X, the ASI said, “An important achievement for India, as Santiniketan in West Bengal has been officially included in the @UNESCO World Heritage List, becoming India’s 41st World Heritage property. “
