April being the month of World Heritage Day, Anushka Singh dwells on how India is home to 40 properties that have been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Other than these, there are more than 3,600 centrally-protected monuments which are administered by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Interestingly, most of these monuments are in India’s northern and western states.
Bhimbetka Rock Shelters and cave paintings – A UNESCO world heritage site in Madhya Pradesh
India’s cultural heritage is one of the oldest and richest in the world. Home to ancient civilisations and ancient cities that were centres of trade, religion and knowledge like Nalanda, Varanasi, Dholavira, etc., India has always been a world leader and frontrunner.
Every year, on April 18th, the world observes World Heritage Day, also known as International Day for Monuments and Sites. The day is observed to raise awareness among the masses about the significance of protecting cultural heritage. The World Heritage Day is also important as it celebrates the immense diversity of heritage around the world that has been captivating human imagination and explorations for centuries.
It was in 1982 when the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) sowed the seed of ‘Heritage Day’ when it proposed the idea of celebrating World Heritage Day. The idea was approved by the United Nations General Assembly in 1983 and April 18th was picked as the day when the world will celebrate the diversity in heritage.
This day was chosen as it is when the Convention Concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage was adopted by UNESCO in 1982. UNESCO designates World Heritage Sites to those sites that are of outstanding universal value to cultural or natural heritage which have been nominated by countries which are signatories to the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, established in 1972.
Heritage and funds
India is home to 40 properties that have been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Other than these, there are more than 3,600 centrally-protected monuments which are administered by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Interestingly, most of these monuments are in India’s northern and western states. Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are home to more than 50 percent of the centrally-protected monuments in India.
In February 2023, as part of the Union Budget, the government of India allotted INR 2,400 crore to the tourism sector. This was much higher than the INR 1,343 crore revised estimate for the year before that. The government of India’s ‘Dekho Apna Desh’ programme is aimed to boost tourism and as part of the programme, fifty destinations are to be developed and promoted to boost domestic tourism.
Maharashtra’s Ajanta, Ellora and Elephanta caves received the highest amount of funding among all of India’s world heritage sites. These received INR 32.50 crore followed by Red Fort, Qutub Minar and Humayun’s Tomb in Delhi that received 30 crore funding.
Famous world heritage sites
Presently, India has 40 World Heritage Sites – 32 cultural, seven natural and one, Sikkim’s Khangchendzonga National Park or Kanchenjunga Biosphere Reserve, is a ‘mixed heritage’ site.
Other heritage sites include Odisha’s Sun Temple at Konark, Assam’s Kaziranga National Park, Bihar’s Mahabodhi Temple and Nalanda, Madhya Pradesh’s Bhimbetka Rock Shelters, Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles, The Pink City and Jantar Mantar in Jaipur, Churches and Convents of Goa, Mahabalipuram monuments in Tamil Nadu, Monuments of Hampi in Karnataka, Hill Forts of Rajasthan, etc.
Globally, India has the sixth largest number of such sites. Maharashtra’s Ajanta Caves, Ellora Caves and Uttar Pradesh’s Agra Fort and Taj Mahal were the first to be listed in 1983. Dholavira in Gujarat and Ramappa Temple in Telangana are the latest addition to the heritage site list under the ‘Cultural’ category.
The ancient Harappan city of Dholavira, inhabited between ca. 3000-1500 BCE and situated in present-day Gujarat on the arid island of Khadir, was named India’s 40th site on UNESCO’s World Heritage list on 27 July 2021. The distinct features of one of the best-preserved archaeological sites are a fortified city and cemetery. The ruins reflect that a graded social order existed in the city. A sophisticated water management system found in Dholavira is indicative of the engineering acumen of the people.
Other findings indicate a flourishing trade with other Harappan cities and contemporary civilisations such as the Mesopotamian. Archaeological excavations also confirmed presence of artefacts and wares made of stone, copper and jewellery made of ivory and gold.
Rudreshwara, commonly known as Ramappa Temple, is situated in Telangana’s Palampet village and is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It was declared a UNESCO world heritage site on 25 July 2021, as ‘Kakatiya Rudreshwara (Ramappa) Temple, Telangana.’ Built during the Kakatiyan period, the construction of the sandstone temple began in 1213 CE and lasted for about 40 years.
Temple highlights include decorated beams and carved granite and dolerite pillars. Another unique feature is the pyramidal horizontally-stepped tower called the ‘Vimana’ made of lightweight porous bricks. The sculptures in the temple are inspired from Kakatiyan culture and regional customs and dances.
Maharashtra’s rich heritage
Maharashtra’s Ajanta and Ellora Caves were among the first in India to be introduced to UNESCO world heritage list in 1983. The 29 rock-cut Buddhist cave monuments of Ajanta Caves and the rock-cut Hindu temple cave complex at Ellora Caves are situated in Aurangabad district, now known as Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, the largest city of the Marathwada region.
Ajanta Caves are primarily home to Chaityas or ancient monasteries and Viharas i.e., worshipping halls carved into a rock wall. There are several paintings in the caves depicting Buddha’s life and tales from Jatakamala (a book by Arya Sura on Buddha’s teachings).
Ellora Caves, on the other hand, are a cluster of about 100 caves in the Charanandri Hills made of basalt rock. Of the 34 caves that can be visited, 17 are Hindu caves, 12 are Buddhist and 5 are Jain caves. The monuments were built during the Rashtrakuta dynasty, known for several architectural marvels during their rule.
Natural heritage sites
In India, there are seven Natural UNESCO World Heritage Sites. These include Himachal Pradesh’s Great Himalayan National Park Conservation Area (2014), Assam’s Kaziranga National Park (1985), Rajasthan’s Keoladeo National Park (1985), Assam’s Manas Wildlife Sanctuary (1985), Uttarakhand’s Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Park (1988, 2005), West Bengal’s Sundarbans National Park (1987) and the Western Ghats (2012) spreading across Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.
Uttarakhand’s Valley of Flowers National Park is known for its breath-taking natural beauty and meadows of alpine flowers. The zone is also renowned for rich biological diversity and has many endangered and rare species of animals such as blue sheep, snow leopard, Asiatic black bear, etc.
The Sundarbans in West Bengal are spread across India and Bangladesh covering about 10,000 sq km of land and water in the delta formed on the Ganges. It not only shelters the largest mangrove forests of the world, but many rare and endangered species of mammals, reptiles and birds call the Sundarbans their home.
Assam’s Kaziranga National Park is one of the last remaining sanctuaries with minimal human presence and protecting the world’s largest population of one-horned rhinoceroses.
Keoladeo National Park spread over 2,800 hectares in Rajasthan’s Bharatpur is one of the biggest wintering areas of migratory aquatic birds coming from Siberia, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan and China and Siberia.
Inscribed in 2016 as a UNESCO world heritage site in the ‘mixed’ category, Khangchendzonga National Park located in the Himalayan state of Sikkim is an ecologically diverse landscape. Other than the world’s third highest peak Mount Khangchendzonga, it has glaciers, lakes, caves, rivers and plains. The elements of nature are highly revered and worshipped by the indigenous communities of the region.