List of Indian Contenders For Unesco World Heritage Sites : All you Need to Know!

In India, there are 40 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Under the ‘Cultural’ category, Dholavira and Ramappa Temple are the most recent additions. In 2021, Telangana’s Ramappa Temple and Gujarat’s Dholavira will be added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. This judgement was taken during the 44th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, which was held in China (Online). The total number of World Heritage Sites will rise from 38 to 40 in 2021.

Criteria for UNESCO World Heritage Sites include the following:

1. The creative genius of humans.
2. Values are exchanged.
3. It bears witness to a cultural tradition.
4. Importance in the history of mankind.
5. Human settlement in the traditional sense.
6. Cultural heritage linked to world-historical events.
7. Aesthetics or natural phenomena.

The eight major epochs in Earth’s history.

9. Ecological and biological processes that are important.
10. Biodiversity’s most important natural habitat.

List of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India:

Qutb Shahi Monuments:

The oldest and most significant monuments of the sister cities of Golconda and Hyderabad, successive capitals of the Qutb Shahi Islamic Sultanate, are the Golconda Fort, Qutb Shahi Tombs, and Charminar (1518-1687). Golconda, the mythical diamond trading capital, was a medieval fortified city with residential, military, and courtly activities. The Qutb Shahi tomb complex was a vast royal necropolis designed in the distinctive Qutb Shahi style. The urban metropolis of Hyderabad was formed as the court expanded beyond the bounds of the Golconda Fort, with the colossal Charminar in the centre as a huge millennium milestone.

Temples at Bishnupur, West Bengal:

The temples in Bishnupur are generally of the Eka-Ratna style, with a single tower with a sloping roof and a square cell (Garbhagriha) flanked by three multi cusped arches on each side (i.e. Lalji, Kalachand, Radhashyam, Jor mandir and Nandalal). Aside from these, there are a handful of several Pancha Ratna towers (Shyam Rai of A.D. 1643). With two Dochala constructions connected together by a Charchala Sikhara at the summit, the Jor Bangla temple (A.D.1655) has a particular character. With a pyramidal roof standing on a large laterite plinth, the Rasmancha (A.D.1600) reflects a unique architectural style. Three successive circumambulatory galleries around the sanctum.

Conclusion:

UNESCO’s mission is to promote the identification, protection, and preservation of cultural and natural heritage that is of exceptional significance to people around the world. In India, the World Heritage Committee launched the Global Heritage List to safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage places. Temples at Bishnupur, Golden Temple, Lotus Temple, Mughal Gardens, and River Island of Majuli are among the tentative list of India’s world heritage sites that could be included.