India now has 52 sites on UNESCO’s tentative list, an inventory of properties which each state party intends to consider for nomination.
Gujarat’s Vadnagar town, the iconic Sun Temple at Modhera, and the rock cut sculptures of Unakoti in Tripura have been added to the tentative list of UNCESO World Heritage Sites.
The UNESCO tentative list is an “inventory of those properties which each State Party intends to consider for nomination”.
“With this, India now has 52 sites on UNESCO Tentative List. The list indicates rich cultural and natural wealth of India and shows huge diversity of our heritage. With PM Narendra Modi’s dynamic vision and leadership, India is committed to add more sites on the World Heritage List,” Union Culture Minister G. Kishan Reddy tweeted.
“I congratulate ASI [Archaeological Survey of India] for their role in identifying more monuments and places for the world heritage nomination,” he said.
The ASI shared his tweet and said that the step will provide a big boost to India’s cultural heritage.
The Sun Temple, Modhera dedicated to Surya Dev, is the earliest of such temples which set trends in architectural and decorative details, representing the Solanki style at its best.
Vadnagar is a municipality under Mehsana district of Gujarat. A multi-layered historic town, the history of Vadnagar stretches back to nearly 8th century BCE. The town still retains a large number of historic buildings that are primarily religious and residential in nature.
Unakoti, located in the northeastern region of Tripura, is known as an ancient holy place associated with Shaiva worship. The site is a massive gallery set in a forested area displaying a number of towering low relief images in a unique style, making it a masterpiece of human creative genius.
thehindu.com