India Has 42 of Them Now

Nazeer Waris

Bengaluru: You may be well aware of UNESCO. When expanded, it reads United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation.

It was formed in 1945. Its aim is to promote cooperation between world nations in education, sciences, culture, communication and information. It therefore shares knowledge and promotes understanding about history, culture, knowledge systems as it considers it crucial tool for promoting peace.

Preservation of physical, historical and cultural landmarks is an important function of UNESCO. It adopted a programme in 1972 for declaring all such sites that bear cultural, historical, natural significance as World Heritage Site.

It advises the states where they are located about their protection and preservation. These sites are selected on the basis of their remarkable characteristics which lend them importance.

They hold the distinction due to being unique in their architecture, and should be outstanding example of human accomplishment or should stand out as milestone of human ingenuity.

So far the UNESCO has designated 1,199 sites as World Heritage sites. Of these, 933 are cultural, 227 are natural and 39 are mixed properties. These are spread over166 countries of the world.

Italy has the most number of them with 59 sites. China comes next with 57 sites. France and Germany have 52 each. India has 42 such sites on the list.

The UNESCO declares them as protected zones where certain activities cannot be undertaken. The list World Heritage Sites is maintained under International World Heritage Programme. On September 18, the UNESCO meeting being held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, unveiled 27 new World Heritage Sites.

It also added certain sites from Ukraine to its 'Endangered List' where ongoing war with Russia is posing threat to monuments like Saint Sophia Cathedral in nation's capital Kyiv.

The idea behind designating World Heritage Sites is to preserve them for future generation in order that they provide people an insight into history and human creativity and to develop respect towards cultural properties and inspire them to carry forward the legacy of innovation.

Once a site is declared as a World Heritage Site, it gains legal protection. No changes can be made in the basic structure of the sites. No dangerous activity can be carried out around them.

If any deterioration is noticed in their physical structure, the damage or threat is assessed and international aid and expertise is arranged for their restoration. The site thus gains international recognition. This year the committee of the UNESCO added 27 sites to the list.

Some of these are: Koh Ker archaeological site in Cambodia; Santiniketan, in West Bengal in India; Turkiye's archaeological site of Gordion; Iran's Persian Carvanserai; the Czech town of Zatec ; India's sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas in Karnataka; Bale Mountains National Park in Ethiopia and Russia's Astronomical Observatories of Kazan Federal University.

Of the two latest sites from India inscribed on World Heritage Sites this year, one is Santiniketan in rural West Bengal. It was founded by Debendranath Tagore, father of poet-philosopher Rabindranath Tagore as a residential school in 1901.

He also set up his ashram there. In 1921, it was declared as a ‘world university’ and rechristened 'Viswa Bharti' by Rabindranath Tagore. Second among the latest sites are ‘Sacred Ensembles of Hoysalas’ or Hoysala Temples located in Belur, Halaebid and Somnathapura of Karnataka.

These temples were built under the rule of Hoysala kings which ruled Karnataka during 12th and 13th centuries. These temples are known for their fine carving of wall sculptures which include animals, chores of daily life, jewellery, clothers, headgears, and epic characters.

A notable feature of these carving is that the artisans have even carved their names in stone. The two sites have been declared 41st and 42nd Unesco World Heritage Sites in India.