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Khangchendzonga National Park (KNP), Sikkim has been inscribed as India’s first “Mixed World Heritage Site” on UNESCO World Heritage List. It fulfilled the nomination criteria under both natural and cultural heritage.

The KNP exhibits one of the widest altitudinal ranges of any protected area worldwide. The Park has an extraordinary vertical sweep of over 7 kilometres (1,220m to 8,586m) within an area of only 178,400 hactares and comprises a unique diversity of lowlands, steep-sided valleys and spectacular snow-clad mountains including the world’s third highest peak, Mt. Khangchendzonga, numerous lakes and glaciers, including the 26 km long Zemu Glacier.

The KNP lies within the Himalaya global biodiversity hotspot and displays an unsurpassed range of sub-tropical to alpine ecosystems. The Himalayas are narrowest here, resulting in extremely steep terrain, which magnifies the distinction between the various eco-zones. The KNP is located within a mountain range of global biodiversity conservation significance and covers 25% of the State of Sikkim, acknowledged as one of India’s most significant biodiversity concentrations.

The KNP is home to a significant number of endemic, rare and threatened plant and mammal species recorded in the Central/High Asian Mountains, except compared to the Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas, in China; and also has a high number of bird species.

 

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The walled city of Jaipur, in India’s north-western state of Rajasthan was founded in 1727 by Sawai Jai Singh II. Unlike other cities in the region located in hilly terrain, Jaipur was established on the plain and built according to a grid plan interpreted in the light of Vedic architecture. The streets feature continuous colonnaded businesses that intersect in the centre, creating large public squares called chaupars. Markets, shops, residences and temples built along the main streets have uniform facades. The city's urban planning shows an exchange of ideas from ancient Hindu and early modern Mughal as well as Western cultures. The grid plan is a model that prevails in the West, while the organization of the different city sectors (chowkris) refers to traditional Hindu concepts. Designed to be a commercial capital, the city has maintained its local commercial, artisanal and cooperative traditions to this day.

The decision was taken at the 43rd session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee (WHC) taking place in the city of Baku, Azerbaijan, from 30th June - 10th July, 2019.

The city was nominated for its value of being an exemplary development in town planning and architecture that demonstrates an amalgamation and important exchange of ideas in the late medieval period.

 

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First in the country to be inscribed on the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites in 1983, the Ajanta caves dates back to 2nd century BCE to 650 CE and features the finest masterpieces of 31 rock cut Buddhist cave monuments, paintings and sculpture. The caves were built in two different phases. First was built in (230BCE-220CE) of Satavahana Period under the patronage of Satvahana Dynasty and second, the caves of Vakataka Period were built during the reign of Emperor Harishena of Vakataka Dynasty. 

Also added in 1983 to the UN world heritage sites list, the Ellora Caves are well known for their Indian-rock cut architecture with 34 rock cut temples and caves dating back to about 600 to 1000 CE. The excavated site includes Charanandri Hills, Buddhist Hindu and Jain rock-cut temples, Viharas and Maths of the 5th and 10th century.

Added along with the Ajanta Caves on the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites in 1983 was the Agra Fort situated quite close to the Taj Mahal. Built during the reign of emperor Akbar, the Agra Fort includes a number of notable monuments like the Khas Mahal, Sheesh Mahal, Muhamman Burie(an octagonal Tower), Diwan-e-Khas, Diwan-e-Am, Moti Masjid and the Nagina Masjid.

 

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A World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by UNESCO for its special cultural or physical significance. The list of World Heritage Sites is maintained by the international 'World Heritage Programme', administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) seeks to encourage the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity. This is embodied in an international treaty called the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, adopted by UNESCO in 1972. India has 38 world heritage sites that include 30 Cultural properties, 7 Natural properties and 1 mixed site.

Cultural World Heritage Sites in India 

• Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh


• Hampi, Karnataka


• Ajanta Caves, Maharashtra


• Ellora Caves, Maharashtra


• Bodh Gaya, Bihar


• Sun Temple, Konark, Odisha


• Red Fort Complex, Delhi


• Sanchi, Madhya Pradesh


• Chola Temples, Tamil Nadu


• Group of Monuments in Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu


• Humayun’s Tomb, New Delhi


• Jantar Mantar, Jaipur, Rajasthan


• Agra Fort, Uttar Pradesh


• Fatehpur Sikri, Uttar Pradesh


• Taj Mahal, Agra


• Rani Ki Vav, Patan, Gujarat


• Group of Monuments in Pattadakal, Karnataka


• Elephanta Caves, Maharashtra


• Nalanda Mahavihara (Nalanda University), Bihar


• Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus), Maharashtra


• Mountain Railways of India


• Qutub Minar and its Monuments, New Delhi


• Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park, Gujarat


• Hill Forts of Rajasthan


• Churches and Convents of Goa


• Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka, Madhya Pradesh


• The Victorian and Art Deco Ensemble of Mumbai


• The Pink City - Jaipur


• The Historic City of Ahmedabad


• Capitol Complex, Chandigarh

Natural World Heritage Sites in India

• Kaziranga Wild Life Sanctuary, Assam


• Sundarbans National Park, West Bengal


• Great Himalayan National Park, Himachal Pradesh


• Manas Wild Life Sanctuary, Assam


• Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, Rajasthan


• Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks, Uttarakhand


• Western Ghats


• Kanchenjunga National Park, Sikkim

 

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There are over a thousand properties around the worlds designated as World Heritage Sites by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). But how does UNESCO decide which properties are suitable to be heritage sites?

Countries that have signed the World Heritage Convention and pledged to protest their cultural and natural heritage can submit nominations for consideration. Thus far, 193 countries have signed the Conversation.

UNESCO has a list of criteria explained in the Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Conversation. To be considered for inclusion in the World Heritage List a property must satisfy at least one of the ten criteria. These are regularly revised by the Committee to keep up with the evolving concept of World Heritage.

Once the nominations are in, the World Heritage Committee consisting of representatives from 21 of the member states takes the final call. This committee meets once a year to finalise the list and consults to advisory bodies which evaluate a nominated site, as mandated by the World Heritage Convention. These two bodies are the International Council on Monuments and Sites and the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

A tried advisory body, the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property, provides the Committee with expect advice on conservation of cultural sites.

 

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1. Pampakshetra of Kishkindha

Hampi was traditionally known as Pampakshetra of Kishkindha. It takes its name from the Tungabhadra river, which was historically called Pampa. As years passed, Pampa came to be known as Pampe, and Hampi is the anglicised version of this name. Another legend has it that Hampi was originally the monkey kingdom of Kishkindha, which finds mention in the Ramayana. This is the place where Rama is said to have met Hanuman.

2. Ruled by many

Hampi is popularly known as the capital of the Vijayanagara empire. But before the rise of this empire in the 14th century. Hampi is believed to have been in the hands of the chiefs of Kampili. As early as the third century. the region is said to have been a part of the Maurya empire. The city was at its peak during the Vijayanagara rule when most of the monuments came up. The Hampi we see today. however, is how the Deccan Sultanate had left it. The Sultanate besieged the city in 1565 and destroyed several of the monuments over a period of six months.

3. A city of monuments

Today. Hampi has over 1,600 surviving remains which include forts, royal and sacred complexes, temples, riverside features, mandapas, and memorial structures Most of the monuments were built in the Dravidian style, while some were in the Indo-Islamic style of architecture. Many of the temple complexes in the ruined city were once surrounded by tanks and bazaars.

4. The SAREGAMA pillars

The Vittala temple is one of the prominent monuments in Hampi. The temple is known for its magnificent architecture. This includes 56 melodic columns, also known as musical pillars. When these pillars are tapped gently, they create musical sounds. It is fascinating to many since the pillars are constructed out of stone. The musical pillars are also called the SAREGAMA pillars.

5. A temple with an inverted tower!

The Virupaksha temple in Hampi is one of the oldest surviving temples in the world, having been built in the 7th Century. The temple, dedicated to Shiva, has withstood the test of time. There is a dark chamber with a small opening in the temple complex which exhibits a pinhole camera effect during the day. When the sun's rays pass through this tiny opening, and fall on the western wall of the complex an inverted shadow of the main temple tower can be seen.

 

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The Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram is a collection of 7th- and 8th-century CE religious monuments in the coastal resort town of Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu, India and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal, about 60 kilometres (37 mi) south of Chennai.

The monuments were built during the Pallava dynasty. Known as the Seven Pagodas in many colonial-era publications, they are also called the Mamallapuram temples or Mahabalipuram temples in contemporary literature. The site, restored after 1960, has been managed by the Archaeological Survey of India.

Mahabalipuram is known by several names, including Mamallapuram; Mamalla means "Great Wrestler", and refers to the 7th-century king Narasimha Varman I. Other names found in historic texts include Mamallapattana, Mavalipuram, Mavalivaram, Mavellipore, Mauvellipooram and Mahabalipur, all of which refer to a "great wrestler city" or "city of Mahabali". The latter is related to the mythical Mahabali, the demon king defeated by the dwarf Vamana (a Vishnu avatar). According to Nagaswamy, the name is derived from the Tamil word mallal (prosperity) and reflects its being an ancient economic center for South India and Southeast Asia. This theory is partially supported by an 8th-century Tamil text by the early Bhakti movement poet Thirumangai Alvar, where Mamallapuram is called "Kadal Mallai".

 

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Pattadakal, in Karnataka, represents the high point of an eclectic art which, in the 7th and 8th centuries under the Chalukya dynasty, achieved a harmonious blend of architectural forms from northern and southern India. An impressive series of nine Hindu temples, as well as a Jain sanctuary, can be seen there. One masterpiece from the group stands out – the Temple of Virupaksha, built c. 740 by Queen Lokamahadevi to commemorate her husband's victory over the kings from the South.

The rise of the Chalukyas marks an important milestone in the history of South India and a golden age in the history of Karnataka. The political atmosphere in South India shifted from smaller kingdoms to large empires with the rise of Badami Chalukyas. For the first time in history, a South Indian kingdom took control and consolidated the entire region between the Kaveri and the Narmada rivers. The rise of that empire also saw the birth of efficient administration, rise in overseas trade and commerce and the development of new style of architecture called Vesara. Around the ninth century, it also saw the growth of Kannada as a language of literature in the Jaina Puranas, Veerashaiva Vachanas and Brahminical traditions. The eleventh century saw the birth of Telugu literature under the patronage of the Eastern Chalukyas.

The rock-cut temples of Pattadakal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Badami and Aihole constitute their most celebrated monuments.That marks the beginning of Chalukya style of architecture and a consolidation of South Indian style.

In Aihole, the Durga temple (sixth century), Ladh Khan temple (450), Meguti temple (634), Hucchimalli and Huccappayya temples (fifth century), Badami Cave Temples (600) provide examples of early Chalukyan art. Vikramaditya II (740) commissioned the majestic temples at Pattadakal. Here the Virupaksha and Mallikarjuna (740), Sangameswara (725) and a Jain temple display the Dravidian style while Jambulinga, Kasivisweswara, and Galaganatha (740) show the Northern nagara style. The Papanatha (680) temple shows an attempt to combine the Northern and Southern styles.

 

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The Sun Temple at Konârak, located on the eastern shores of the Indian subcontinent, is one of the outstanding examples of temple architecture and art as revealed in its conception, scale and proportion, and in the sublime narrative strength of its sculptural embellishment. It is an outstanding testimony to the 13th-century kingdom of Orissa and a monumental example of the personification of divinity, thus forming an invaluable link in the history of the diffusion of the cult of Surya,the Sun God. 

Like many Indian temples, the Sun Temple comprises several distinct and well-organized spatial units. The vimana (principal sanctuary) was surmounted by a high tower with a shikhara (crowning cap), which was razed in the 19th century. To the east, the jahamogana (audience hall) dominates the ruins with its pyramidal mass. Farther to the east, the natmandir (dance hall), today unroofed, rises on a high platform. Various subsidiary structures are still to be found within the enclosed area of the rectangular wall, which is punctuated by gates and towers.The Sun Temple is an exceptional testimony, in physical form, to the 13th-century Hindu Kingdom of Orissa, under the reign of Narasimha Deva I (AD 1238-1264). 

Konark Sun Temple is a 13th-century CE Sun Temple at Konark in Orissa, India. The temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984. The entire temple is made in the form of a huge chariot of Sun God with 24 wheels (12 pairs) and pulled by 7 horses. This temple has 3 main strutures. The Dance Hall, Prayer Hall and Main Temple. The Dance Hall wall and pillars are carved with 277 Devadasi dance poses which is considered as the first form of Indian Classical Dance. The wall of the Prayer Hall showcases the famous love making sculptures and for this reason Konark Sun Temple is also called second Khajuraho Temple of India. The Main temple has already collapsed 80%. At western side of Sun Temple there is Temple of Chaya - the wife of Sun God. Another scientific marvel of the Konark Sun Temple is Sun-Dial which tells time accurately during day.

 

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The Nalanda Mahavihara site is in the State of Bihar, in north-eastern India. It comprises the archaeological remains of a monastic and scholastic institution dating from the 3rd century BCE to the 13th century CE. It includes stupas, shrines, viharas (residential and educational buildings) and important art works in stucco, stone and metal. Nalanda stands out as the most ancient university of the Indian Subcontinent.

While the original mahavihara was a much larger complex, all surviving remains of Nalanda present in the property area of 23 hectares comprising 11 viharas and 14 temples, besides many smaller shrine and votive structures, demonstrate amply its attributes such as axial planning and layout along north-south axis, its architectural manifestation and extant building materials and applied ornamental embellishments. Preserved in-situ are the structural remains of viharas and chaityas whose layers of construction show evolution of the respective forms. The positioning of these structures over the extent of the site shows the planned layout unique to Nalanda. The property also retains a corpus of moveable and immoveable artefacts and artistic embellishments that show iconographic development reflecting changes in Buddhist belief system.

Nalanda's layers of construction, iconography and records testify these remains to be its oldest surviving parts. The spatial organization evident in these excavated remains demonstrate its systematic planning. Temple-like form of chaityas and quadrangular-form of viharas replete with infrastructure authenticate Nalanda's contribution in developing sacred architecture of the Buddhists and residential-cum-scholastic facilities. Its stucco, stone and metal art retain iconographic features that enabled changes in Buddhist belief system and transition of Mahayana to Vajrayana.

 

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Bhimbetka rock shelters, series of natural rock shelters in the foothills of the Vindhya Range, central India. They are situated some 28 miles (45 km) south of Bhopal, in west-central Madhya Pradesh state. The shelters were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2003.

The paintings, which display great vitality and narrative skill, are categorized into different prehistoric periods. The oldest are dated to the Late Paleolithic Period (Old Stone Age) and consist of large linear representations of rhinoceroses and bears. Paintings from Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age) times are smaller and portray, in addition to animals, human activities. Drawings from the Chalcolithic Period (early Bronze Age) showcase the early humans’ conceptions of agriculture. 

The caves provide a rare glimpse at a sequence of cultural development from early nomadic hunter-gatherers to settled cultivators to expressions of spirituality. It has been observed that the present-day cultural traditions of agrarian peoples inhabiting the villages surrounding Bhimbetka resemble those represented in the paintings.

 

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The Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, formerly known as Victoria Terminus Station, in Mumbai, is an outstanding example of Victorian Gothic Revival architecture in India, blended with themes deriving from Indian traditional architecture. 

 The terminal was built over a period of 10 years starting in 1878. This is one of the finest functional Railway Station buildings of the world and is used by more than three million commuters daily. This property is an outstanding example of Victorian Gothic Architectural Revival in India, blended with the themes derived from Indian Traditional Architecture. 

The heritage building retains a large percentage of its original structural integrity. The authenticity of the structure expresses the rich Italian gothic style through the eye catching 3D-stone carvings of local species of animals, flora and fauna, symbols, arched tympana, portrait roundels of human faces, and stone mesh works on the decorated rose windows.

 There are large numbers of other embellishments in statuary, which the architect has introduced in decorating the grand frontage. These further include gargoyles, allegorical grotesques carrying standards and battle-axes, and figures of relief busts representing the different castes and communities of India.

 

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Rani-ki-Vav is an exceptional example of a distinctive form of subterranean water architecture of the Indian subcontinent, the stepwell, which is located on the banks of the Saraswati River in Patan. 

Rani-ki-Vav impresses not only with its architectural structure and technological achievements in water sourcing and structural stability, but also in particular with its sculptural decoration, of true artistic mastery. The figurative motifs and sculptures, and the proportion of filled and empty spaces, provide the stepwell’s interior with its unique aesthetic character. The setting enhances these attributes in the way in which the well descends suddenly from a plain plateau, which strengthens the perception of this space.

Rani-ki-Vav has a high level of authenticity in material, substance, design, workmanship and, to a certain extent, atmosphere, location and setting. While it maintained its authentic material and substance, it also required some punctual reconstructions for structural stability.

 

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“Unlike other cities in the region located in hilly terrain, Jaipur was established on the plain and built according to a grid plan interpreted in the light of Vedic architecture. The streets feature continuous colonnaded businesses that intersect in the centre, creating large public squares called chaupars. Markets, stalls, residences and temples built along the main streets have uniform facades. The city’s urban planning shows an exchange of ideas from ancient Hindu and modern Mughal as well as Western cultures. The grid plan is a model that prevails in the West, while the organization of the different districts refers to traditional Hindu concepts.

Not that Jaipur needs any more endorsement, but UNESCO World Heritage Status will help attract an even greater number of tourists to the city, boosting the local economy. Other destinations in Rajasthan—from Ranthambore to Udaipur—also stand to benefit. The UNESCO certification will also help attract funds towards cultural projects and conservation initiatives. A World Heritage Status also typically brings with it certain restrictions and obligations—specifically around construction and infrastructure. This could place certain limitations, hopefully for the better, on construction activity within the walled city of Jaipur.

 

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The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier, an Outstanding Contribution to the Modern Movement is a World Heritage Site consisting of a selection of 17 building projects in several countries by the Franco-Swiss architect Le Corbusier.

Responding to the challenges of architecture and society in the 20th Century, Le Corbusier’s contribution to the Moderne Movement aimed to instigate a unique forum of ideas at a world level; it facilitated the invention of a new architectural language and the modernization of architectural techniques; it met the social and human needs of modern man.

The preservation of the modern heritage, and more specifically of Le Corbusier’s architectural work is a long term venture. The inscription on the World Heritage List of 17 buildings or sites by Le Corbusier represents a strong encouragement to continue all along Le Corbusier ‘s built work to maintain this living heritage and to hand it down to future generations. It also contributes to the understanding of that complex and fragile legacy and helps its dissemination to the widest audience.

 

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