UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES - ART AND CULTURE

News: Vadnagar town, Modhera Sun Temple, Unakoti sculptures added to UNESCO’s tentative list of World Heritage Sites

 

What's in the news?

       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”.

 

Key takeaways:

       With the above three, 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.

 

Sun temple:

       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:

       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:

       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.

 

Go back to basics:

World Heritage Site:

       A World Heritage site is classified as a natural or man-made area or a structure that is of international importance, and a space which requires special protection.

       These sites are officially recognised by the UN and the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation, also known as UNESCO.

       UNESCO believes that the sites classified as World Heritage are important for humanity, and they hold cultural and physical significance.