Published By: Nirtika Pandita

Latest Heritage sites from India listed among UNESCO World Heritage Site

The beauty of the past is making India proud

The vast culture and heritage India holds as a country is mind-boggling. And thanks to the various dynasties and rulers that passed through India, they have country its unique range of monumental structures. Even before the kings and the rulers, there existed civilization in India which now is nothing but ruins. The Archeological Survey of India is doing a great job at preserving and maintaining them. As a result over the years, many of these heritage sites - Agra Fort, Ajanta Caves, ChhatrapatiShivaji Terminus, Elephanta and Ellora Caves, FatehpurSikri, Chola Temples, Hampi, Humayun's Tomb, Delhi, Khajuraho Group of Monuments, Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya, Kaziranga National Park, and Sundarbans National Park among various others - have made their way into the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.In fact, in the recent past, a new range of sites and places has been brought under the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Dholavira: a Harappan City This ancient city of Dholavira – which was the southern center of the Harappan Civilization - is located at Khadirbet in Kutch District, Gujarat. It was occupied between 3000-1500 BCE and comprises a fortified city and a cemetery. Locally it is known as Kotada timba and the site contains ruins of an ancient Indus Valley Civilization and Harappan city. In fact, Dholavira is one of the five largest Harappan sites and most prominent archaeological sites in India belonging to the Indus Valley Civilization. Spread over 120 acres, this quadrangular city lies between two seasonal streams, the Mansar in the north and Manhar in the south. The archaeological site has been under excavation since 1990 by the ASI and was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site under the name Dholavira: a Harappan City in July 2021.

KakatiyaRudreshwara (Ramappa) Temple Popularly known as Ramappa Temple, it is located in the village of Palampet, in Telangana. Built during the Kakatiyan period (1123–1323 CE) under rulers Rudradeva and RecharlaRudra, it is a Shiv temple in a walled complex. This sandstone temple took over 40 years to be constructed and the highlight is the decorated beams and pillars of carved granite and dolerite with a distinctive and pyramidal horizontally stepped tower made of lightweight porous bricks. The temple was marked as a World Heritage Site in July 2021.

In 2019, the walled city of Jaipur City in Rajasthan that was founded in 1727 by Sawai Jai Singh II was listed under the UNESCO World Heritage site.