UNESCO World Heritage City

Context in Current Affairs: Orchha and Gwalior cities of Madhya Pradesh have been included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Cities.

Orchha city

The city is famous for its palaces and temples and was the capital of Bundela Kingdom in the 16th century. The famous places in the city are Jahangir Mahal, Raj Mahal, Rai Praveen Mahal, Ram Raja temple and Lakshmi Narayan Mandir. After the city is included in the world heritage City list, the historic spots such as Gujri Mahal, Mansingh palace and Sahastra Bahu Temple will be treated chemically. This is to be done to make the art inscribed in these places more visible. Also, guards are to be posted in these spots to welcome the tourists according to the Indian traditions.

Gwalior

The city of Gwalior is known for its temples and palaces. The Gwalior Fort is accessed via a winding road lined with sacred Jain statues and occupies a sandstone plateau. It is now an archaeological museum with high walls of 15th century. The city of Gwalior was established in the 9th century and was ruled by Rajvansh, Baghel Kachvaho, Tomar and Scindias.

UNESCO World Heritage site

The World Heritage site tags are provided by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, UNESCO. The tags are provided for natural heritages and cultural heritages spread all over the world. These heritages are considered to be outstanding in adding value to the humanity.

The World Heritage site list is administered by the UNESCO World Heritage committee. The committee comprises of 21 state parties and are elected by the United Nations General Assembly. The programme was begun by the UNESCO in 1972 and so far, 193 countries have ratified the convention.

In order to get included in the list, the place should have a unique landmark. They should be historically and geographically identifiable.

Month: Current Affairs - December, 2020