'Maratha Military Landscapes' Gets UNESCO Tag, India Now Has 44 Properties On World Heritage List

New Delhi: In a win for India, 'Maratha Military Landscapes', representing extraordinary fortification and military system envisioned by the Maratha rulers, was on Friday inscribed on the coveted UNESCO World Heritage List. This is India's 44th property to receive the recognition. "This global accolade celebrates India's enduring cultural legacy, showcasing its diverse traditions of architectural brilliance, regional identity and historical continuity," the Culture Ministry said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, along with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, "lauded the historic milestone and congratulated the people of India for this achievement", it said in a statement. The decision was taken during the ongoing 47th session of the World Heritage Committee (WHC) being held in Paris.

"New inscription on the @UNESCO #WorldHeritage List: Maratha Military Landscapes of India, #India," UNESCO said in a post on X. The nomination for the UNESCO tag was for the 2024-25 cycle. Its 12 components are - Salher Fort, Shivneri Fort, Lohgad, Khanderi Fort, Raigad, Rajgad, Pratapgad, Suvarnadurg, Panhala Fort, Vijay Durg, Sindhudurg in Maharashtra and Gingee Fort in Tamil Nadu.

These components, distributed across diverse geographical and physiographic regions, showcase the strategic military powers of the Maratha rule, the Indian officials had earlier said. The 'Maratha Military Landscapes' were developed between the 17th and 19th centuries.

There are more than 390 forts in Maharashtra, out of which only 12 forts were selected under the Maratha Military Landscapes of India, of these eight forts are protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the ministry earlier said.

The inception of the Maratha military ideology dates back to the 17th century during the reign of Maratha King Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj by 1670 and continued through subsequent rulers until Peshwa rule till 1818, it said.

Prime Minister Modi called upon everyone to visit the 12 forts under the title ‘Maratha Military Landscapes’ to learn about the rich history of the Maratha Empire. "Every Indian is elated with this recognition. These ‘Maratha Military Landscapes’ include 12 majestic forts, 11 of which are in Maharashtra and 1 is in Tamil Nadu", the post on X read.

"When we speak of the glorious Maratha Empire, we associate it with good governance, military strength, cultural pride and emphasis on social welfare. The great rulers inspire us with their refusal to bow to any injustice. I call upon everyone to go visit these forts and learn about the rich history of the Maratha Empire," he added.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis called it a "proud and glorious moment" for the state.

"Maharashtra Govt offers Salutations to our beloved Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj!! Heartiest congratulations to all the citizens and ShivBhakts of Maharashtra," Fadnavis said in a post on X.

"I am extremely happy to share that 12 forts of our greatest King, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, have been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List," he said. Shivaji Maharaj built these forts for "Swarajya" (sovereign state), Fadnavis added. Many people contributed to the efforts to include them in the UNESCO list, the chief minister said.

"First of all, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Hon. Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji. The support he gave and the active participation of the Central Government were of great value. The Archaeological Survey of India and the Ministry of Culture helped a lot in this. I personally contacted various ambassadors. My colleagues, DCM Eknath Shinde ji and DCM Ajitdada Pawar, also supported me from time to time. Minister Ashish Shelar personally went and met the Director General of UNESCO. He made a technical presentation there," Fadnavis said.

"ACS Vikas Kharge from my office, as well as India's Ambassador to UNESCO, Vishal Sharma and Hemant Dalvi from the Directorate of Archaeology and Museums, were present," he added.

Shekhawat in post on X said, "Truly proud day for Bharat's cultural heritage. My heartfelt gratitude to Hon'ble PM Shri @narendramodi ji for his visionary leadership in preserving and celebrating India's glorious past. This is India's 44th UNESCO World Heritage Site - a testament to our rich civilizational legacy, indigenous military engineering, and architectural brilliance," he said.

These magnificent 17th-19th century forts, spread across 12 iconic sites -- 11 in Maharashtra and one in Tamil Nadu -- stand as "timeless symbols of strategic mastery, ecological harmony, and the Maratha spirit of resilience. This historic inscription was granted at the 47th Session of the World Heritage Committee in Paris.#MarathaForts #WorldHeritage #UNESCO #CulturalPride #ViksitBharat", the Union minister wrote.

The proposal was sent to the World Heritage Committee in January 2024, and the inscription comes after a rigorous eighteen-month long process involving several technical meetings with the advisory bodies and a visit from the ICOMOS mission to review the sites, the ministry said.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar expressed happiness after the "Maratha Military Landscapes of India" were officially inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage list.

In a post on X, Jaishankar wrote, "Delighted that 'Maratha Military Landscapes of India' has been inscribed in @UNESCO #WorldHeritage list. Developed between the 17th & 19th centuries, the extraordinary fortification systems showcase the complexity and strategic prowess of Maratha defence systems as well as India's rich civilizational legacy."

Last year, the mound-burial system of the Ahom dynasty in Assam -- 'Moidams' -- were inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List at the 46th Session of the World Heritage Committee held in New Delhi. India had hosted the key meeting for the first time and Ambassador Sharma was the chairperson of the 46th session of the WHC.

India ranks sixth globally and second in the Asia Pacific Region for the most number of World Heritage Sites, the ministry said. There are 62 sites from India which are on UNESCO's Tentative List of World Heritage, which is a mandatory threshold for any site to be considered as a World Heritage property in future. Every year, each State Party may propose just one site for consideration of the World Heritage Committee for inscription to the coveted list.

Eight other sites -- Murujuga Cultural Landscape (Australia), Xixia Imperial Tombs (China), Cambodian Memorial Sites: From centres of repression to places of peace and reflection (Cambodia), Prehistoric Sites of the Khorramabad Valley (Iran), Forest Research Institute Malaysia Forest Park Selangor (Malaysia), Diy-Gid-Biy Cultural Landscape of the Mandara Mountains (Cameroon), Mount Mulanje Cultural Landscape, )(Malawi) and Faya Palaeolandscape (the UAE) were also inscribed on the list by the WHC on Friday.

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