Context

• India has nominated “Maratha Military Landscape” for recognition as UNESCO World Heritage List for the year 2024-25.

Key Points

• The twelve constituent parts of this nomination are Salher Fort, Shivneri Fort, Lohagarh, Khanderi Fort, Raigarh, Rajgarh, Pratapgarh, Suvarnadurg, Panhala Fort, Vijay Durg, Sindhudurg in Maharashtra and Gingee Fort in Tamil Nadu.
• The Maratha military landscape of India, developed between the 17th and 19th centuries, represents an extraordinary fortification and military system envisioned by the then Maratha rulers.
• This extraordinary system of forts, varying in characteristics of hierarchy, scale and symbolic classification, is the result of integrating the landscape, region and geographical features specific to the Sahyadri mountain ranges, the Konkan coast, the Deccan plateau and the Eastern Ghats in the Indian peninsula.
• Of the more than 390 forts present in Maharashtra, only 12 forts have been selected under the Maratha military landscape of India and eight of these forts are protected by the Archaeological Survey of India. These are Shivneri Fort, Lohgarh, Raigarh, Suvarnadurg, Panhala Fort, Vijaydurg, Sindhudurg and Gingee Fort.
• Salher Fort, Rajgarh, Khanderi Fort and Pratapgarh are protected by the Directorate of Archeology and Museums, Government of Maharashtra.

World Heritage sites of india

• Currently, there are 42 World Heritage Sites in India, out of which 34 are cultural sites, seven are natural sites while one is a mixed site.

World Heritage Site located in Maharashtra

• It is noteworthy that Maharashtra has six World Heritage Sites, five cultural and one natural.
• These are - Ajanta Caves (1983), Ellora Caves (1983), Elephanta Caves (1987), Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus) (2004), Victorian Architectural Style (Gothic) and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai ( 2018) and are successive properties in the Western Ghats Natural Range (2012) of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

IMPORTANT FACTS FOR EXAM

UNESCO

• Constituent body of the united nations
• Established-16 November 1945
• Headquarters – Paris, France
• Function: To promote international peace through education, nature and social sciences, culture and communication.