This September 18 2023, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) announced the addition of 42 new sites to the world heritage of humanity. Two Indian sites form part of it: three Hoysala-style temples, and Santiniketan, a school created by Tagore in 1901.

42 new inscriptions on the World Heritage List

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) strives to identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage throughout the world, it is considered to have extraordinary value to humanity.

What makes the concept of world heritage extraordinary is its concept universal application. World Heritage Site belongs to everyone all over the world, regardless of the region in which they are located.

From 16 to 20 September, the Committee added 42 new sites (33 cultural, 9 natural) to UNESCO’s World Heritage List, bringing the overall list to 1199 sites registered (993 cultural, 227 natural, 39 mixed).

On the list, we also find two new Indian sites: three Hoysala-style temples and Santiniketan. Hence, India became 6th country with the most sites listed as World Heritage Siteswith 42 sites.

Santiniketan

Santiniketan is a boarding school, open school and coeducational arts center that is very progressive in its teaching, founded by the famous poet and philosopher Rabindranath Tagore in 1901, in a small hamlet in West Bengal. Over the years, the school developed into a “world university”, opening in 1921, recognizing the unity of humanity or “Visva Bharati”.

According to UNESCO, Santiniketan stands out from the dominant British colonial architectural trends of the early 20th century and European modernism, and represents a movement towards pan-Asian modernitydrawing on ancient, medieval and folk traditions from across the region.

Hoysala sacred ensemble

This majestic place dating back to the 13th century consists of three sets of temples located in Karnataka: Belur, Halebid and Somananthpura temples. This is a characteristic of Hoysala styleand is the most representative of southern India, dating from the 12th and 13th centuries.

The Hoysala style is an architectural style that developed primarily in the Karnataka region of India between the 11th and 14th centuries under the Hoysala dynasty. This style is the hallmark of the temple luxuriously decoratedoften made of stone, with detailed and intricate carvings, hyperrealistic, which decorates the outer walls. Hoysala temples are renowned for their finely carved ceilings, decorative pillars and artistic intricacy.

Carvings on Hoysala temples represent a various themes, includes episodes from Hindu mythologygods, dancers, musicians and animals.

Hoysala style is considered one of the most important contributions to medieval Indian religious architectureand he left a lasting artistic legacy in the Karnataka region.

What is meant by UNESCO World Heritage listing?

The nominations for these two sites are not just a international recognition their value as cultural treasures for humanity but this allows them to benefit from a increased protection for their long-term preservation.

This also means a responsibility for countries that have registered the site. If this is not maintained or if it is seriously damaged, then this will happen can be deleted from the list of world heritage of mankind.

In 2021, the city of Liverpool was removed from the list because city planning provided for the creation of new buildings which conflicted with the idea of ​​preserving the site. Likewise, Dresden lost its status in 2009 following the construction of a four-lane bridge in the heart of its cultural landscape,”meaning the property fails to maintain its listed Outstanding Universal Value.”