As per the latest development, the Ministry of Culture has put forward the ‘Maratha Military Landscape’ for consideration in the UNESCO World Heritage List for the 2024-25 cycle, encompassing a total of 12 components in this submission.
These including iconic forts such as Salher Fort, Shivneri Fort, Lohagad, Khanderi Fort, Raigad, Rajgad, Pratapgad, Suvarnadurg, Panhala Fort, Vijay Durg, Sindhudurg in Maharashtra, and Gingee Fort in Tamil Nadu.
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These components, spread across diverse geographical and physiographic regions, serve as a testament to the strategic military prowess of the Maratha rule. Developed between the 17th and 19th centuries, the ‘Maratha Military Landscapes of India’ represent an exceptional fortification and military system, integrating the distinctive landscapes of the Sahyadri mountain ranges, Konkan Coast, Deccan Plateau, and the Eastern Ghats in the Indian Peninsula.
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Having been included in the Tentative List of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2021, this nomination is a distinctive cultural property. The forts, carefully selected from the more than 390 forts in Maharashtra, reflect a diversity of hierarchies, scales, and typological features. Notably, eight of these forts are protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), including Shivneri fort, Lohagad, Raigad, Suvarnadurg, Panhala fort, Vijaydurg, Sindhudurg, and Gingee fort.
The ‘Maratha Military Landscapes of India’ spans various categories of forts, such as hill forts like Salher Fort, Shivneri Fort, Lohagad, Raigad, Rajgad, and Gingee fort, a hill-forest fort like Pratapgad, a hill-plateau fort like Panhala, a coastal fort like Vijaydurg, and island forts like Khanderi fort, Suvarnadurg, and Sindhudurg.
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The inception of Maratha military ideology dates back to the 17th century during the reign of Maratha King Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in 1670 and continued through subsequent rules until Peshwa rule until 1818.
The nomination aligns with three criteria:
- To bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or civilization that is living or has disappeared.
- To be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble, or landscape that illustrates significant stages in human history.
- To be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas or beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance.
Currently, India is home to 42 World Heritage Sites, with 34 being cultural sites, seven natural sites, and one mixed site. In Maharashtra, six sites have earned UNESCO recognition, including Ajanta Caves, Ellora Caves, Elephanta Caves, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai, and the Western Ghats of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala.
This latest nomination further emphasizes India’s rich cultural and historical tapestry, adding to the global acknowledgment of its heritage.
