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Since my childhood, I felt so happy when I have to visit historical sites and monuments with my father. These places attracted me a lot because of their design, architect, carvings on stone, patterns, and style. These sites gave me a different vibes like how mesmerizing it is to peek into our history, how the architect design such a strong sites, sculpture with brilliant color compositions and thought.
It depicts our history and unfolds indefinite mysteries. The basic question is how do we define, World Heritage SitesâŠâŠ..so the answer is âWorld Heritage is the designation for places on Earth that are of outstanding universal value to humanity and as such, have been inscribed on the World Heritage List to be protected for future generations to appreciate and enjoy.
A World Heritage site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). World Heritage sites are designated by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, scientific or other forms of significance. The sites are judged to contain âcultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanityâ. (Source: https://static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/specificdocs/documents/2022/apr/doc202241843001.pdf)
With the objective of safeguarding these heritage sites and to raise awareness about the importance of these sites, the World Heritage Day is observed every year on 18th April. Historically, the concept of observing World Heritage Day was proposed by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) in 1982 which was approved by the United Nations General Assembly in 1983. âSince 1983, the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) has been selecting a theme for the World Heritage Day, which serves as the basis for various events and activities around the worldâ. (Source: https://www.investindia.gov.in/team-india-blogs/world-heritage-day).
India also celebrates this day soulfully as our country has been a member of the World Heritage Committee thrice before (1985-91, 2001-07 & 2011-15). Now we are serving the fourth term from 2021-2025. India is a land of wonders with its rich cultural background. We are home to 40 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, which showcase Indiaâs architectural marvels and rich cultural diversity.
The most famous and iconic heritage sites include the Khajurao, Ajanta and Ellora caves, the Konark Sun temple to name a few. India is committed towards five Cs of the Convention, i.e., Credibility, Conservation, Capacity Building, Communication and communities. The care of this heritage site is being handled by Archaeological Survey of India along with Environment and Forest departments, Railways and state governments.
Every country celebrates this day with full enthusiasm. Many initiatives have been taken so far such as awareness programs for every age group regarding the importance of preservation and conservation of monuments, publishing books on World Heritage Sites, free tickets for visiting monuments, heritage walks, painting competitions, display of rare artifacts, scholarly lectures
etc. Every nation is cautious about the preservation, conservation and safeguarding their heritage sites. Preserving these monuments and sites accelerate the growth of tourism which ultimately impact the economy in various ways. It may tend to increase the revenue; it may also help in generating employment, helps to protect local culture etc. every government is taking important steps to safeguard these sites such as:
- Community engagement in various ways like running awareness programs in school and college level
- Discussion on historical significance of these sites
- Promoting cultural values among people through volunteers
- Haat bazaar in and around heritage sites which boost local craft
- Regular monitoring, safety checks, maintaining deep cleaning
- Adopting sustainable practices to follow instruction for visiting sites
- Light and sound show
- Heritage walks
- Seminars, conferences and discussion on related issues
- Engaging other partners in this field
Being a citizen we should also understand our responsibility towards safeguarding our sites. Every site says some stories. We will not be here forever to narrate many stories to our future generation. So it is our responsibility to keep our sites clean by engaging ourselves in cleanliness drives, stop the practice of scribing on the walls, spitting and unhealthy practice of damaging the artifacts, monuments or sculpture. We should feel proud on our cultural heritage. It is a wealth of humankind which deserves our care and respect.
