Dholavira, a Harappan era city located in present day Gujarat's Rann of Kutch has been added to the list of World Heritage Sites by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the nation on the occasion and urged people to visit the 'majestic Temple complex' and get a first-hand experience of its grandness.
"Absolutely delighted by this news. Dholavira was an important urban centre and is one of our most important linkages with our past. It is a must visit, especially for those interested in history, culture and archaeology," he wrote on Twitter.
"I first visited Dholavira during my student days and was mesmerised by the place. As CM of Gujarat, I had the opportunity to work on aspects relating to heritage conservation and restoration in Dholavira. Our team also worked to create tourism-friendly infrastructure there."
Union Minister of Culture, Tourism G Kishan Reddy also took to Twitter to inform that Dholavira is now the 40th treasure in India to be given the UNESCO's World Heritage Inscription.
"It gives immense pride to share with my fellow Indians that #Dholavira is now the 40th treasure in India to be given @UNESCO's World Heritage Inscription. Another feather in India's cap as we now enter the Super-40 club for World Heritage Site inscriptions," the minister tweeted.
He added, "Today is a proud day for India, especially for the people of #Gujarat. Since 2014, India has added 10 new World Heritage sites - one-fourth of our total sites. This shows PM @narendramodi's steadfast commitment in promoting Indian culture, heritage and the Indian way of life." This comes days after the Kakatiya Rudreshwara (Ramappa) Temple in Telangana got inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The ongoing 44th session of the World Heritage Committee of the UNESCO has already given India a new world heritage site in the form of the Rudreswara/ Ramappa Temple in Telangana, which dates back to the 13th century.
Gujarat so far has three world heritage sites - Champaner near Pavagadh, Rani ki Vav in Patan and the historic city of Ahmedabad.
This session of the World Heritage Committee is being chaired from Fuzhou in China and is being held online. It started on July 16 and will end on July 31.
The 44th session ombines current work, and issues left outstanding since last year, when the annual meeting was postponed due to COVID-19.
(With inputs from agencies)
