Nitin Singhania: Summary of Unesco’s List Of Tangible World Heritage Sites In India - History for UPSC CSE

Criteria for Selection

• Nominated sites must be of “outstanding universal value” ten mentioned criteria:

Criteria for Cultural Sites

• Represents a masterpiece of human creative genius.
• Exhibits an important interchange of human values over a span of time, or within a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town- planning or landscape design.
• Bears a unique or exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilisation which is living or which has disappeared.
• Is an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural, or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates a significant stage in human history.
• Is an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use or sea-use which is representative of a culture or human-interaction with the environment especially when it has become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible change.
• Is directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance.

Criteria for Natural Sites

• Contains superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance. 
• Is an outstanding example representing major stages of the Earth’s history, including the record of life, significant ongoing geological processes in the development of landforms, or significant geomorphic or physiographic features.
• Is an outstanding example representing significant on-going ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, fresh water, coastal and marine ecosystems, and communities of plants and animals. 
• Contains the most important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity, including those containing threatened species of outstanding universal values from the point of view of science or conservation.

Legal status of designated sites

• If a site is declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO
  - It is accepted as prima facie evidence that such a site is culturally sensitive
  - And warrants legal protection pursuant to Law of War under Geneva Convention, its Articles, protocols and customs, together with the other treaties including the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and International Law.
• Article 53 of Geneva Convention treaty promulgates:
  “Protection Of Cultural Objects And Places Of Worship: Without prejudice to the provisions of the ‘Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict of 14 May 1954’ and other relevant international instalments, it is prohibited:
  - To commit any act of hostility directed against the historic monuments, works of art or places of worship which constitute the cultural or spiritual heritage of people;
  - To use such objects in support of the military effort;
  - To make such objects the object of reprisal.

UNESCO Word Heritage Sites in India

• Cultural Sites
  
  
  

• Natural Sites
  

Benefits of the World Heritage Site Status

• Brings international attention to the need for the preservation and conservation of the site.
• Brings tourism to the site ensuring economic benefits.
• UNESCO can provide funds for restoration, preservation, and training, if required.
• Promotes close ties with the United Nations system and the prestige and support it provides.
• Enables access to global project management resources.
• Facilitates creating partnerships between government, the private sector, and NGOs to achieve conservation goals.
• Site becomes protected under the Geneva Convention against destruction or misuse during wartime.

Question for Nitin Singhania: Summary of Unesco’s List Of Tangible World Heritage Sites In India

Try yourself:Which of the following is not correctly matched?

• A.

  a
• B.

  b
• C.

  c
• D.

  d

Explanation

Group of Monuments at Pattadakal (Karnataka) (Nine Hindu temples and one jain temple which includes Virupaksha temple, Papanatha temple, etc.)

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