Days after the archeological site of Nalanda Mahavihara (Nalanda University) in Bihar was added to the list of World Heritage Sites by UNESCO, there are more good news for the heritage lovers in the country.
Chandigarh city and Sikkim’s national park, which is home to the world’s third highest peak Mount Khangchendzonga among its world heritage sites, have bagged the prestigious UNESCO tag.
The decision was taken by the UNESCO on Sunday. The archaeological site of Nalanda Mahavihara (Nalanda University) in Bihar had entered the list at the 40th session of The World Heritage Committee meeting in Istanbul.
The Paris-based body listed Franco-Swiss architect le Corbusier’s works, including the Indian city of Chandigarh which he planned in the 1950s, among its World Heritage Sites. In total 17 sites spread over seven countries were listed with the UNESCO describing them a “testimonial to the invention of a new architectural language that made a break with the past”.
A World Heritage Site is a place (such as a building, city, complex, desert, forest, island, lake, monument, or mountain) that is listed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) as being of ‘special cultural or physical significance’.
“The Complexe du Capitole in Chandigarh (India), the National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo (Japan), the House of Dr Curutchet in la Plata (Argentina) and the Unite d’habitation in Marseille (France) reflect the solutions that the Modern Movement sought to apply during the 20th century to the challenges of inventing new architectural techniques to respond to the needs of society.
“These masterpieces of creative genius also attest to the internationalisation of architectural practice across the planet,” it said in an official statement. In another major recognition, Sikkim’s Khangchendzonga National Park — home to the world’s third highest peak, Mount Khangchendzonga — made it to the list.
The Khangchendzonga National Park includes a unique diversity of plains, valleys, lakes, glaciers and spectacular, snow-capped mountains covered with ancient forests, including the world’s third highest peak, Mount Khangchendzonga.
“Mythological stories are associated with this mountain and with a great number of natural elements (eG Caves, rivers, lakes, etc) that are the object of worship by the indigenous people of Sikkim.
The sacred meanings of these stories and practices have been integrated with Buddhist beliefs and constitute the basis for Sikkimese identity,” the statement said. For Nalanda, UNESCO said, the site stands out as one of the most ancient universities in South Asia, UNESCO said in a release.
“Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara (Nalanda University) comprises the archaeological remains of a monastic and scholastic institution dating from the 3rd century BCE to the 13th century CE,” it said. The site includes stupas, shrines, viharas (residential and educational buildings) and important art works in stucco, stone and metal.