WORLD HERITAGE SITES

INTERNATIONAL--
recently attacked by armed
militants from the fundamentalist 'Ansar Dine' group just two days after it was
named as an endangered world heritage site by UNESCO
Timbuktu, Mali


NATIONAL


recently been included by  UNESCO in its coveted list of World Heritage Sites---Western Ghats









ASI site management plans for heritage monuments on anvil
• The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is planning to prepare site management plans for Mamallapuram monuments and Big Temple at Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu on the lines of the one adopted in Hampi.
• Zones such as core zone, buffer zone and peripheral zones had been formed around monuments to
prevent certain activities that could damage the monument.
• There are 29 heritage sites in Tamil Nadu, out of which 23 are cultural sites and the rest natural sites.





UN assigns ‘World Heritage Site’ status to the Western Ghats
1600-km long India’s Western Ghats mountain chain, which possesses forests older than the Himalaya Mountains, has been added to list of world heritage sites by the UN.
UNESCO held that the Western Ghats mountain chain is discerned as one of the world’s 8 hottest hotspots of biological diversity.
The World Heritage Committee meets once a year, and is liable for the enactment of theUNESCO World Heritage Convention, which defines the kind of natural or cultural sites which can be considered for dedication on the World Heritage List.







Indian States has
recommended its five monuments to UNESCO for world heritage status--

Rajasthan The five monuments are Ranthambore Fort, Gagrone Fort Jhalawar fort,
Chittorgarh Fort, Amber Fort and Kumbhalgarh Fort. While Kumbhalgarh Fort in
Rajsamand have the second-longest continuous wall after the Great Wall of
China, Gagron Fort in Jhalawar is the only fort which is surrounded by water on four
sides. Amber Fort in Jaipur is known for a distinct architectural style which has both
Mughal and Rajput influence. Chittorgarh Fort is famous for its historicity and Sawai
Madhopur Fort in Ranthambhore is totally surrounded by forests.