INSCRIPTION FOR 6 HILL FORTS OF RAJASTHAN by Bina Kak Jaipur, 15 June: The Government of Rajasthan created a benchmark in 2010 when Jantar Mantar was inscribed on World Heritage List as the 1st State Protected Monument from India. As a result, several states across India started preparing their sites for nomination in the World Heritage List. Three years later, Rajasthan is again ready to establish another benchmark as the Hill Forts of Rajasthan inscribed in the list in this coming week by the World Heritage Committee in Pnom Penh, Cambodia. If granted this status, it would be the first serial cultural property from India where 6 forts would collectively be recognized as a single World Heritage Site. Sh. Rakesh Srivastava, Principal Secretary, Tourism, Rajasthan will represent Rajasthan at the WH Session in Cambodia along with Mr. Pankaj Dhirendra, a State Archaeology official. We in The Department of Culture, Rajasthan were pursuing this nomination since 2011. Several missions of ICOMOS (advisory body to UNESCO) visited Rajasthan since 2011 and discussed the nomination in great detail with State Archaeology Department, ASI and the Indian Advisory Committee on the World Heritage under the Ministry of Culture. It was decided to include Jaisalmer in Nov. 2012 thus adding 1 more fort to the initial nominations of 5 forts in order to complete the series as a whole. The Minister, Bina Kak, said the ICOMOS report recognizes the Outstanding Universal Value of Hill Forts with following statement “Within the State of Rajasthan, six extensive and majestic hill forts together reflect the elaborate, fortified seats of power of Rajput princely states that flourished between the 8th and 18th centuries and their relative political independence. The extensive fortifications up to 20 kilometres in circumference optimised various kinds of hill terrain, specifically the river at Gagron, the dense forests at Ranthambore, and the desert at Jaisalmer, and exhibit important phase of development of an architectural typology based on established “traditional Indian principles”. It mentions that “Within the defensive walls of the forts, the architecture of palaces and other buildings reflects their role as centres of courtly culture, and places of patronage for learning arts and music. As well as housing for the court and military guard, most had extensive urban settlements within their walls, some of which have persisted to the present day. And some also had mercantile centres as the forts were centres of production and of distribution and trade that formed the basis of their wealth. Most of the forts had temples or sacred buildings, some pre-dating the fortifications and outliving the Rajput kingdoms, and many of these remarkable collections of buildings still attract followers. Collectively the forts contain extensive water harvesting structures, many of which are still in use. Outlining the significance of each individual fort, the report mentions “As a former capital of the Sisodia clan and the target of three famous historical sieges, Chittorgarh is strongly associated with Rajput history and folk lore. Furthermore, the sheer number and variety of architectural remains of early date (ranging from the 8th to the 16th centuries). The Minister emphasized that these features mark it as an exceptional fort in its scale and monumentality comparable to very few other Indian forts. She added that Kumbhalgarh was constructed in a single process and (apart from the palace of Fateh Singh, added later) retains its architectural coherence. Its design is attributed to an architect known by name –Mandan – who was also an author and theorist at the court of Rana Kumbha in Chittorgarh. This combination of factors is highly exceptional. Situated in the middle of forest, Ranthambore is an established example of forest hill fort and in addition, the remains of the palace of Hammir are among the oldest surviving structures of an Indian palace. Gagron is an exemplar of a river-protected fort. In addition its strategic location in a pass in the hills reflects it control of trade routes. Amber Palace is representative of a key phase (17th century) in the development of a common Rajput-Mughal court style, embodied in the buildings and gardens added to Amber by Mirza Raja Jai Singh I. Jaisalmer is an example of a hill fort in desert terrain. The extensive township contained within it from the outset, still inhabited today, and the group of Jain temples, make it an important (and in some respects even unique) example of a sacred and secular (urban) fort. Bina Kak further added that Rajasthan has taken lead in the country to get its unique heritage listed in the UNESCO World Heritage list. After inclusion of Jantar Mantar and now the Hill Forts, she said we will attempt to do a Hatrick by submitting Step wells of Rajasthan (at Abhaneri, Bandikui, Bundi etc.) this year itself and after that Frescos paintings of Shekhawati region. The work will start simultaneously. All these efforts, she added, will reinforce positioning of Rajasthan on the world tourism map as a favoured tourist destination.
Posted on: Mon, 17 Jun 2013 11:49:12 +0000
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