India Nominates 'Maratha Military Landscapes' for UNESCO World Heritage Recognition

The state of Maharashtra was filled with joy as India proposed the inclusion of "Maratha Military Landscapes of India" in the UNESCO World Heritage List for the year 2024-25.

The twelve nominated components encompass Salher Fort, Shivneri Fort, Lohgad, Khanderi Fort, Raigad, Rajgad, Pratapgad, Suvarnadurg, Panhala Fort, Vijay Durg, and Sindhudurg in Maharashtra, along with Gingee Fort in Tamil Nadu, as indicated in an official statement.

Officials from the Cultural Ministry emphasized that these components, strategically located across diverse geographical and physiographic regions, vividly demonstrate the military prowess of the Maratha rule.

The 'Maratha Military Landscapes of India,' evolving between the 17th and 19th centuries, epitomize an exceptional fortification and military system envisioned by the Maratha rulers, according to the Cultural Ministry's statement. This remarkable network of forts, varying in hierarchies, scales, and typological features, is a product of integrating the distinctive landscape, terrain, and physiographic characteristics of the Sahyadri mountain ranges, the Konkan Coast, Deccan Plateau, and the Eastern Ghats in the Indian Peninsula.

While Maharashtra boasts more than 390 forts, only 12 forts have been chosen for inclusion in the Maratha Military Landscapes of India, with eight of them being protected by the Archaeological Survey of India.