Dholavira, the Harappan City declared World Heritage site by UNESCO

New Delhi:Dholavira, the Harappan City in the Rann of Kutch, Gujarat has been inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage list, the UNESCO said on Tuesday.

In a tweet, the UNESCO said, 'Dholavira: A Harappan City, in #India, just inscribed on the @UNESCO #WorldHeritage List. Congratulations!'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed happiness on UNESCO declaring Dholavira, Harappan city in India a World Heritage site.

He also said that it is a must visit, especially for those interested in history, culture and archaeology.

Reacting to the tweet by UNESCO, the Prime Minister, in a series of tweets said, "Absolutely delighted by this news. Dholavira was an important urban centre and is one of our most important linkages with our past. It is a must visit, especially for those interested in history, culture and archaeology. I first visited Dholavira during my student days and was mesmerised by the place. As CM of Gujarat, I had the opportunity to work on aspects relating to heritage conservation and restoration in Dholavira. Our team also worked to create tourism-friendly infrastructure there."

Alongwith the tweets, the Prime Minister also shared photos of his visit to Dholavira.

'India's nomination of Dholavira, the Harappan City in the Rann of Kutch, Gujarat has been inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage list. India submitted the nomination dossier for Dholavira: A Harappan City to the World Heritage Centre in January, 2020,' the Ministry of Culture said in a statement.

The site was on the UNESCO's tentative list since 2014. Dholavira: a Harappan city, is one of the very few well preserved urban settlements in South Asia dating from the 3rd to mid-2nd millennium BCE.

Union Minister of Culture, Tourism and Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) G Kishan Reddy shared this news on Twitter shortly after the announcement.

This follows a few days after the Rudreswara Temple, (also known as the Ramappa Temple) at Palampet, Mulugu district, Telangana state becoming the 39th World Heritage Centre in India.

Mr Reddy tweeted, 'It gives immense pride to share with my fellow Indians that Dholavira is now the 40th treasure in India to be given @UNESCO World Heritage tag. Another feather in India's cap as we now enter the Super-40 club for World Heritage Site inscriptions.'

With this successful nomination, India has 40 world heritage properties overall, which includes 32 cultural, 7 natural and one mixed property.

The Union Minister for Culture was referring to the countries that have 40 or more World Heritage sites and apart from India, this now contains Italy, Spain, Germany, China and France.

The Minister also observed in his tweet how India has added 10 new world Heritage sites since 2014, and this is testimony to the Prime Minister's steadfast commitment in promoting Indian culture, heritage and the Indian way of life.

Mr Reddy tweeted, 'Today is a proud day for India, especially for the people of Gujarat. Since 2014, India has added 10 new World Heritage sites - one fourth of our total sites. This shows PM @narendramodi's steadfast commitment in promoting Indian culture, heritage and the Indian way of life.'(UNI)