Orchha town of Madhya Pradesh added to the Tentative List of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites

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CONTEXT:

  • The architectural heritage of Orchha town in Madhya Pradesh added to the Tentative List of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites.
  • The architectural heritage of Orchha town depicts a unique style of the Bundela dynasty.
  • The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) had sent a proposal to UNESCO to include the architectural heritage of Orchha town in its list of World Heritage Sites on April 15, 2019.
  • For a historical site to be a part of UNESCO’s World Heritage sites, it must be first included in the tentative list.
  • Once included another proposal is sent to UNESCO, only then the site is included in the UNESCO’s World Heritage sites.

BACKGROUND:

  • Situated on the banks of the Betwa river, Orchha is around 80 km from MP’s Tikamgarh district and 15 km from Jhansi district of UP.
  • Orchha town is located in Niwari district of MP’s Bundelkhand region. ii. It was built by King Rudra Pratap Singh of Bundela dynasty in the 1 6th century.
  • Bundela architecture has Mughal influence due to the closeness of both the dynasties. Veer Singh Dev, King of Bundela dynasty, was a close friend of Mughal emperor Jahangir.
  • It is famous for its Chaturbhuj Temple, Orchha Fort complex and Raja Mahal. It is the only place in India where Lord Rama is worshipped as a king with a dedicated temple in his name called Sri Ram Raja Mandir.

UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites List:

  • UNESCO inaugurated the list by adopting a treaty known as ‘The World Heritage Convention’ in 1972.
  • It aims is to identify and protect the world’s natural and cultural heritages.
  • The list of World Heritage Sites is maintained by the ‘World Heritage Programme’, administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee.
  • At present, there are 38 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India (1 mixed, 7 Natural and 30 Cultural).
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