NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday announced USD 1 million contribution to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, which works to protect and preserve cultural heritage, biodiversity hotspots, urban heritage and marine heritage.
Announcing the contribution after inaugurating the 46th World Heritage Committee (WHC) meeting here, Modi said the funds could be used for capacity building, technical assistance and conservation of world heritage sites in the countries in ‘Global South’.
India is hosting the World Heritage Committee meeting for the first time. The committee is responsible for managing all matters of world heritage. The meeting is being attended by more than 2,000 international and national delegates. During the meeting spread over 10 days, proposals for nominating new sites on the World Heritage list and state of conservation reports of 124 existing World Heritage properties will be discussed.
Describing India as a living example of an ancient civilisation, Modi said history of India was also a history of science. Mentioning the iron pillar (kept at the Qutab Minar complex), Modi said despite standing in the open for many centuries, it had remained free of rust.
“This was an example of advanced metallurgy that prevailed in ancient India,” the PM said, adding that the temple at Kedarnath was an example advancement attained by India in architecture. Located at an altitude of 35,000 feet, the temple was constructed in the eighth century AD by taking into account the harsh climate prevailing in the area and the glacial alignment, Modi said.
He also mentioned Brihadeeswara Temple built by Chola kings in the South as an example of great architecture. He said the Dholavira and Lothal sites in Gujarat demonstrated advancement in urban planning and water management attained in India dating back to 3,000 BC.
The PM mentioned the Kashi-Vishwanath corridor, the Ram Temple in Ayodhya and the Nalanda University, named after the ancient seat of learning in Bihar, as some of achievements of the government headed by him.