1 • The 40 world heritage properties in India include 32 cultural, seven natural and one mixed property. • Apart from India, countries like Ita- ly, Spain, Germany, China and France also have 40 such sites each. About Dholavira Site: • Dholavira is located on the Khadir Island in Great Rann of Kutch Dholavira : Dholavira, the archaeological (GRK) of Kutch district in the state site of a Harappan era city in Gujarat, of Gujarat. received the UNESCO world heritage site • It was discovered in 1968 by ar- tag on July 27, 2021. chaeologist Jagat Pati Joshi who lat- er served as the ASI director from Key Highlights: 1987 to 1990. • This is the Indian second site to be • The site’s excavation between 1990 included in the world heritage list and 2005 under the supervision of this month after the Ramappa archaeologist Ravindra Singh Bisht Temple at Palampet in Telangana’s uncovered the ancient city. Warangal. • This city dates back to approxi- • Dholavira has become the 40th mately 3000 BC and it is believed from India to make the list and the that the city was occupied till 1500 first site of the ancient Indus Valley BC. Civilisation (IVC) in India to get the • Dholavira is an exceptional example tag. of a proto historic Bronze Age ur- • The IVC acropolis is located on a ban settlement in South Asia, per- hillock near present day Dholavira taining to the Harappan Civiliza- village in Kutch district, from which tion and bears evidence of a multi it gets its name. cultural and stratified society dur- • Both Dholavira and the Ramappa ing the 3rd and 2nd millennia BCE Temple were included in the list (Before Common Era). during the 44th session of the • As per the Archaeological Survey of UNESCO’s World Heritage Com- India (ASI), in the Kutch region, mittee held at Fuzhou in China. Dholavira is known as Kotda Timba • Gujarat now has four world herit- (the fort mound). age sites. They are: • The city of Dholavira is spread over 1. Dholavira 22 hectares and it is Indus Valley 2. Champaner near Pavagadh Civilisation’s fifth largest archaeo- 3. Rani ki Vav in Patan logical site. 4. The historic city of Ahmedabad • The excavated remains clearly indi- cate the origin of the settlement, its growth, zenith and the subsequent www.civilserviceindia.com 2 decline in the form of continuous cal structures like the Bud- changes in the configuration of the dhist Stupas. city, architectural elements and • While unlike graves at other IVC various other attributes. sites, no mortal remains of humans have been discovered at Dholavira. Note: • Ornamental beads, Red earthen- • Since the excavation at the site, the ware and microlithic tools were al- ASI has developed a museum here. so found during the excavation. • Dholavira, a village with a popula- • Remains of a copper smelter indi- tion of around 2,000, is the nearest cate of Harappans, who lived in human settlement at present. Dholavira, knew metallurgy. • Near the ancient city is a fossil park • It was also a hub of manufacturing where wood fossils are preserved. jewellery made of shells and semi precious stones, like agate and used Distinct features: to export timber. • It is believed that traders of • After Mohen jo Daro, Ganweriwala Dholavira used to source copper and Harappa in Pakistan and ore from present day Rajasthan and Rakhigarhi in Haryana of India, Oman and UAE and export finished Dholavira is the fifth largest me- products. tropolis of IVC. • This site is divided into three parts. Fall of Dholavira: They are : 1. The middle town As per the historians, Dholavira entered a 2. The citadel phase of severe aridity from 2000 BC, due 3. The lower town to climate change and rivers like Saraswati • The walls are made of sandstone or drying up. Because of a drought like limestone instead of mud bricks in situation, people started migrating toward many other Harappan sites and all the Ganges valley or towards south Gujarat of them were connected to a sew- and further beyond in Maharashtra. age network. Additional Info: • Some of the unique features of the Dholavira site are as follows: What are World Heritage Sites? o A cascading series of water ❖ World Heritage Sites are cultural reservoirs, outer fortifica- and/or natural sites of 'Outstanding tion, Universal Value', which are im- o Two multi purpose grounds portant across countries and gener- — one of which was used for ations. festivities and as a market- ❖ Sites are nominated to and desig- place — nine gates with nated by the World Heritage Con- unique designs, and vention (an organization of o Funerary architecture featur- UNESCO). ing tumulus — hemispheri- ❖ For example, World Heritage Sites might be ancient ruins or historical www.civilserviceindia.com 3 structures, buildings, cities, deserts, 2. To exhibit an important inter- forests, islands, lakes, monuments, change of human values, over a mountains, or wilderness areas. span of time or within a cultural ar- ea of the world, on developments in Background: architecture or technology, monu- ❖ UNESCO seeks to protect and pre- mental arts, town planning or land- serve such sites through the Con- scape design; vention Concerning the Protection 3. To bear a unique or at least excep- of the World Cultural and Natural tional testimony to a cultural tradi- Heritage. tion or to a civilization which is liv- ❖ This international treaty was drawn ing or which has disappeared? up in 1972. 4. To be an outstanding example of a ❖ Governments of countries that have type of building, architectural or ratified the Convention (States Par- technological ensemble or land- ties) identify and nominate suitable scape which illustrates (a) signifi- sites to the World Heritage Com- cant stage(s) in human history? mittee for inscription on the list 5. To be an outstanding example of a maintained by UNESCO. traditional human settlement, land use, or sea use which is representa- World Heritage Criteria: tive of a culture (or cultures), or human interaction with the envi- ❖ To be included on the World Herit- ronment especially when it has be- age List, sites must be of outstand- come vulnerable under the impact ing universal value and meet at of irreversible change; least one out of ten selection crite- 6. To be directly or tangibly associat- ria. ed with events or living traditions, ❖ Until the end of 2004, World Herit- with ideas, or with beliefs, with ar- age sites were selected on the basis tistic and literary works of out- of six cultural and four natural cri- standing universal significance. teria. (The Committee considers that this ❖ With the adoption of the revised criterion should preferably be used Operational Guidelines for the Im- in conjunction with other criteria); plementation of the World Herit- 7. To contain superlative natural phe- age Convention, only one set of ten nomena or areas of exceptional criteria exists. natural beauty and aesthetic im- Selection criteria: portance; 8. To be outstanding examples repre- For a property to be included on the World senting major stages of earth's his- Heritage List, the World Heritage tory, including the record of life, Committee must find that it meets one or significant on going geological pro- more of the following criteria: cesses in the development of land- forms, or significant geomorphic or 1. To represent a masterpiece of hu- physiographic features; man creative genius; www.civilserviceindia.com 4 9. To be outstanding examples repre- ❖ Earlier, the International Council of senting significant on going ecolog- Historic Monuments and Sites ical and biological processes in the (ICOMOS) had evaluated evolution and development of ter- Ramappa’s heritage status. restrial, fresh water, coastal and marine ecosystems and communi- ties of plants and animals; 10. To contain the most important and significant natural habitats for in situ conservation of biological di- versity, including those containing threatened species of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science or conservation. The protection, management, authenticity and integrity of properties are also important considerations. Listings: Maharashtra Bhushan: The Maharashtra Bhushan Selection Committee chaired by ❖ World Heritage status is a high ac- Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray recently colade that brings with it responsi- unanimously selected legendary playback bilities and international scrutiny. singer Asha Bhosle for the prestigious ❖ The World Heritage Convention’s award. operational guidelines say that a tentative list is like an inventory of Highlights: properties a country thinks should • The Maharashtra Bhushan Puraskar be on the World Heritage Site. will be given to legendary playback ❖ After UNESCO includes a property singer Asha Bhosle for the year in the tentative list, the country 2021. prepares a nomination document that will be considered by the About the award: UNESCO World Heritage Commit- tee. • The Maharashtra Bhushan is a highest civilian award presented Ramappa’s heritage status: annually by the government of Ma- harashtra. ❖ In this case, the nomination was • It was first awarded in 1996 to under Criterion I (Masterpiece of Purushottam Laxman Deshpande in human creative genius) and Crite- the field of Literature. rion III (bearing a unique or at least • It was initially conferred in every an exceptional testimony to a cul- years in the fields of Literature, Art, tural tradition, which is living or Sport, and Science. which has disappeared). www.civilserviceindia.com 5 • Later the fields of Social Work, • The significant artworks also in- Journalism, and Public Administra- cludes bronze and stone sculptures, tion and Health Services were in- a painted scroll and photographs, cluded. some of which were likely stolen, il- • The award is presented for out- legally excavated or unethically ac- standing achievement in their field. quired from the country. • The works of art being repatriated About Asha Bhosle: include 13 objects connected to In- • Asha Bhosle is best known for her dian art dealer Subhash Kapoor playback singing in Hindi cinema, through Art of the Past and one ac- although she has a wider repertoire.