Gujarat's Sun Temple, Vadnagar town make it to UNESCO heritage sites List

New Delhi, Dec 20: Three new cultural sites in India, including iconic Sun Temple at Modhera, historic Vadnagar town in Gujarat and rock-cut relief sculptures of Unakoti in Tripura, have been added to the tentative list of UNESCO world heritage sites, the ASI said on Tuesday.

The UNESCO website describes a tentative list as an "inventory of those properties which each State Party intends to consider for nomination". On Tuesday, Union Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy tweeted to share the news and also shared images of the three sites.

"Congratulations India! India adds 3 more sites to @UNESCO's Tentative List: 01 Vadnagar- A multi-layered Historic town, Gujarat 02 Sun Temple, Modhera and its adjoining monuments 03 Rock-cut Sculptures and Reliefs of the Unakoti, Unakoti Range, Unakoti District," he tweeted.

Vadnagar, an ancient city in Mehsana district of Gujarat is steeped in history and endowed with rich built heritage. It is the hometown of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) also shared his tweet and added that the step will provide a big boost to India's cultural heritage.

"Big boost to #India's cultural heritage, as Sun Temple, Modhera & adjoining monuments, rock-cut Sculptures & Reliefs of Unakoti and Vadnagar, a multi-layered historic town, Gujarat are the 3 new sites added to Tentative List of @UNESCO #WorldHeritagesites, making the count to 52," it tweeted.

A senior official said that the names of the three sites for inclusion in the tentative list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites, were sent "about 15 days ago". "There names were given to UNESCO for it, and all three names were accepted. The nomination, for inclusion in UNESCO World Heritage Sites list each year is sent from the list of tentative sites. The choice of the site is decided by the central government," the official said.

The Sun Temple, Modhera dedicated to the Sun God, is one of the remarkable gems of temple architecture in India. It impresses not only with its architectural structure and technological achievements as in position of the temple against to Sun; but also in particular with its sculpture decoration, representing true artistic mastery.

The temple is an "exemplary model of Maru-gurjara architecture style of the 11th century of western India under the patronage of the Solanki dynasty. The age of the temple may be inferred from its style belonging to the reign of Bhimadeva I (1022-1063 CE)," reads the description about the temple in the Tentative List section of UNESCO on its website. Prime Minister Modi had visited the Surya Mandir in Modhera in October. He had also inaugurated heritage lighting there which makes it the first heritage site in India to be powered solely by solar energy, the PMO had earlier said.

The third site, Unakoti -- the chiselled 'Angkor Wat of the North-East' region -- contain the series of Shaivite rock sculptures in the northern part of Tripura. Nestled in the Raghunandan hills, about 180 km from Agartala, Unakoti is home to giant bas-relief sculptures of the 8-9th century carved out of a huge hill.

The 52 sites in the Tentative List also include Temples at Bishnupur, West Bengal (added to the list in 1998); Mattanchery Palace in Kerala (added in 1998); Wild Ass Sanctuary, Little Rann of Kutch in Gujarat (added in 2006), according to UNESCO website.

A total of six Indian sites have been added to the Tentative List so far this year. India has a total of 40 sites which enjoy the UNESCO World Heritage tag. These include 32 cultural sites, such as Agra Fort, Taj Mahal, Harappan-era site in Dholavira, Elephanta Caves, Red Fort complex in Delhi, and Mahabodhi Temple complex in Bodh Gaya in Bihar.