April 18 is marked as the World Heritage Day or International Day for Monuments and Sites. The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) encourages cultural heritage and range of the world’s monuments and heritage sites on this day.
The day aims at educating about the diversity of the world’s heritage sites and the efforts essential in protecting and conserving them.
HISTORY
ICOMOS in 1982 suggested that April 18 should be celebrated as the International Day for Monuments and Sites. UNESCO in its 22nd General Conference in 1983, approved the date. Since then, ICOMOS every year suggests a theme for the celebrations. This day is not just about the listed sites but all cultural heritage landscapes of global, state and local significance.
SIGNIFICANCE
The day is celebrated with an aim to boost local communities and people to know the importance of cultural heritage in their lives. It also centres on spreading awareness about diversity and the susceptibility of cultural heritage, amid efforts to conserve them.
The idea behind observing World Heritage Day is to make people of different geographical regions meet with each other and share information about their history, heritage and traditions.
It makes people of diverse societies know more about each other, and ultimately promotes co-habitation. There are magnificence celebrations by ICOMOS in partnership with UNESCO around the world, where travel and history fanatics participate in such events. But this year, due to the coronavirus lockdown, the world is at a standstill.
Thus this year, ICMOS has declared the theme of Shared Cultures, Shared Heritage, Shared Responsibility as it is vital for the world to unite at the time of the ongoing pandemic.
HERITAGE SITES IN INDIA
Do you know there are 3691 protected monuments and sites in our country which comprises world heritage properties under the UNESCO and 50 sites and museums?
Cultural world heritage sites in the country include the Taj Mahal, Hampi, Ajanta and Ellora Caves, Sun Temple, Sanchi, Ran Ki Vav, Hill Forts of Rajasthan and the list goes on.
Whereas, the natural heritage sites include the Western Ghats, Great Himalayan National Park, Kaziranga Wild Life Sanctuary, Sundarbans National Park, Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks and more.
The largest number of protected sites comes under Uttar Pradesh (745), whereas Karnataka (506) ranks second.
Today, the empty passages, of some of the great heritages that have been the pride of the country, narrate a grey story of the fate that has occurred. Due to the novel coronavirus lockdown, these heritage sites have replaced the frenetic liveliness that surrounds them with weird calm.
