NEW DELHI, March 23: The Government of India has nominated the Living Root Bridges of Meghalaya for inscription into the UNESCO World Heritage List for the 2026-27 cycle, the Centre informed Parliament on Monday.
In a written response to a query in the Lok Sabha, Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat also said the country has sent a proposal to the World Heritage Centre, seeking a UNESCO tag for the “Ancient Buddhist Site, Sarnath” in Uttar Pradesh for the 2025-26 cycle.
The culture ministry was asked for details about the number of UNESCO World Heritage sites in the country and whether the government has sent any proposals for the inclusion of new sites in the World Heritage List.
“Yes, sir. The government has sent the following proposals to the World Heritage Centre for consideration for inclusion in the World Heritage List: Ancient Buddhist Site, Sarnath (2025-26), Jingkieng Jri/ Lyu Charai Cultural Landscape (2026-27),” he said. “Facilitating connectivity and disaster resilience in more than 75 remote villages in and near the wettest region on Earth, Living Root Bridges validate outstanding ingenuity and resilience of an ancient culture, where collective cooperation and reciprocity were the fundamental building blocks of life,” UNESCO’s website states.
UNESCO sites in India include the ruins of ancient Nalanda University in Nalanda district and Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya in Bihar, Maratha Military Landscapes of India in Maharashtra (inscribed in 2025), Moidams-the Mount-Burial system of the Ahom Dynasty in Assam (inscribed in 2024), Rani ki Vav (The Queen’s Stepwell) at Patan in Gujarat, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus) in Mumbai, Jantar Mantar in Jaipur and the Historic City of Ahmedabad in Gujarat.
Kaziranga National Park in Assam, Sunderbans National Park in West Bengal and Great Himalayan National Park in Himachal Pradesh are also on the coveted list. (PTI)
