As many as 36 sites from India inscribed in World Heritage List

New Delhi, March 23: As many as 36 sites from India are inscribed on the World Heritage List which includes 28 Cultural, 7 Natural and 1 Mixed category site. This was said by Culture Minister Dr. Mahesh Sharma in Lok Sabha on Thursday.

 

In a written reply, Dr. Mahesh Sharma said that 36 sites from India are inscribed on the World Heritage List which includes 28 Cultural, 7 Natural and 1 Mixed category site. “There are 3686 monuments/sites under the protection of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI),” he added.

Giving further details, the Culture Minister said that during the last three years, the Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara (Nalanda University) at Nalanda (Bihar), The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier, an Outstanding Contribution to the Modern Movement, Chandigarh and Historic City of Ahmedabad under cultural category and Khangchendzonga National Park, Sikkim under mixed category are added to the World Heritage List and the Vishnu Temple, Wynad (Kerala) is added to the protection list of ASI.

Replying to separate question, Dr. Mahesh Sharma that during the last three years twenty antiquities have been retrieved from foreign countries out of which eleven antiquities are of Tamil Nadu. He also noted that there are no records available with Archaeological Survey of India regarding ancient idols, sculptures and statues deposited in various museums across the world as well as in private possession.

“Whenever any illegally exported objects/antiquities of Indian origin surface in a foreign country, efforts are made through Indian Missions abroad for their retrieval,” the Minister said. “The antiquities which have been retrieved include a stone sculpture of Brahma and Brahamani from U.K., Stone image of Durga from the USA, sandstone image of Nataraja in dancing posture from USA, seated Buddha from Australia, Parrot Lady from Canada, metal image of Bahubali from USA among others,” Dr. Mahesh Sharma concluded.