Maha govt to seek UNESCO heritage site tag for forts

With a view to bring the history of Maratha Empire before the world and boost tourism, the Maharashtra government is planning to seek UNESCO world heritage site status for the forts in the state, a minister said here today.
"A proposal, drafted by a team of experts, will be sent to UNESCO's world heritage site committee in the next one year through the Union Ministry of Cultural Affairs and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)," Maharashtra Education and Culture Minister Vinod Tawde said.
"Our forts have been the hallmark of great legacy of the Maratha empire and the glorious history of all these forts needs to be identified on the world map. In order to do that, we are keen to seek UNESCO world heritage site status for our forts," he said.

If the forts get world heritage site tag, the great history of Maratha Empire will be brought before the world and it will pave the way in boosting tourism, he added.
Tawde, along with senior consultant to the Ministry of Culture,and member secretary, Advisory Committee on World Heritage Matters Shikha Jain, Shrimant Chhatrapati Sambhaji Raje and other officials, visited some forts - Shivneri, Panhala, Raigad, Rajgad, Torna and even took a aerial view of sea forts- Murud, Janjira, in the last couple of days.
Tawde added that the expert committee would prepare a proposal so that it can be sent for the inclusion in the tentative list of the UNESCO world heritage site.

Jain, who was also present at the press conference, said that they are planning to send serial nominations for these forts. "Like the forts in Rajasthan, which tell the story of Princely State, even the forts in Maharashtra tell the story of Maratha empire," she said.

"All these forts here are connected historically and while sending the proposal, the story line of Maratha Empire and Chhtrapati Shivaji Maharaj's military techniques, will be the added advantage," she said.
She added that the process to get the heritage status is somewhat long-winding and may take around three years.
Tawde said that the guerrilla warfare technique, used by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, is the topic for research in foreign universities and despite that the footfall of foreign tourists is not up to the mark to these forts, which were the main stay of all these activities.

"Hence, we thought that world heritage status is required so that the glorious history of Maratha Empire, can be told to the world," he said.