The UNESCO World Heritage Sites of India are each unique remnants of our history, reminding us of the great cultural, architectural, and spiritual heritage of our country. Now, India has added another feather to its cap by having the Maratha Military Landscapes included on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. With the inclusion of these military landscapes – essentially forts, India now has a total of 44 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in its roster. Keep reading to know more about this historic moment of 2025.
44th UNESCO World Heritage Site In India: The Military Landscapes Of The Maratha Kingdom
Selection Process By The World Heritage Committee
The 47th session of the World Heritage Committee (WHC) in Paris took the milestone decision of including Maratha Military Landscapes in India’s UNESCO Sites. The proposal to include these historic sites was sent to the consideration of the WHC in January 2024, more than a year ago.
Now, after a rigorous eighteen-month long process, the WHC has made the decision to include these sites as the 44th UNESCO World Heritage Site of India. This eighteen-month long process involved several technical meetings with the advisory bodies and a visit of the International Council on Monuments and Sites mission to review the sites.
What Are The Maratha Military Landscapes Of India
The Maratha Kingdom, mainly having its power in central and South India as well as almost the entire Indian subcontinent during its prime, was one of the most invincible kingdoms in Indian history. Throughout their rule, the Marathas occupied and built important forts to stabilize and expand their power. Now, with these places being included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, they’ve received global recognition – something that was due for a long time.
The Maratha Military Landscapes are a group of strategic defense networks – forts built between the 17th and 19th centuries across present-day Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. The inscribed forts in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites include the following:
- Salher – Nashik
- Shivneri – Pune
- Lohgad – Pune
- Khanderi – Raigad
- Raigad – Raigad
- Rajgad – Pune
- Pratapgad – Satara
- Suvarnadurg – Ratnagiri
- Panhala – Kolhapur
- Vijaydurg – Sindhudurg
- Sindhudurg – Sindhudurg
- Gingee – Tamil Nadu
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Minister of Culture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, and Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis lauded the historic milestone and congratulated the people of Maharashtra and India for this feat. They expressed their joy and pride on their social media handles as they welcomed this announcement by the WHC.
Where India Stands On The UNESCO World Heritage Site List
With the addition of the 44th heritage site in UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites list, India now ranks sixth globally in the number of World Heritage Sites. Additionally, it ranks second in the Asia-Pacific region for this record.
According to the Press Bureau of India, we have 62 sites on the Tentative List, a necessary prerequisite for future nominations. As per the rules of the World Heritage Convention ratified by 196 nations, each country can only propose one site per year for inscription. The Archaeological Survey of India deals with all the matters concerning the World Heritage nominations on behalf of the Indian Government.
Other New UNESCO World Heritage Sites Across The World
While the addition of these 12 forts is a matter of pride for millions of Indians, the WHC added plenty of other sites across the world in its list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
North Korea’s Mount Kumgang also earned a spot on this reputed list as an important natural site – a beautiful mountain home to more than 12,000 waterfalls and ponds. UNESCO World Heritage Sites added another gem to its list by including Iran’s Khorramabad Valley. This valley can shed light on 60,000 years worth of human history and is the first-ever paleolithic site of Iran to be on this list. Additionally, the Cambodian Memorial Sites and Malaysia’s Selangor Forest Park also earned their spot on this coveted list.
Summing Up
Indians from all corners of the country expressed their joy at this historic announcement, with many political parties and followers of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj taking their celebrations to the streets. People also celebrated this announcement by conducting vibrant rallies and joyous celebrations. With the Maratha forts being included in the 2025 list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, it will be worth keeping a tab on the Indian sites that could show up on the 2026 list.
