WORLD HERITAGE DAY 2021
World Heritage Day, which is also known as the International Monuments and Sites Day, celebrates the work carried out by the International Council on Monuments and Sites on April 18. The significance of the day is all about increasing the awareness of the importance of the diversity of cultural heritage and preserving it for generations in the future.
ICOMOS works closely with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisations (UNESCO) for the conservation and protection of cultural heritage sites, it also helps UNESCO on World Heritage Sites.
On this day, there are a number of different events that happen all over the world. This includes a wide range of activities, conferences, and visits to heritage sites and monuments. For those who are unaware, a heritage site is basically a place that is of cultural significance. The first World Heritage Day was organised by the ICOMOS in 1982 but it only got approved by the UN General Assembly in the following year.
ICOMOS has decided that the theme for this year's World Heritage Day would be “Complex Pasts: Diverse Futures”. Conservation of cultural heritage requires critical examination of the past, as much as its practice demands provision for the future.
Every country boasts of a number of UNESCO World Heritage sites, and India too boasts of a number of Heritage sites, Some of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India are:
- 1-Taj Mahal, Agra
- 2-Hampi, Karnataka
- 3-The Ellora Caves, Aurangabad
- 4-Sanchi, Madhya Pradesh
- 5-Kaziranga Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam
- 6-Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh
- 7-Ajanta caves, Maharashtra
- 8-Bodh Gaya, Bihar
- 9-Red Fort, Delhi
- 10-Chola Temples, Tamil Nadu
- 11-Sunderban National Park, West Bengal
Some of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Odisha are:
- 1- Jagannath Temple, Puri
- 2- Udaygiri & Khandagiri
- 3- Chandipur beach, Balasore
- 4- Daringbadi, Kandhamal
- 5- Ratnagiri, Jajpur
- 6- Barabati Fort
- 7- Dhauli
“It is not the honor that you take with you but the heritage that you leave behind.”
To live the ancient culture, a tradition it necessary to protect and preserve a variety of cultural and historical places. This quote perfectly depicts that.