Why India wants UNESCO World Heritage site tag for PM Modi’s birthplace, Vadnagar

It is the birthplace of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It is where he spent much of his childhood, reportedly selling tea. Now Vadnagar town in Gujarat has made it to the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage sites along the Sun Temple at Modhera. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has included the two sites, both in the Mehsana district, in the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It took Twitter to make the announcement and said that the coveted tag will provide a big boost to the country’s cultural heritage. Also read: Lothal set to regain ancient glory as PM Modi reviews National Maritime Heritage Complex Vadnagar and its deep historical roots Vadnagar also goes by names like Anandapur, Anantapur, Vridhanagar, and Nagar. The city, which is said to have been inhabited continuously for over 2,700 years, finds a mention in the Puranas. [caption id=“attachment_11857751” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Kirti torans are built in red and yellow sandstone, just north of the walled town. Gujarat Tourism[/caption] The PM’s birthplace is home to many archaeological treasures and is known for its torans, a pair of 12th-century Solanki-era columns, 40 feet tall and built in red and yellow sandstone to celebrate a war victory. Vadnagar is home to ancient temples, wells, kothis, and excavated sites like Buddhist monasteries. It was during 1953-54 that the first excavations took place in the city. They were then taken up by the Gujarat state archaeology and museum directorate in 2006, according to a report in The Indian Express. During excavations in 2008 and 2009, ruins of a Buddhist monastery were discovered in the city. In 2014, the ASI took up excavations across the city – in Ghaskol, Darbargadh, and Badi Garbano Sheri. [caption id=“attachment_11857701” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Indian archaeologists and workers at an excavation site of a sewage disposal plant at Vadnagar. AFP[/caption] The most notable were the excavations to corroborate the writings of Chinese Buddhist traveller Hiuen Tsang who kept a journal was his travels between 627 AD and 643 AD. He wrote about the presence of 10 sangharama (monasteries) with 1000 priests. “There are some ten sangharama with less than 1,000 priest… There are several big Deva temples, and sectaries of different kinds frequent them,” Hiuen Tsang wrote. Additionally, India’s first music and dance college ‘Tanariri Performing Arts College’ was also found in the city. The college was established to honour the valour of two sisters, Tana and Riri, who sacrificed their lives when asked by Mughal King Akbar to sing in his court, which was against their custom, reported Outlook India. Also read: French baguette gets UNESCO heritage tag: The story behind this ‘250 grammes of magic and perfection’ The links to Buddhism In September 2014, PM Modi in a speech ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Gujarattalked about how Buddhism was at the centre of the city. While visiting China the next year, he presented Xi with the archaeological drawings of excavations from his hometown, of “a burnt brick structure that has been identified as a Buddhist monastery”. Hieun Tsang in his writings referred to Vadnagar as ‘Anandpur. He said that the priest in the monasteries studied the Little Vehicle (Hinayana sect of Buddhism) of Sammatiya school, hinting it was a key centre of Buddhist learning. [caption id=“attachment_11857711” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Indian Buddhist monks visit the recently excavated Buddhist monastery, which is some 1,900 years old. AFP[/caption]   Also read: Why UN wants to declare the Great Barrier Reef as ’endangered' Picking Vadnagar UNESCO’s Tentative List describes Vadnagar as a “historic town” that “represents a continuously evolving historic urban landscape/area which played a major role in the hinterland trade network of Western India. The continuity of the historic town proves its resilience/ outstanding universal value unlike the site like Harappa and Kalibangan, which were abandoned eventually.”   ASI in its submission to UNESCO said that the excavations showed an uninterrupted sequence of seven successive cultures, establishing its antiquity back to 750 BCE. It said most excavations were from the 2nd century BCE to the Gaekwad period, making it an “exceptional” scenario in Indian history. The survey agency has also claimed a Roman connection as “an imitation intaglio in clay depicting a woman with flower in the hand, a coin mould of Greco-Indian king Apollodotus II (80-65 BC), and a sealing with an impression of a Roman coin belonging to Valentinian-I (364-367 CE)” was found at a site in Vadnagar. There are also two “identical” torans (gates) in Kirti town that stand outside the fortification wall to the north of the town. In total, there are six gates to the town. According to the  UNESCO website, ASI has drawn comparisons of Vadnagar to the cities of Mathura, Ujjain, Patna, and Varanasi. “These cities were inhabited since the early historic period and in modern days also these are important religious or trade centers,” it said, adding, “Internationally, the historic town of Vadnagar can be compared to the Historical City of Masouleh in Iran, Quanzhou in China, and Historic Town of Beypazarı in Turkiye.” Also read: Breaking Bread: The origins of the baguette, which is now on UNESCO’s Cultural Heritage list The tentative list The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) describes World Heritage sites as locations that are of “outstanding universal value to humanity.” The specialised agency of the United Nations aims to “encourage the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world.” For a site to get the heritage tag, it must be nominated by the country where it is located. It will be examined by international experts who decide if the justification is valid. [caption id=“attachment_11856561” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] One of the two identical Kirti Torans in Vadnagar outside the city’s fortification wall. Gujarat Tourism[/caption] According to the World Heritage Convention’s operational guidelines, a tentative list is an “inventory” of properties a country believes deserve to be a World Heritage Site. Once on the tentative list, the country has to prepare a nomination document that will be considered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee. This will be followed by an evaluation and inspection by a representative. The World Heritage Committee comprising 21 UNESCO members then vote for its inclusion on the World Heritage List. Once this is done, the intergovernmental World Heritage Committee has a final say on its inscription. There are 40 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India, out of which 32 are cultural, seven are natural and one, the Khangchendzonga National Park in Sikkim, is of mixed type. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.