2/12/2014 Heritage city of India not in Unesco's heritage list - The Times of India

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Heritage city of India not in Unesco's heritage list

Binay Singh,T NN | Feb 1 1 , 2 0 1 4 , 0 2 .5 1 PM IST
VARANASI: The three-day international seminar on 'Banaras, the Heritage City of India: Culture,
Tourism and Development', that ended at the Banaras Hindu University on Sunday, has shifted focus to
the status of the millennia-old city. Sadly, the city that boasts of being a mosaic of Indian culture, has
failed to find a place in the Unesco's World Heritage list.

The long riverfront of Ganga in Varanasi possesses a unique history highlighted by specific vision of
magnificent architectural row of lofty buildings and holy sites. People from all parts of the country,
speaking different languages and dialects and carrying their own traits, taboos and traditions, have
settled in this city. According to Rana PB Singh, professor of cultural geography and heritage studies at
BHU, who convened the seminar, there are over 3,600 Hindu shrines and temples, 1,388 Muslim
shrines and mosques, 42 Sikh temples (gurudwaras), 12 churches, 3 Jain temples, 9 Buddhist temples
and several other sacred sites and places in Varanasi. Existing national and international consciousness
of Banaras needs to be directed towards the city's architectural heritage.

But, despite its heritage richness, it fails to find a place in Unesco list. It is also a fact that attempts have been made in this direction, but it seems that
something is missing. Over a decade ago, the Varanasi Development Authority (VDA) had prepared a report, highlighting the rich culture of the city to
propose its inclusion in the Unesco list of World Heritage. During his visit to the city in March 2008, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also highlighted
the ancient heritage value of the city and said that state government would be requested to prepare a Heritage Development Plan for Varanasi which
would be funded from the JNNURM and other sources.

Since then, a development in this direction is the preparation of Heritage Development Plan for Varanasi by the architectural and heritage division of
Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) and formation of a heritage cell by the Varanasi Municipal Corporation. Varanasi has
also become a member of the Indian Heritage Cities Network (IHCN) on Unesco. The IHCN constitutes a network of urban local bodies,
governmental and non-governmental institutions and dedicated individuals of Indian or foreign origin. The Unesco -IHCN is working with the
National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) through a joint project, moving towards heritage-based urban development to mainstream the concern
for heritage protection, conservation and the sustainable use of cultural resources in the JNNURM.

However, ancient Buddhist site of Sarnath was included in Unesco's tentative list in 1998. But, it is still there waiting for the inclusion of main list. The
Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) had submitted it to the UNESCO under cultural category. The local authorities of ASI have no idea about any
further development regarding its inclusion in the Unesco World Heritage list. "We have no idea about it," said an ASI official when contacted to know
any development in this regard. District magistrate Pranjal Y adav said that he would consult the ASI authorities in this regard.

The city's Master Plan-2031 has identified seven heritage areas of archaeological, historical, religious, and cultural importance that include the areas of
riverfront and temples, Durga temple and Sankat Mochan area, Kamachha-Bhelupur, Kabir Math (Lahartara) area, Sarnath area, Panchcroshi route,
and Nati Imli (Bharat Milap).

The VDA had also prepared nomination proposal over a decade ago for inscription in the Unesco World Heritage List. The proposal pointed out that the
old city centre faces intense population and traffic pressures, especially during the numerous festivals held throughout the year. It is enclosed within the
modern city and is being threatened by pressures of modernisation and development. Proposing Varanasi to the Unesco Heritage List is an effort in the
direction of preserving the cultural and associative landscape of the city along with the river on whose banks it stands. The old city heritage zone also
includes the unique associative cultural landscape formed by the Ganga and the related cultural, religious, and social life. The identified 'Ganga River
and Riverfront and Old City Heritage Zone of Varanasi' satisfies the Unesco Cultural Heritage criteria. The proposed area is divided into three zones.
These are Ganga river and the riverfront heritage zone, core heritage area and outer heritage property across the river.

Giving justification, the proposal highlighted that the principal grounds for including Varanasi in the World Heritage List rests on the outstanding
universal value of its architectural heritage, symbolism and linked strongly to the cultural and religious traditions of three of the major religions of the
world -- Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. The proposal to inscribe Varanasi further rests on the rare and unique living expression of the religious and
cultural importance of the Ganga, whose sacredness has led to the settlement and growth of the ancient city and which still continues to be the main
reason for the religious and cultural importance of Varanasi across the globe. The city has two remnants of a holy past - the first one being Sarnath
where Buddha gave his first sermon and the second one is Rajghat Plateau, where the archaeological findings and the C14 dating of some of the wares
excavated from the earliest level refer to the existence of urban settlements in the period during 800 BC.

The city's heritage and crescent shape Ganga has always attracted sages, philosophers, travellers and mystics. The old city has been the meeting place
of philosophers and religious thinkers of India. At present, the city is visited annually by a large number of pilgrims, domestic as well as foreign. The
city is showing an increasing trend of tourist arrivals both from India and abroad. According to record, a total of 52,51,413 tourists including 49,66,161
Indians and 2,85,252 foreigners visited the city in 2013 while in 2012 the number of tourists was 50,61,585 including 47,83,012 Indians and 2,78,573
foreigners.

Earlier attempts to find a place in Unesco list

# Through a letter addressed to Unesco on 6 April 1992, Rana PB Singh first attempted to get heritage properties of Banaras inscribed in the Unesco
heritage list but it got little attention.

# He made another attempt in 2002, preparing three volumes of heritage properties inventory covering.

# Afterwards, several attempts were made by the VDA and Varanasi Municipal Corporation, but no proper management plans or structural designs
were finalised.

# Again, since July 2012 with the cooperation of World Bank and Union ministry of urban development, the heritage-based City Development Strategy
is in process for three cities, Ajmer-Pushkar, Varanasi and Hyderabad.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/varanasi/Heritage-city-of-India-not-in-Unescos-heritage-list/articleshow/30218836.cms?prtpage=1 1/2
2/12/2014 Heritage city of India not in Unesco's heritage list - The Times of India
is in process for three cities, Ajmer-Pushkar, Varanasi and Hyderabad.

Criteria for selection in World Heritage List

To be included on the World Heritage List, sites must be of outstanding universal value and meet at least one out of ten selection criteria

I. To represent a masterpiece of human creative genius

II. To exhibit an important interchange of human values over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture or
technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design

III. To bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or had disappeared

IV. To be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in
human history

V. To be an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use, or sea-use which is representative of a culture (or cultures) or human
interaction with the environment especially when it has become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible change

VI. To be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions with ideas or with beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding
universal significance. (The Committee considers that this criterion should preferably be used in conjunction with other criteria);

VII. To contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance;

VIII. To be outstanding examples representing major stages of earth's history, including the record of life, significant on-going geological processes in
the development of landforms, or significant geomorphic or physiographic features;

IX. To be outstanding examples representing significant on-going ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial,
fresh water, coastal and marine ecosystems and communities of plants and animals;

X. To contain the most significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity, including those containing threatened species of
outstanding universal value from the point of view of science or conservation.

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