On December 6 2024, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) announced the winners of 2024 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation also known as Heritage Awards at its regional office in Bangkok, Thailand (UNESCO Bangkok).
- This year total 8 projects from 5 different countries of Asia-Pacific region: India (2), Thailand (1), China (3), New Zealand(1) and Japan(1) were honored with the UNESCO’s prestigious Heritage awards.
- Inari-yu Bathhouse Restoration Project in Tokyo Japan, has won the Award of Excellence, the highest honour of UNESCO heritage awards.
- Total 2 projects from India were honoured with two different heritage awards: Abathsahayeshwarar Temple in Tamil Nadu (TN) received “Award of Distinction” and Sir Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Parsee Charitable Institution (BJPCI Conservation Project) in Maharashtra received “Award of Merit”.
Selection Process:
i.Out of 52 entries from 14 countries across the Asia-Pacific region, these 8 projects were selected for regional honors by a 7-member jury panel. The selection was based on three key criteria: understanding of place, technical achievements, and sustainability and impact.
Winners of 2023 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation:
| Project | Location |
|---|---|
| Award of Excellence | |
| Inari-yu Bathhouse Restoration Project | Tokyo, Japan |
| Award of Distinction | |
| Gunan Street Historic Block Conservation Project | Yixing, Jiangsu Province, China |
| Abathsahayeshwarar Temple Conservation Project | Thukkatchi in Tamil Nadu (TN), India |
| Award of Merit | |
| Guanyin Hall Teahouse Conservation Project | Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China |
| Helou Pavilion Conservation Project | Shanghai, China |
| BJPCI Conservation Project | Mumbai, Maharashtra, India |
| Observatory Tower Conservation Project | Christchurch, New Zealand |
| Award for New Design Heritage Contexts | |
| Rabindhorn Building | Bangkok, Thailand |
| Special Recognition for Sustainable Development | |
| Gunan Street Historic Block Conservation Project | Yixing, Jiangsu Province, China |
| Helou Pavilion Conservation Project | Shanghai, China |
About Abathsahayeshwarar Temple:
i.It is a 1,300-year old temple located in Thukkatchi in Thanjavur district, TN.
ii.It is believed that the temple was constructed by King Vikram Chola and King Kulothunga Chola of the Chola Empire.
- The village where the temple is located was known as ‘Vikrama Chozheeswaram’ and ‘Kulothunga Chola Nallur’.
iii.Kulothunga Chola established an idol for Sarabeshwar also called ‘Aadhi Sarabeshwarar’ in temple.
iv.The temple had shrines of various deities including, Soundaryanaki Ambal, Ashtabhuja Durga Parameshwari, Murugan, among others.
About BJPCI Conservation Project:
i.It was founded by Sir Byramjee Jeejeebhoy in 1891.The school building was formally established in 1908 in Mumbai, Maharashtra, designed in Gothic Revival Style.
- This institution was established with the primary objective of supporting the education of underprivileged children.
ii.It was originally designed by Khan Bahadur Muncherji C Murzban, renowned builder known for making landmark public buildings.
iii.The restoration of over-century old BJPCI is led by Mumbai-based conservation architect Vikas Dilawari, who has been associated with this project since 1989.
UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation:
i.These awards were established in 2000, to recognise the efforts of private individuals and organisations for restoring or conserving structures, places, or properties of heritage value in the Asia-Pacific region.
ii.The Awards programme has been supported by the Ng Teng Fong Charitable Foundation (NTFCF), since 2021.
iii.UNESCO introduced a new award named “Award of Special Recognition for Sustainable Development” in 2020. The main purpose of this award is to recognise the contribution of cultural heritage to sustainable development.
About United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation(UNESCO):
Director-General (DG)- Audrey Azoulay
Headquarters– Paris, France
Member Nations- 194
Established–1945
