World Heritage Day – April 18 2016

International Monuments and Sites Day also known as World Heritage Day is observed on April 18th every year, to preserve our vast heritage that our ancestors left for us,heritage is our inheritance of land, language, ecosystems, knowledge, and culture.

• UNESCO World Heritage Convention labels the places that hold importance of cultural or natural heritage.
• The day aims at creating public awareness about the variety and vulnerability of the world’s built monuments and heritage sites.

Theme for the year:

The 2016 theme for the International Day is:The Heritage of Sport.

Monumental drive to push for world heritage tag

• Delhi government on World Heritage Dayheld walks exhibitions and cycle tours to familiarize residents with the city’s rich history and encouraged them to help protect the ancient monuments
• This initiatives from the Delhi government is in pipeline to get the coveted ‘world heritage city’ tag.
• The government has organized a heritage walk and cycle tour was organised in Mehrauli archaeological park where participants got to see various monuments.
• A special walk will also be organized for students to spread awareness about the archaeological park and the many monuments inside it.

Delhi has three world heritage sites they are

• QutubMinar
• Humayun’s Tomb
• Red Fort

Hands on Heritage Exhibition:

• Bengaluru to host a three-day exhibition titled Hands on Heritage seeks to draw public awareness towards heritage conservation on the occasion of the World Heritage Day.
• The exhibition aiming to create awareness towards heritage, it is starting on April 16 the exhibition to be held at Rangoli Metro Art Centre in Bengaluru.
• The fair is part of an ongoing project where architecture students and private heritage home owners work closely to document and safeguard heritage buildings.

UNESCO’s World Heritage Site:

There are 1031 heritage sites are listed in the world of which 802 cultural, 197 natural, and 32 mixed properties, in 163 states parties.

India’s Heritage Sites:

• India is with 32 World Heritage Sites of these 25 are cultural sites and the other 7 are natural sites.
• India stands seventh in global rank which are recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
• Agra Fort and the Ajanta Caves were India’s first two sites to be inscribed on the list in 1983.