NEW DELHI: Unesco’s World Heritage Centre has added a set of six properties to India’s tentative list, including renowned sites such as the Ashokan Edict Sites and the Chausath Yogini Temples, which are located across several states. This inclusion was announced on March 7, according to a statement from the Permanent Delegation of India to Unesco, which was shared later on Thursday via the microblogging platform X. Being on the tentative list is a prerequisite for any property that wishes to be nominated for future inscription to the World Heritage List, the statement emphasized.
The six sites that have been added to the tentative list are the Kanger Valley National Park in Chhattisgarh; the Mudumal Megalithic Menhirs in Telangana; the serial nomination of Ashokan Edict Sites along the Mauryan Routes (spanning multiple states); the serial nomination of Chausath Yogini Temples (across multiple states); the serial nomination of Gupta Temples (in north India across multiple states); and the palace-fortresses of the Bundelas located in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, as noted in the statement.
With these updates, India’s tentative list now includes a total of 62 sites. The ‘tentative list’ serves as a catalog of properties that each country plans to consider for Unesco nomination.
According to information on the Unesco website, the Chausath Yogini Temples are regarded as a serial nomination, encompassing locations across various parts of the country. “The Chausath Yogini Temples feature 64 images of Yoginis in separate shrines, arranged in a circular formation with intricate stone carvings. These temples are predominantly situated atop hills. ‘Yogini’ signifies a female yoga practitioner, while ‘chausath’ means 64 in Hindi. The Yoginis are recognized as a group of forest spirits and maternal deities,” the Unesco description explains.
“This combination of both enchanting and intimidating characteristics, along with the substantial number of goddesses within the group, characterizes them as Yoginis,” it further elaborates.
Currently, a total of 43 properties from India have been inscribed on the Unesco World Heritage List, consisting of 35 in the ‘Cultural’ category, seven in ‘Natural’, and one in the ‘Mixed’ category.
India hosted its first World Heritage Committee meeting in 2024, during which the Moidams—the burial mounds of the Ahom Dynasty in Assam—were granted the prestigious Unesco designation.
