Shravanabelagola, Lakkundi to be proposed for inclusion under tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Mysuru monuments to be proposed for UNESCO World Heritage Site: Tenders to be invited to conduct study of Shravanabelagola & Lakkundi. DAMH Commissioner Devaraj says entry into UNESCO tentative list is prerequisite for final inscription. Belur & Halebidu temples waited 9 yrs, Somanathapur included in serial nomination. Shravanabelagola is ancient Jain site with world's tallest free-standing statue of Gomateshwaraa. Lakkundi has scores of ancient temples & heritage remnants from Chalukyas, Kalachuris, Seunas, Hoysalas & Vijayanagar.

The monuments at Shravanabelagola in Hassan and Lakkundi in Gadag districts will be proposed for inclusion under the tentative list of the UNESCO World Heritage Site by the State Department of Archaeology Museums and Heritage (DAMH).

Tenders will be invited in due course to conduct a study of the site to prepare the dossier and a detailed report which will be submitted to the Archaeological Survey of India.

A. Devaraj, Commissioner, DAMH, told The Hindu that any monument to be considered for final declaration as a UNESCO World Heritage Site has to be first nominated for inclusion under the tentative list.

The monuments should be under the tentative list for atleast one year before they can be proposed by the State party – in this case, the ASI – for inscription as a UNESCO site. The process is not only elaborate but time consuming, said Mr. Devaraj.

In the case of the Hoysala temples at Belur, Halebidu, and Somanathapur which were inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites in September this year, the waiting period under the tentative list was for nine years. The temples at Belur and Halebidu were nominated for inclusion in the tentative list in 2014 while Somanathapur was included under serial nomination, much latter.

But entry into the UNESCO tentative list is a prerequisite besides a waiting period of a minimum of one year before any monument can be considered for final inscription and hence the first step towards it is being taken, said Mr. Devaraj.

Though a monument on completing the stipulated period of one year in the tentative list qualifies for being nominated for final inscription, it is not automatic. For, there is a clause as per which a country can nominate only one monument in an year.