India’s UNESCO Tentative List of World Heritage Sites has been expanded to 78, with five new additions, including Udaigiri Caves in Madhya Pradesh and a joint India-South Africa proposal featuring sites associated with Mahatma Gandhi’s Satyagraha movement. The other additions are the Bagh Cave Paintings, Ginnorgarh Fort and the Group of Temples in the Chambal Valley, all in Madhya Pradesh.
The Udaigiri Caves feature rock-cut structures, sculptures and inscriptions dating primarily to the Gupta period. The Bagh Caves comprise nine rock-cut Buddhist caves known for their mural paintings. Ginnorgarh Fort served as the principal fortified capital of the erstwhile Raj Gond rulers, while the Chambal Valley nomination includes the Bateshwar, Padavali and Kakarmath temple groups.
The proposed transnational Satyagraha heritage site comprises nine components, two in South Africa and seven in India, tracing the evolution of Gandhi’s philosophy from its origins in South Africa to its development into a mass civil disobedience movement in India. The sites include Pietermaritzburg station and Phoenix Settlement in South Africa, and Sabarmati Ashram, Sevagram Ashram, Aga Khan Palace and Gandhi Smriti, among others, in India. Inclusion in the Tentative List is a preliminary step before a site can be considered for UNESCO World Heritage status.
