How is India celebrating World Heritage Week?

Every year UNESCO and other International organisations celebrate World Heritage Week in November. This year the world celebrates World Heritage Week from November 19 to November 25, 2023. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) celebrates this cultural programme in India. This year multiple events are planned across the country to showcase the diverse heritage of India.

What is World Heritage Week?

World Heritage Week was first conceptualised in 1945, post the war to encourage global intellectual and moral solidarity. As a result, the World Heritage Week was developed to ensure lasting global peace. The week promotes the conservation of culture and heritage around the world. It also encourages awareness of various cultural traditions and practices in different parts of the world.

World Heritage Week 2023 aims to create an opportunity to encourage people, communities, governments, and individuals to actively contribute to preserving their invaluable heritage and cultural sites. It also instils pride in cultural diversity and emphasises our collective responsibilities.

Celebrating World Heritage Week in India

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) celebrates World Heritage Week in India. As a part of the celebrations, it has exempted the entrance fees of all the protected monuments, including the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Minar at Fatehpur Sikri, amongst others for one day, November 19, 2023, reported ANI. However, after a massive hike in the number of visitors at the Taj Mahal, the grand mausoleum was excluded from the list of free-entry monuments.

Taj Mahal, Agra. Image Courtesy: Subhrajyoti, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Shimla Circle of ASI inaugurated the week at Khangra Fort on November 19, 2023. As a part of the celebrations, a photo exhibition will be held from November 19 to 25 on the premises of the Archaeological Site Museum at the Kangra Fort. The exhibition will feature all centrally-protected monuments in Himachal Pradesh, such as the Kangra Fort, Monolithic Rock Cut Temples at Masroor, Rashtrapati Niwas in Shimla, Shiva Temple at Baijnath and the Buddhist Monastery at Tabo, and select world heritage sites, including Sanchi Stupa at Bhopal, Sun Temple at Konark, Qutub Minar in New Delhi, Brihadisvara temple at Thanjavur, Taj Mahal in Agra and Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.

Archaeological site at Kangra Fort. Image Courtesy: via Wikimedia Commons

In Varodara, the Heritage Trust has organised the Vadodara People’s Heritage Festival wherein a variety of events, including heritage walks, exhibitions, and photo walks and workshops for textile wooden block printing will be held to celebrate the week between November 19 and November 25. Apart from this special food walks called the Baroda Triangle Walk and Cine Masala will held. During the walk, participants will visit popular food joints in the walled city.

ASI’s Aurangabad circle has organised public engagement activities to ensure the participation of citizens, especially students. It includes a drawing competition for students from Class V to Class X on November 21, followed by an essay writing competition for a similar category of students on November 23, and an elocution competition on November 25. Apart from this, ASI will organise photo exhibitions and lectures from experts to celebrate World Heritage Week.

In Kolkata, Indiatourism Kolkata and Incredible India unite to present ‘Celebrating A World Heritage Week’ at the iconic Victoria Memorial. The events focus immersive experience of India’s traditional dance and music forms. The music performances will include Pattachitra songs, Baul music from West Bengal, and Jhumur songs from Jharkhand. Dance forms such as Raibenshe and Natua from the Purulia district will showcased during the celebration.