“Glorious Moment”: 12 Shivaji Forts Added In UNESCO World Heritage List

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said the inclusion of ‘Maratha Military Landscapes’ representing the fortification system of Maratha rulers in the UNESCO World Heritage List was a “proud and glorious moment” for the state.

The decision was taken during the 47th session of the World Heritage Committee (WHC) held in Paris.

‘Maratha Military Landscapes’ comprises the forts of Salher, Shivneri, Lohgad, Khanderi , Raigad, Rajgad, Pratapgad, Suvarnadurg, Panhala, Vijay Durg and Sindhudurg in Maharashtra and Gingee Fort in Tamil Nadu.

“Maharashtra Govt offers Salutations to our beloved Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj!! Heartiest congratulations to all the citizens and ShivBhakts of Maharashtra,” Fadnavis said in a post on X.

“I am extremely happy to share that 12 forts of our greatest King, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, have been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List,” he said.

Shivaji Maharaj built these forts for “Swarajya” (sovereign state), Fadnavis added.

Many people contributed to the efforts to include them in the UNESCO list, the chief minister said.

“First of all, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Hon. Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji. The support he gave and the active participation of the Central Government were of great value. The Archaeological Survey of India and the Ministry of Culture helped a lot in this. I personally contacted various ambassadors. My colleagues, DCM Eknath Shinde ji, DCM Ajitdada Pawar also supported me from time to time. Minister Ashish Shelar personally went and met the Director General of UNESCO. He made a technical presentation there,” Fadnavis said.

“ACS Vikas Kharge from my office, as well as India’s Ambassador to UNESCO Vishal Sharma and Hemant Dalvi from the Directorate of Archaeology and Museums were present,” he added.