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19/09/23 06:40 AM IST

Rabindranath Tagore's Santiniketan in Birbhum gets UNESCO's World Heritage List tag

In News
  • The Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysala — the famed Hoysala temples of Belur, Halebid and Somananthpura in Karnataka have been added to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage list.
  • This inclusion marks the 42nd UNESCO World Heritage Site in India and comes just a day after Rabindranath Tagore's Santiniketan also received this distinguished recognition.
Hoysala Temples
  • The sacred ensembles of the Hoysalas, constructed during the 12th and 13th centuries are represented here by the three components of Belur, Halebid, and Somnathapura.
  • While the Hoysala temples maintain a fundamental Dravidian morphology, they exhibit substantial influences from the Bhumija style prevalent in Central India, the Nagara traditions of northern and western India, and the Karnataka Dravida modes favoured by the Kalyani Chalukyas.
About Shantiniketan
  • Established in 1901 by Tagore, Santiniketan was a residential school and centre for art based on ancient Indian traditions.
  • In 1921, a ‘world university’ was established at Santiniketan, later recognised as 'Visva Bharati'. Visva-Bharati in Santiniketan is Bengal’s only central university whose chancellor is the Prime Minister.
  • India had been long striving to get a UNESCO tag for this cultural site located in the Birbhum district.
  • Santiniketan began as an ashram established by Rabindranath Tagore’s father, Debendranath Tagore, with the vision of a sanctuary for meditation and unity among individuals, regardless of caste or creed.
  • Santiniketan’s architectural style represents a departure from British colonial and European modernist influences of the early 20th century. It draws from ancient, medieval, and folk traditions across Asia, embracing a pan-Asian modernity.
  • Abha Narain Lambah, a renowned conservation architect, played a pivotal role in crafting the UNESCO nomination dossier for Santiniketan. She expressed her exuberance upon its inclusion in the list.
Source- Indian Express

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