Maratha Military Landscapes of India
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
|---|---|
| Location | Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu |
| Criteria | Cultural: (iv), (vi) |
| Reference | 1739 |
| Inscription | 2025 (47th Session) |
| Coordinates |   Maratha Military Landscapes of India (India) |
The Maratha Military Landscapes of India are a group of 12 forts that were occupied and developed by the Maratha rulers between the 17th and 19th-century. These include Salher, Shivneri Fort, Lohagad, Khanderi, Raigad Fort, Rajgad Fort, Pratapgad, Suvarnadurg, Panhala Fort, Vijaydurg Fort, Sindhudurg Fort, all located in Maharashtra and Gingee Fort in Tamil Nadu. Spread across various geographical terrains, these forts showcase the military prowess of Maratha rule. It was declared as a World Heritage Site in 2025.[1]
Background
In 2021, the Maratha Military Landscapes of India were included in the Tentative World Heritage List.[2] They were then picked as the official nomination from India for inscription in the UNESCO World Heritage List for the year 2024-25, as announced by the Ministry of Culture in January 2024.[3] Maharashtra has more than 390 forts, out of which only 11 forts were selected for this list along with one fort in Tamil Nadu. These forts span across the diverse topographies of the Sahyadri Range, Deccan Plateau, Konkan Coast, and the Eastern Ghats. The Maratha military strategy that involved these forts was developed during the reign of the Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the 17th-century and continued till the Peshwa rule in the early 19th-century.[4]
The nomination process was followed with a survey of the forts by the UNESCO team in October 2024.[5] In February 2025, a four-member delegation from Maharashtra led by Ashish Shelar, had visited Paris to provide technical and diplomatic presentations in a bid to push the World Heritage status for these forts.[6] During the 47th session of World Heritage Convention in July 2025, the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) had recommended to defer India's entry stating that,“it fails to convincingly demonstrate how the dozen geographically scattered forts ... functioned as an integrated military defense system.”[7] However, India's diplomatic response along with support from the international delegates, helped the nomination to be officially inscribed as a World Heritage Site.[8]
List of forts
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References
- ^ UNESCO World Heritage Centre. "Maratha Military Landscapes of India". whc.unesco.org. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
- ^ "Serial Nomination of Maratha Military Architecture in Maharashtra". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Archived from the original on 8 May 2022. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
- ^ ""Maratha Military Landscapes of India" will be India's nomination for recognition as UNESCO World Heritage List for the year 2024-25". www.pib.gov.in. Archived from the original on 17 April 2025. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
- ^ "India: "Maratha Military Landscapes of India" will be India's nomination for UNESCO World Heritage List". Asia News Monitor. 2 February 2024. ProQuest 2920612628. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
- ^ "Unesco team to visit forts nominated for World Heritage Site tag in Oct". The Times of India. 11 September 2024. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
- ^ Mutha, Snehal (23 February 2025). "Shelar-led delegation off to Paris to obtain UNESCO heritage status for 12 forts of Shivaji". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
- ^ Tulsian, Vrinda (9 July 2025). "Maha's Unesco label dreams for Shivaji forts stumble on technical hurdles". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
- ^ Tulsian, Vrinda (12 July 2025). "Int'l support helps 12 Maratha forts scoop Unesco World Heritage label". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
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