World heritage tag: Centre sits on proposal to recommend Deccan Sultanate monuments

Bengaluru: Monuments of the Deccan Sultanate, one of the four historical sites from Karnataka on the tentative list of Unesco World Heritage Sites, have been waiting for the prestigious tag for over 10 years now. 

While Union Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said on December 6 that no new properties in Karnataka were presently under consideration for nomination, historians claim that the monuments of the Deccan Sultanate did not receive the endorsement they deserved from the Centre, despite consistent efforts from the state government over the years. 

Dr H M Siddanagoudar, former director (museums), department of archaeology, museums and heritage, said: “Being added to the list of World Heritage Sites gives global recognition, helping attract more foreign tourists to Karnataka. On getting the tag, Unesco will provide resources in maintaining the originality and authenticity of the heritage sites to make the preservation effort successful.” 

The department submitted a proposal to the World Heritage Advisory Committee through the department of culture, Government of India, in February 2014 to include the monuments and forts of Kalaburagi, Bidar and Vijayapura districts of Karnataka and Hyderabad under the title ‘Monuments and forts of the Deccan Sultanate’ on the World Heritage Tentative List.

The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) committee of Unesco reviewed and accepted it on April 15, 2014, and added it to the tentative list. 

A document on pending proposals on the nomination of ‘Monuments and Forts of the Deccan Sultanate’ from the department shows a dossier was prepared in collaboration with Indian Heritage Cities Network Foundation (IHCNF) on nine Archeological Survey of India (ASI)-protected heritage structures in January 2019, which was subsequently submitted to ASI. According to the document, ASI sent the dossier to Unesco in January 2020. 

However, ASI recommended Dholavira, a Harappan city, in 2021 followed by Ramappa Temple in Telangana in 2022 and the Sacred Ensembles of Hoysalas from Karnataka in 2023. 

Salma K Fahim, secretary, Department of Tourism, said that the monuments continue to be on the tentative list due to a change in Unesco’s policy of accepting nominations from countries. 

“Earlier, more than one entry was allowed for nomination. After 2020, Unesco restricted nomination to one monument per country. Now, there is an increased competition among states within India,” she said.

Fahim said on the Tourism Department’s part, “maximum effort has been put in”. 

Siddanagoudar advises that rehabilitation of the surrounding areas is crucial to enhance likelihood of being declared a World Heritage Site.

“Not having basic infrastructure like proper roads to make these sites more accessible is where we lag behind. We need better town planning,” he noted. 

Along with the monuments of Deccan Sultanate, three other sites including monuments of Srirangapatna Island Town, Evolution of Temple Architecture – Aihole-Badami- Pattadakal and Hire Benkal, Megalithic Site, Koppal, are also on the tentative list. 

Archaeology commissioner A Devaraju said that the department was putting up two more sets of monuments – Temples of Kalyani Chalukyas in Gadag’s Lakkundi and Gomateshwara in Shravanabelagola, Hassan district, in upcoming nominations.