Mumbai, July 14 (IANS) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday said that the UNESCO’s move to grant World Heritage Site status to 12 forts, including 11 from Maharashtra and one from Tamil Nadu is a matter of great pride for the entire Maharashtra and the country.

In a statement, CM Fadnavis said: “Eleven forts in Maharashtra including Raigad, Rajgad, Pratapgad, Panhala, Shivneri, Lohagad , Salher, Sindhudurg, Swarnadurg, Vijaydurg, Khanderi and Gingee fort in Tamil Nadu have been declared as World Heritage Sites. These forts built by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is a testament to the valour and cultural heritage of Maharashtra. The inclusion of these historical forts in the UNESCO World Heritage List is a matter of great pride for the entire Maharashtra and the country. These forts are the legacy of Maharashtra’s bravery.”

CM Fadnavis said: “Forts were built by making good use of the geographical conditions, good use of the terrain suitable for guerrilla warfare, distinctive gates, military strategy and hill forts that complemented guerrilla warfare were built. The previous kings built forts for revenue control. However, Shivaji Maharaj used it to build a self-rule (Swarajya) created for the welfare of the people. This idea has been recognised by UNESCO as a unique universal value.”

He offered special thanks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for including the forts in the heritage list.

He said the PM had received 7 proposals from different parts of the country for nomination to UNESCO. Out of them, the Prime Minister decided to nominate the forts of Chhatrapati Shivaji as a world heritage site. He thanked everyone who cooperated in this entire process.

“The proposal was prepared by the Director of the Directorate of Archaeological Survey of India under the Department of Cultural Affairs. The Archaeological Survey of India had received 8 proposals from all over India. Among them, 2 proposals were from Maharashtra. Out of these, the proposal of Maratha Military Territory in India was selected on behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. As part of the process of this nomination, Mr Kogli from South Korea visited the forts of Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu to carry out technical verification of the proposal. Experts from Maharashtra participated in the discussion seminar of the 46th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee held in New Delhi in July 2024. The technical presentation of this proposal was made at UNESCO Headquarters, Paris. Meetings were held at the international level to seek the views of the member countries on this through voting in all the member countries,” he said.

CM Fadnavis said India has won this victory unanimously at the international meeting of the UNESCO Cultural Committee on July 11, 2025.

“Out of almost all the committees, 20 countries had the right to vote. These 20 countries voted that these forts of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj are a World Heritage Site. Therefore, this proposal was unanimously approved. We should contribute to preserving the heritage of the unique forts built by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj,” he added.

CM Fadnavis congratulated the Maharashtra Government’s Cultural Department, Archaeology and Museum and Directorate, all the dignitaries who contributed to this work and the people of Maharashtra for the historic moment.

Earlier, to celebrate the historic recognition of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s 12 Forts in the UNESCO’s World Heritage List, CM Fadnavis with DCMs Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar and MahaYuti legislators offered floral tributes to the Greatest King Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at Vidhan Bhavan, Mumbai.

–IANS

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