GUWAHATI: Among 52 nominations, the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi decided that this year that Assam's Charaideo Maidam will be sent as the country’s nomination for the UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
The Chief Minister of Assam Himanta Biswa Sarma in a press conference informed that the country can send only one nomination, and this year is Assam’s year as Charaideo Maidam is being sent as the only nomination for the UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
52 sites across India were on the list of nominations, but the Centre chose Charaideo Maidam to be nominated for the heritage tag.
Established by Ahom King Chao Lung Siu-Ka-Pha in 1228, Charaideo in Assam was the first capital of the Ahom Kingdom. A place for ancestral gods of the Ahoms, it is the burial ground of kings and queens. Also called the ‘Pyramids of Assam’, the hillocks of Charaideo have tombs (called Maidams) and the place is compared to the Pyramids of Egypt, thus proving to be a splendid example of medieval times.
There are over 150 maidams, but only 30 of these are protected by the Archaeological Survey of India along with the Assam State Archaeology Department.
Addressing the press conference, the Assam CM informed that the proposal will be sent in the evening today to Paris, France wherein the UNESCO headquarters are located. However, it will be in March, if everything falls in line, a decision will be undertaken in this regard.
While, it is in September this year that a UNESCO team after a long process involved in the middle, will be visiting Assam for surveying the Charaideo Maidam, CM Sarma added.
The Assam CM said that the decision on the end of UNESCO as far as the nomination is concerned and which are categorised, viz, immediate recognition, referral and deferral to reapply the nomination and finally, rejection.
This may be mentioned that Assam Government had sent to the centre earlier in 2019-20 along with a financial outlay of ₹25 crore a proposal for Charaideo Maidam to attain UNESCO heritage tag, CM Sarma said.
Prior to that, the state government had approached the centre in 2014 for the UNESCO recognition proposal for Charaideo Maidam.
The Assam Chief Minister acknowledged Gangapuram Kishan Reddy, DONER (Development of North Eastern Region) Minister and Minister of Tourism and Culture and V. Vidyavathi, Director General, Archaeological for intimating the state government about the nomination decision.
Notably, India is one among the member states which comprise UNESCO national heritage committee but then again as per the norms of the committee India or for that matter any other member state cannot vote for its own sites and landmarks. This was informed by CM Sarma in the press conference.
However, India has the respectable position and role to its credit as the member state of the UNESCO national committee leading up to the culmination of the voting process for its sites and landmarks of heritage significance.