UPSC Prelims 2024 Question:

Consider the following properties included in the World Heritage List released by UNESCO

1. Shantiniketan
2. Rani ki Vav
3. Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas
4. Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodhgaya
   
   

How many of the above properties were included in 2023?

Explanation:

• • According to the UNESCO website, as of January 2024, there are around 1,199 World Heritage Sites, 42 of which are in India.
  • In the year 2023, two sites were inscribed on the UNESCO WHS list in 2023: 
    • Shantiniketan associated with Renowned poet & Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore founded in 1921 as a unique experiment in education that blends Indian and Western cultural influences. So, point 1 is correct. 
    • Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas encompass a cluster of ornate Hoysala temples located in the state of Karnataka, India made under Hoysala dynasty which ruled from the 10th to the 14th centuries and was known for its distinctive architectural style, characterized by intricate carvings, soapstone sculptures, and star-shaped plans. So, point 3 is correct. 
  • Mahabodhi Temple became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2002. So, point 4 is not correct. 

• Rani-ki-Vav, on the banks of the Saraswati River, was initially built as a memorial to a king in the 11th century AD and was inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014. So, point 2 is not correct.
  
  

So, only two of the above properties were included in 2023 in the World Heritage List released by UNESCO.

Therefore, option (2) is the correct answer.

Subject: History| Architecture and Sculptures