UNESCO Heritage List inclusion will help in conservation of forts: mountaineers

Mumbai, Jul 11 (PTI) Inclusion of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's forts in the UNESCO World Heritage List will help the efforts to conserve these fortifications which played a key role in his guerilla warfare tactics, mountaineers in Maharashtra said on Friday.

The Akhil Maharashtra Giryarohan Mahasangh (AMGM), an umbrella body of mountaineers and fort-lovers, welcomed the World Heritage Committee's decision to include 12 forts representing 'Maratha Military Landscapes' in the coveted list.

"The most important aspect of the inclusion in the list is that now the (UNESCO-prescribed) rules which govern the upkeep of such sites will apply to these forts. It will help in conservation efforts," Hrishikesh Yadav, executive president of the association, told PTI.

Yadav said the AMGM had presented scale models of the forts during a meeting of the heritage panel which helped them understand these structure's historical significance, the surrounding challenging terrain and their architecture.

As per some estimates, there are over 350 forts in Maharashtra, of which 11 prominent ones including Raigad, the capital of Shivaji Maharaj in north Konkan, made it to the list. Besides, it includes the Ginjee fort in present-day Tamil Nadu which is associated with Shivaji's rule.

These forts have weathered the elements for nearly four centuries and also attempts to curtail access during the colonial times.

The 11 forts in Maharashtra in the list are Salher, Shivneri, Lohgad, Khanderi , Raigad, Rajgad, Pratapgad, Suvarnadurg, Panhala, Vijaydurg, and Sindhudurg. PTI AA KK KRK