18th April: World Heritage Day

18/04/2023

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18^th April: World Heritage Day

World Heritage Day, also known as the International Day for Monuments and Sites, is an annual observance held on April 18th to raise awareness about the importance of cultural heritage and to celebrate the diversity of our shared human history.

The World Heritage Day dedicates preservation of human heritage and recognizing the efforts of the organisations that support it. Ancient buildings and monuments are an asset for all human beings in the world.

World Heritage Day stages a collective effort to preserve heritage around the world.

Theme of World Heritage Day 2023:

The theme of World Heritage Day 2023 is “Heritage Changes”.

The proposal of the theme is made by International Council on Monuments and Sites every year for activities to be organised by its members and partners.

History of World Heritage Day:

The day was founded by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) in 1982 during a seminar in Tunisia.

The World Heritage day had been approved by the United Nations General Assembly in 1983 at the 22nd session of the UNESCO Conference.

The establishment of the International Council on Monuments and Sites organization was based on the principles put down in the Venice Charter, also known as the 1964 International Charter on the Conservation and Restoration of Monuments and Sites.

The theme of World Heritage Day 2023 ‘Heritage Changes’ offers the chance to address issues like learning about traditional knowledge systems and ways of knowing in relation to tackling climate change and how to use a cultural heritage focus to support the equitable protection of vulnerable communities through tackling climate change.

Some UNESCO- designated World Heritage Sites in India:

Heritage Site	Location	Heritage Site	Location
Group of Monuments at Pattadkal	Karnataka	Historic City of Ahmedabad	Gujarat
Jaipur city	Rajasthan	Great Living Chola Temples	Tamil Nadu
Taj Mahal	Uttar Pradesh	Group of Monuments at Hampi	Karnataka
Agra Fort	Uttar Pradesh	Mahabodhi temple	Bodh Gaya, Bihar
Sanchi Stupa	Madhya Pradesh	Humayun’s Tomb	Delhi
Champaner-Pavagadh	Gujarat	Jantar Mantar	Rajasthan
Elephanta Caves	Maharashtra	Qutub Minar	Delhi
Fatehpur Sikri	Uttar Pradesh	Kaziranga National Park	Assam
Rani ki Vav	Gujarat	Red Fort	Delhi
Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers	Uttarakhand	Sundarbans National Park	West Bengal