VADNAGAR AS WORLD HERITAGE SITE
1.Context
Two sites in Gujarat have made it to the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage sites: Vadnagar, and the Sun Temple of Modhera, both in the Mehsana district of northern Gujarat.
2.What is world heritage site
A World Heritage Site is a location with an “outstanding universal value”
This signifies “cultural and/or natural significance which is so exceptional as to transcend national boundaries and be of common importance for present and future generations of all humanity”
According to the World Heritage Convention’s operational guidelines, a tentative list is an “inventory” of properties a country believes deserve to be a World Heritage Site
After UNESCO includes a place in the Tentative List, that country has to prepare a nomination document that will be considered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee.
This will be followed by a UNESCO evaluation and an inspection by their representative
3.About Vadnagar
- Vadnagar, a city known by names like Vridhanagar, Anandapur, Anantapur and Nagar, is said to have been inhabited uninterruptedly for over 2,700 years
- Several archaeological excavations began here in 2006 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat and highlighted the city as a centre of Buddhism.
- The description of Vadnagar in UNESCO’s Tentative List reads: “The town represents a continuously evolving historic urban landscape/area which played a major role in the hinterland trade network of Western India.
- The continuity of the historic town proves its resilience and outstanding universal value unlike the sites like Harappa and Kalibangan, (Rajasthan) which were abandoned eventually"
- The town’s fortifications, arched gateways (toranas), temples, wells, residential structures (kothis) and excavated sites like Buddhist monasteries and dedicated stupas showcase the architectural influence of various cultural periods.
- The extensive water management system here has also played a role in the town’s continuity.
- The study of the historical geography of ancient India reveals Vadnagar was situated at a strategic location of two major ancient trade routes:
- one joining central India with the Sindh and further northwest regions, while another connected the port towns on Gujarat’s coast to northern India
- Excavated cowry shells traced to the Maldives further imply involvement in overseas trade
- A gold coin, believed to be from the Mamluk dynasty of Egypt that dated back to the 15th century, was also found.
4.Vadnagar excavations
- The first excavations in Vadnagar happened in 1953-54 and were later taken up by the Gujarat state archaeology and museum directorate in 2006
- In 2014, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) took up excavations in Vadnagar’s Ghaskol, Darbargadh and Badi Garbano Sheri. The excavation was conducted till 2022 to create an Experiential Museum.
- The excavations showed an unbroken sequence of seven successive cultures which establish its antiquity back to 750 BCE.
- Most excavations are from pre 2nd century BCE to the Gaekwad period
- A mound rises gently and the highest point in the middle of the settlement is 25 metres high, called Darbargadh.
Image source: ASI
5.Vadnagar: as a centre of buddhism
- Chinese traveller Xuanzang or Hieun Tsang is said to have visited Vadnagar around 641 AD, referring to it as ‘Anandpur’ in his writings, which also record how more than 1,000 monks of the Sammitiya School or Little Vehicle lived in 10 monasteries at Vadnagar, suggesting it was an important centre of Buddhist learning
- Vadnagar is currently surrounded by the remains of older structures, such as a fortification wall punctured by a series of gates that mark the entry and exit points of the town
- Primary entry and exit points are marked by elaborate single-storey stone gateways
- Ambaji Mata Temple, the city’s oldest, dates back to the 10th -11th Century CE.
- Two identical gates outside the fortification wall to the north of the town are Kirti Torans, built in yellow sandstone without mortar or any other cementing material
- Vadnagar can be compared to the historic living cities of Mathura, Ujjain and Varanasi as cities inhabited since the early historic period and in the modern day
Image source:Eurasia review
Source:indianexpress
