New Delhi:
India’s pink city Jaipur, famous for its iconic architectural legacy and vibrant culture, has been declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO on Saturday, said Ministry of Culture. The announcement was made during the 43rd meeting of World Heritage Centre being held in Baku, Azerbaijan.
"Just inscribed as @UNESCO #WorldHeritage Site: Jaipur City in Rajasthan, #India. Bravo," UNESCO tweeted Saturday afternoon.
In addition to Jaipur – which was founded in 1727 CE under the patronage of Sawai Jai Singh II - the Committee examined 36 nominations for inscription on Unesco's World Heritage List during the session.
To date, 1,092 sites in 167 countries have been inscribed on the World Heritage List.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the move and expressed happiness that the city has been recognised as a World Heritage Site.
"Jaipur is a city associated with culture and valour. Elegant and energetic, Jaipur's hospitality draws people from all over. Glad that this city has been inscribed as a World Heritage Site by @UNESCO," Modi tweeted.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot also congratulated people of the Walled City of Jaipur for making its entry into the UNESCO World Heritage Site list.
"It is a matter of great pride that our Pink City Jaipur has been declared as a world heritage site by UNESCO. It will add to the glory of capital city of Rajasthan," he tweeted.
"The city was proposed to be nominated for its value of being an exemplary development in town planning and architecture that demonstrates an amalgamation and important exchange of ideas in the late medieval period. In town planning, it shows an interchange of ancient Hindu, Mughal and contemporary Western ideas that resulted in the form of the city," UNESCO Office in New Delhi had earlier said.
In addition, Jaipur City is an exceptional example of a late medieval trade town in South Asia and defined new concepts for a thriving trade and commercial hub. In addition, the city is associated with living traditions in the form of crafts that have national and international recognition, it said.
"The World Heritage Committee is composed of representatives of 21 States Parties to the World Heritage Convention who meet annually. The Committee is in charge of implementing the Convention. To date, 1,092 sites in 167 countries have been inscribed on the World Heritage List," it added.
