Assam's Moidams Meets UNESCO's Technical Requirements for Heritage Site

Detailed Report:

• The Moidams of Assam have successfully fulfilled all of UNESCO’s technical requirements for consideration as a World Heritage Site.
• However, it is crucial to note that fulfilling these technical requirements does not guarantee that the site will be inscribed in the World Heritage List as it still needs to demonstrate outstanding universal value.

Pictured: Assam’s Charaideo “Maidams”, the Ahom equivalent of the ancient Egyptian pyramids

Source: The Hindu

The Significance of Moidams:

• Moidams are pyramid-like structures that were used for burial by the Tai Ahoms, a community that ruled Assam for almost 600 years until British colonization in the 1820s.
• In the 18th century, the Shom rulers adopted the Hindu method of cremation and began to inter the cremated remains in Moidams.
• These burial mounds are primarily located in Charaideo in eastern Assam.
• The nomination of the Charaideo Moidams for the World Heritage List coincides with the 400th birth anniversary of Lachit Borphukan, a celebrated Ahom general.

Further Information:

A. About UNESCO World Heritage Sites:

• A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a location that has been recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization for its exceptional cultural or natural significance and is deemed of outstanding value to humanity.
• UNESCO works to promote the identification, conservation, and preservation of natural and cultural heritage around the globe, as evident in the Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, adopted by UNESCO in 1972.
• In 2022, the world celebrated the 50th anniversary of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

B. India's UNESCO World Heritage Sites:

1. Agra Fort
2. Ajanta Caves
3. Ellora Caves
4. Taj Mahal
5. Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram
6. Sun Temple, Konârak
7. Kaziranga National Park
8. Keoladeo National Park
9. Manas Wildlife Sanctuary
10. Churches and Convents of Goa
11. Fatehpur Sikri
12. Group of Monuments at Hampi
13. Khajuraho Group of Monuments
14. Elephanta Caves
15. Great Living Chola Temples
16. Group of Monuments at Pattadakal
17. Sundarbans National Park
18. Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks
19. Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi
20. Humayun’s Tomb, Delhi
21. Qutb Minar and its Monuments, Delhi
22. Mountain Railways of India
23. Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya
24. Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka
25. Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park
26. Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus)
27. Red Fort Complex
28. The Jantar Mantar, Jaipur
29. Western Ghats
30. Hill Forts of Rajasthan
31. Great Himalayan National Park Conservation Area
32. Rani-ki-Vav (the Queen’s Stepwell) at Patan, Gujarat
33. Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara at Nalanda, Bihar
34. Khangchendzonga National Park
35. The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier, an Outstanding Contribution to the Modern Movement
36. Historic City of Ahmedabad
37. Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai
38. Jaipur City, Rajasthan
39. Dholavira: a Harappan City
40. Kakatiya Rudreshwara (Ramappa) Temple, Telangana