Previous Year Question
Consider the following properties included in the World Heritage List released by UNESCO:
Shantiniketan
Rani-ki-Vav
Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas
Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodhgaya
How many of the above properties were included in 2023?
Correct Answer: B
Detailed Solution
Santiniketan — 2023: Santiniketan, located in West Bengal, was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2023. Rabindranath Tagore established a residential school based on nature, art and Indian traditions here in 1901. Visva-Bharati was established here in 1921.
Rani-ki-Vav — 2014: This stepwell at Patan in Gujarat was not inscribed in 2023; it was inscribed in 2014. Constructed in the 11th century in the Maru-Gurjara architectural style, its structure is designed as an inverted temple highlighting the sanctity of water.
Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas — 2023: This serial property in Karnataka comprises the Chennakeshava Temple at Belur, the Hoysaleshvara Temple at Halebidu and the Keshava Temple at Somanathapura. These temples represent the distinctive Hoysala architecture and exceptionally intricate stone sculpture of the 12th-13th centuries.
Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodhgaya — 2002: This complex in Bihar was not inscribed in 2023; it was inscribed in 2002. It is directly associated with the place where Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree. The present temple is one of India’s earliest monumental structures built substantially in brick.
Therefore, only Santiniketan and the Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas, making a total of two properties, were inscribed in 2023.