Agartala: Unakoti, the rock-cut relief sculptures in Tripura has found a place in the tentative list of UNESCO world heritage sites.
Unakoti in Tripura is a sculptural emblem and ancient Shaivite place that hosts approx ninety-nine lakh ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine rock carvings figures and images of gods and goddesses.
According to Hindu mythology, Lord Shiva once spent a night here en route to Kashi, and 99,99,999 gods and goddesses had followed him.
Lord Shiva had asked his followers to wake up before sunrise and make their way towards Kashi. Unfortunately, none awoke, except Lord Shiva himself.
Before setting out for Kashi alone, he put a curse on the others, turning them to stone and that is how the site got its name.
Nominations for the world heritage site are only considered if the properties or places were on the tentative list before. Currently, India has 40 World Heritage Sites and 52 sites on the tentative list.
In addition to Unakoti, Vadnagar – a multi-layered historic town in Gujarat and the renowned Modhera Sun Temple have now been added to the tentative list of UNESCO’s World Heritages sites.
International experts review the nomination and determine the inclusion in the World heritage sites.
The World Heritage Committee, a group of 21 UNESCO Member States meet once a year to finally cast a vote.
