6 HINDU TEMPLES FOR WORLD HERITAGE LIST

MORE HINDU TEMPLES AS POSSIBLE
UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES LIST

www.sify.com/news - Sukuh Hindu Temple and Penataran Hindu Temple Complex in Indonesia, Temples of Phanomroong and Muangtam in Thailand, and Rishikesh Complex of Ruru Kshetra and Ram Janaki Temple in Nepal are currently on the “Tentative List” of UNESCO World Heritage Convention nominated by their respective countries waiting to be inscribed on World Heritage List. Currently, the World Heritage List is made up of 911 properties “having outstanding universal value”, which includes only three Hindu temples: Hampi and Pattadakal temples in Karnataka (India) and Prambanan Temples in Indonesia. Well known Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA), urged the Convention to include more Hindu temple complexes in the World Heritage List as many of those were a wonderful example of exceptional architecture and design, represented a rich and unique civilization and culture, and were of outstanding universal significance. Rajan Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, also asked India, Nepal, Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand, Bangladesh, and other countries to nominate more Hindu temples for inclusion, as many of those were highly suitable for inscription on World Heritage List.

The 21 States Parties of the current Committee are: Australia, Bahrain, Barbados, Brazil, Cambodia, China, Egypt, Estonia, Ethiopia, France, Iraq, Jordan, Mali, Mexico, Nigeria, Russian Federation, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, and United Arab Emirates.


Six Hindu Temples in Indonesia, Thailand and Nepal have been nominated to be certified as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It can be a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city included in the UNESCO's list due to its special cultural or physical significance. The list is maintained and administered by the World Heritage Committee. From January 2010 the World Watch Volunteer Environmental committee and The Braj-Vrindavan Heritage Alliance (bvhalliance.org) are making an urgent call to stop the construction of an unnecessary bridge in Vrindavan around the Keshi Ghat and to get Braj Mandal or at least Vrindavan listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

The world comes to India to see the Taj Mahal, a landmark of the Mughal times, but Keshi ghat, which as part of Vrindavan actually attracts more annual visitors than the Taj Mahal, is the landmark of Hindu heritage! Who will protect this valuable Hindu Heritage at this moment? This cry for help currently being issued from Vrindavan and the Yamuna is a cry of urgency that includes the forests and all living beings as well. We must tackle the situation of the pollution. The bridge is ugly, but the black waters and plastic destroy people’s health. Now Vrindavan needs all of our help. The loss of money is little however, compared to the loss of heritage; a treasure that Mr. Parasurem, chief of UNESCO for India, has agreed is now in danger. ... If you are on the internet, you can sign the petition against the bridge as well as the petition to gain UNESCO World Heritage status for Vrindavan and even better Braj Mandal If you speak about it, pass on the urgent cry for help coming from all those who care about Vrindavan. http://worldheritagestatusforvrindavan.org/

“Save the Vrindavan Heritage”
Dr. Rajendra Mishra - University of Janmu
Expert in Pilgrimage Tourism - January, 2010
http://vinacc.blogspot.com/2010/01/save-vrindavan-heritage.html
http://vinacc.blogspot.com/2010/01/world-heritage-status-for-vrindavan.html