The history of Gujarat’s Vadnagar, included in the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage sites

Excavation at the southwestern corner of Kotha-Ambaji lake. (Photo sourced via ASI)

What is World Heritage Site and how is a place declared as one?

A World Heritage Site is a location with an “outstanding universal value”. This signifies “cultural and/or natural significance which is so exceptional as to transcend national boundaries and be of common importance for present and future generations of all humanity”.

According to the World Heritage Convention’s operational guidelines, a tentative list is an “inventory” of properties a country believes deserve to be a World Heritage Site. After UNESCO includes a place in the Tentative List, that country has to prepare a nomination document that will be considered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee. This will be followed by a UNESCO evaluation and an inspection by their representative.

Eric Falt, UNESCO Director and Representative to Bhutan, India, Maldives and Sri Lanka, attended the conference. He had told The Indian Express the first step would be “to acquire a body of evidence and research and bring it (Vadnagar) to the attention of people.”

A senior ASI official in Delhi said there are already 52 items on the list, and the approval may take time, depending on whether the government prioritises it. The Ministry of Cultural Affairs organised the ‘Vadnagar International Conference’ in May as part of the celebration of 75 years of Independence to mark World Museum Day and to give a push to the town’s inclusion in the list.

Vadnagar, an ancient ‘Living City’

The description of Vadnagar in UNESCO’s Tentative List reads: “The town represents a continuously evolving historic urban landscape/area which played a major role in the hinterland trade network of Western India. The continuity of the historic town proves its resilience and outstanding universal value unlike the sites like Harappa and Kalibangan, (Rajasthan) which were abandoned eventually.”

Inscribed Red Polished Ware sprinkler, found during the Vadnagar excavations. (Photo sourced via ASI).

The town’s fortifications, arched gateways (toranas), temples, wells, residential structures (kothis) and excavated sites like Buddhist monasteries and dedicated stupas showcase the architectural influence of various cultural periods. The extensive water management system here has also played a role in the town’s continuity.

The study of the historical geography of ancient India reveals Vadnagar was situated at a strategic location of two major ancient trade routes: one joining central India with the Sindh and further northwest regions, while another connected the port towns on Gujarat’s coast to northern India. Excavated cowry shells traced to the Maldives further imply involvement in overseas trade. A gold coin, believed to be from the Mamluk dynasty of Egypt that dated back to the 15th century, was also found.

When were the Vadnagar excavations done?

The first excavations in Vadnagar happened in 1953-54 and were later taken up by the Gujarat state archaeology and museum directorate in 2006. In 2014, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) took up excavations in Vadnagar’s Ghaskol, Darbargadh and Badi Garbano Sheri. The excavation was conducted till 2022 to create an Experiential Museum.

Consisting of two parts – excavation and museum – that will be linked through a bridge, the museum is expected to be completed by the end of next 2023, as per a state government official, and could help the UNESCO bid.

The site for experiential museum at Vadnagar. (Photo sourced via ASI)

The excavations showed an unbroken sequence of seven successive cultures which establish its antiquity back to 750 BCE. Most excavations are from pre 2nd century BCE to the Gaekwad period. “Such a long period of human habitation is exceptional in the Indian scenario with very few sites claiming similar uninterrupted continuity,” states ASI’s submission to UNESCO.

A mound rises gently and the highest point in the middle of the settlement is 25 metres high, called Darbargadh. “Such types of mound on which Vadnagar is built are not available in other parts of India. As evidenced through literature, mythology and various scriptures, this town has been an attraction for ages,” said YS Rawat, the Officer on Special Duty at the Gujarat government’s Department of Archaeology and Museums.

Vadnagar: A centre of Buddhism

Ahead of Chinese president Xi Jinping’s visit to Gujarat in September 2014, Modi spoke of Vadnagar being a centre of Buddhism and how the religion had bonded China and India.

A Bodhisattva statue. (Photo sourced via ASI)

When the PM visited China in 2015, he presented archaeological drawings of excavations in his hometown, of “a burnt brick structure that has been identified as a Buddhist monastery” to Xi.

Chinese traveller Xuanzang or Hieun Tsang is said to have visited Vadnagar around 641 AD, referring to it as ‘Anandpur’ in his writings, which also record how more than 1,000 monks of the Sammitiya School or Little Vehicle lived in 10 monasteries at Vadnagar, suggesting it was an important centre of Buddhist learning.

ASI’s claims

The ASI has claimed in its submission to UNESCO that there was a “Roman connection” in the finding of an intaglio (a printing technique) in clay, in a coin mould of Greco-Indian king Apollodotus II (80-65 BC) and in the sealing of a Roman coin. There may have also been a connection to West Asia, it said.

Vadnagar is currently surrounded by the remains of older structures, such as a fortification wall punctured by a series of gates that mark the entry and exit points of the town. Primary entry and exit points are marked by elaborate single-storey stone gateways. Ambaji Mata Temple, the city’s oldest, dates back to the 10th -11th Century CE.

Two identical gates outside the fortification wall to the north of the town are Kirti Torans, built in yellow sandstone without mortar or any other cementing material.

Vadnagar can be compared to the historic living cities of Mathura, Ujjain and Varanasi as cities inhabited since the early historic period and in the modern day. “Internationally, the Historic town of Vadnagar can be compared to the Historical City of Masuleh in Iran, Quanzhou in China, and the Historic Town of Beypazarý in Turkiye,” ASI states in its dossier to UNESCO.