Karnataka’s sacred ensembles of Hoysalas inscribed on UNESCO world heritage list

The announcement was made by the agency in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee is being held till September 25.

The Hoysaleswara Temple, unesco world heritage site

The Hoysaleswara Temple in Halebidu. (X/@MinOfCultureGoI)

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THE SACRED Ensembles of the Hoysalas, which includes three temples in Karnataka, has been inscribed on the UNESCO’s World Heritage List. The Hoysala Temples, as they are also known, will be India’s 42nd UNESCO World Heritage Site. On Sunday, Rabindranath Tagore’s Santiniketan, the university town in West Bengal, was also included as a world heritage site.

🔴BREAKING!

Just inscribed on the @UNESCO #WorldHeritage List: Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas, #India 🇮🇳. Congratulations! 👏👏

➡️ https://t.co/69Xvi4BtYv #45WHC pic.twitter.com/Frc2IGlTkf

— UNESCO 🏛️ #Education #Sciences #Culture 🇺🇳 (@UNESCO) September 18, 2023

The announcement was made by the agency in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee is being held till September 25. “India submitted the nomination dossier for The Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas to the World Heritage Centre in January 2022.

The Channakeshava Temple in Belur. (X/@MinOfCultureGoI)

The Kesav Temple in Somanathpur. (X/@MinOfCultureGoI)

The site has been on UNESCO’s tentative list since 2014,” the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) said after the announcement. The Hoysala Temples, built in the 12th and 13 centuries by the Hoysala kings, are dedicated to Shiva and Vishnu.

More pride for India!

The magnificent Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas have been inscribed on the @UNESCO World Heritage List. The timeless beauty and intricate details of the Hoysala temples are a testament to India’s rich cultural heritage and the exceptional craftsmanship of… https://t.co/cOQ0pjGTjx

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 18, 2023

The three temples include the Chennakeshava temple, the main temple in the complex at Belur (Hassan district), located at the centre of the traditional settlement which is surrounded by the remnants of a mud fort and a moat; the Hoysaleswara Temple on the banks of Dwarasamudra tank in Halebidu (Hassan district), a town which has many protected and unprotected temples, archaeological ruins and mounds; and the Keshava Temple at the centre of Somanathapura village (Mysore district).

“(The monument) testifies to the creative genius and technical expertise of the Hoysala architects and artists over stone carving, a skill that remains matchless… The richly experiential and visually astounding temples they built demonstrate their creativity in translating religious beliefs and stories into sculpture,” Minister of State for Culture Meenakshi Lekhi tweeted.

Divya A

Divya A reports on travel, tourism, culture and social issues - not necessarily in that order - for The Indian Express. She's been a journalist for over a decade now, working with Khaleej Times and The Times of India, before settling down at Express. Besides writing/ editing news reports, she indulges her pen to write short stories. As Sanskriti Prabha Dutt Fellow for Excellence in Journalism, she is researching on the lives of the children of sex workers in India. ... Read More

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