Temple has to work to remain on UNESCO list

When the Mahabodhi Temple made it to UNESCO’s World Heritage Site (WHS) last week, it was sweet success for India after hard work on a ...

When the Mahabodhi Temple made it to UNESCO’s World Heritage Site (WHS) last week, it was sweet success for India after hard work on a painstaking process.

The good news was expected in December last year but UNESCO deferred the inclusion because of an incomplete application. ‘‘India had not provided the management plan of the site, not mentioned the ownership clearly. So they were asked to send a fresh application, which was done quickly and efficiently,’’ said Prithi Perera, UNESCO’s representative in India.

Filing an application for inclusion in the WHS list is not an easy affair. Any party affiliated to the government can file the application, giving details of the geographical coordinates, description of the property, justification of the ‘‘outstanding universal value’’, ownership and management status, and plans for preservation. The application, Perera said, has to be accompanied by maps, pictures and legal documents.

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India realised all this the hard way only after the Archeological Survey of India’s 11 proposals were turned down for sloppy packaging. ‘‘The application is the main thing. It is based on the application that UNESCO decides,’’ said Ashwani Lohani, director general of Indian Tourism Development Corporation .

Inclusion in the World Heritage list opens sites to technical and monetary assistance. ‘‘The trickle down effect of tourism is tremendous. When tourists start coming in, they not only get business for the hotel but for transporters and craftsmen, generating employment,’’ said Perera.

She said in Mahabodhi’s case, the Buddhist circuit, including Lumbini (Nepal), Sarnath, Khushinagar and Takshila (Pakistan), can now be mapped.

Perera said UNESCO monitors the enlisted sites very closely. ‘‘There have been instances where sites have been taken off because of lack of maintenance,’’ she said.

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