Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 31: Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) made a notable appearance at the 46th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee (WHC) held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, from July 21 to July 31, 2024.
The session was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and featured a keynote address by Audrey Azoulay, Director General of UNESCO.
The event, which saw the participation of over 2,000 delegates from 195 countries, offered India a prestigious platform to showcase its cultural heritage and management efforts.
This was the first time India hosted the WHC meeting. Key figures including Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Union Minister for Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, and Chairperson of the World Heritage Committee Vishal Sharma also addressed the gathering.
J&K’s five-member delegation, consisting of heritage conservationists Lalit Magotra, Anil Paba, Imtiyaz Ahmad Bhat, Muzamil Bashir, and Simraneet Singh (Sunny) Dua, contributed to panel discussions and highlighted regional conservation efforts.
A major highlight of the conference was the designation of the Mound-Burial System of the Ahom Dynasty in Northeast India as India’s 43rd World Heritage Site, and the first from Northeast India to receive this status. This recognition is expected to elevate the site’s international profile.
Additionally, 22 of the 350 artefacts recently returned from abroad were exhibited. These artefacts, made of stone, bronze, and other materials, were displayed to the public for the first time.
Upon their return, the J&K delegation expressed their appreciation to Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, Principal Secretary to J&K Government, Culture Department, Suresh Kumar Gupta, Director Archives Raj Kumar Katoch, Special Secretary Trishala Kumari, and Assistant Director Archives Dr Sangeeta Sharma for their pivotal roles in advancing heritage conservation in the region.
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