India's Santiniketan, home to Rabindranath Tagore, makes it to UNESCO's World Heritage List

Santiniketan, the town in Birbhum district of West Bengal, where many years were spent by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, has now become a part of the UNESCO World Heritage List.

“BREAKING! New inscription on the @UNESCO #WorldHeritage List: Santiniketan, #India. Congratulations!” stated the UNESCO on X.

Santiniketan was established in 1901 by the famous poet Tagore. It has functioned as a residential school and centre for art which has its roots embedded in ancient Indian traditions and carries a vision of the unity of humans across religious and cultural boundaries.

In 1921, a ‘world university’ was set up at Santiniketan which called for unity of humanity or “Visva Bharati”. From a long time, India has been trying to get a UNESCO tag for this cultural site.

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Meanwhile, Chief Minister of Indian State of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee wrote on X, "Glad and proud that our Santiniketan, the town of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, is now finally included in UNESCO's World Heritage List. Biswa Bangla's pride, Santiniketan was nurtured by the poet and has been supported by people of Bengal over the generations. We from the Government of West Bengal have significantly added to its infrastructure in last 12 years and the world now recognizes the glory of the heritage place. Kudos to all who love Bengal, Tagore, and his messages of fraternity. Jai Bangla, Pranam to Gurudev."

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, taking to X, wrote, "Delighted that Santiniketan, an embodiment of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore's vision and India's rich cultural heritage, has been inscribed on the@UNESCOWorld Heritage List. This is a proud moment for all Indians." It should be noted that the prime minister is the chancellor of Shantiniketan.

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Pre-historic site of Tell al-Sultan, other sites also included in list

The pre-historic site of Tell al-Sultan, which is located near the Palestinian city of Jericho in the occupied West Bank, was also included in the World Heritage List by the United Nations' cultural organisation on Sunday (September 17).

Tell al-Sultan, which is estimated to be older than the pyramids of Egypt, is an oval-shaped tell, or mound in Jordan Valley which is known to have prehistoric deposits of human activity.

The decision to include Tell al-Sultan was taken by UNESCO in its 45th World Heritage Committee meeting held in Riyadh.

"The property proposed for nomination is the prehistoric archaeological site of Tell al-Sultan, located outside the antique site of Jericho," said UNESCO's assistant director general, Ernesto Ottone, at the session.

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The site was inscribed after a three-year candidacy "during which no state party raised any objections", stated a diplomat, while speaking to AFP.

"There are no Jewish or Christian remains found at the (Tell al-Sultan) site. It's a place of pre-historic remains," the diplomat added.

Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas stated that the decision to inscribe Tell al-Sultan was "a matter of great importance and evidence of the authenticity and history of the Palestinian people".

Meanwhile, the forests of Mount Pelée and the Pitons on the French island of Martinique and the Forest Massif of Odzala-Kokoua in Congo were also included in the World Heritage List.

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