Three more Indian archeological sites on tentative list of UNESCO heritage sites

Archeological Survery of India Tuesday announced that three additional historical and cultural sites, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi's hometown, have been included in the tentative list of UNESCO heritage sites.

The three sites are Sun Temple at Modhera, historic Vadnagar town in Gujarat and rock-cut relief sculptures of Unakoti in Tripura.

PM Modi's hometown Vadnagar, an ancient city in Mehsana district, has been nominated for its rich built heritage.

The Sun Temple, Modhera dedicated to the Sun God, is one of the remarkable gems of temple architecture in India. It impresses not only with its architectural structure and technological achievements as in position of the temple against to Sun; but also in particular with its sculpture decoration, representing true artistic mastery.

The temple is an "exemplary model of Maru-gurjara architecture style of the 11th century of western India under the patronage of the Solanki dynasty. The age of the temple may be inferred from its style belonging to the reign of Bhimadeva I (1022-1063 CE)," reads the description about the temple in the Tentative List section of UNESCO on its website.

The third site, Unakoti -- the chiselled 'Angkor Wat of the North-East' region -- contain the series of Shaivite rock sculptures in the northern part of Tripura.

Nestled in the Raghunandan hills, about 180 km from Agartala, Unakoti is home to giant bas-relief sculptures of the 8-9th century carved out of a huge hill.

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A total of six Indian sites have been added to the Tentative List so far this year. India has a total of 40 sites which enjoy the UNESCO World Heritage tag.

(with PTI inputs)