Maratha Military Landscapes' UNESCO tag is a win. Conservation must catch up

The Print

2 days ago

But this recognition carries far more weight. It is a profound acknowledgment of indigenous military traditions and innovation that tuned the terrain into a tactical ally. This would be the first time when an inscription shines light on subaltern military heritage, celebrating the terrain-driven and decentralised warfare crafted by the Maratha generals—an extraordinary chapter of India's history that rarely finds mention on the global stage.
With this latest addition, India now ranks sixth globally in terms of the total number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The journey to get this inscription was long and full of challenges. After two years of back and forth, the revised nomination was finally accepted last year and has since been hailed as a model for integrated military and ecological heritage.
In the late hours of 11th July 2025, far away from the Sahyadri mountains, the World Heritage Committee, during its ongoing 47th session in Paris, added 12 formidable military forts of the great Maratha Empire onto the UNESCO World Heritage site list. Spread across diverse geographical and physiographical terrains of Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, these military establishments—collectively termed as the Maratha Military Landscapes—have become India's 44th World Heritage Site.
However, the responsibility does not end with the inscription. This will demand a stronger, strategic, and collaborative management plan for all the world heritage sites and for those in the tentative list. Conservation is a challenge for a developing country like India, where it's becoming increasingly difficult to manage the growing cityscape and historical and archaeological heritage.
Outstanding universal value
For every site UNESCO recognises as a World Heritage Site, its Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) is evaluated. It is central to the World Heritage convention as it highlights the global significance the site holds, not only in the present time but also in the future. It notes the uniqueness of each site while evaluating the state of preservation and capabilities of the stakeholders to uphold the inscription. However, the responsibility does not lie with the country where it is located. It becomes a global responsibility to ensure that the site's value is not lost.
In the case of the 12 forts of the Maratha Military Landscapes of India, the task to underline the OUV was undertaken by the Archaeological Survey of India in collaboration with other stakeholders in the dossier. As per the statement, the military landscape developed between the 17th and 19th centuries CE. represented an extraordinary fortification and military system. The military system and the ideology reached their zenith during the time of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj by c.1670 CE and continued till 1818 CE. This extraordinary network of forts, varying in hierarchies, scales, and typological features, is a result of integrating the landscape, terrain, and physiographic characteristics, particularly distinctive to the Sahyadri mountain ranges, the Konkan coast, the Deccan Plateau, and the Eastern Ghats in the Indian peninsula. According to the OUV, they represent the Maratha kingdom's envisioned military network in India. It is also stressed in the dossier that the significance not only lies in the architecture but also in the innovation of connecting them into a unified operational defence system through a strategic network that exploits the unique cultural landscape. They are also the largest concentration of forts integrated within a cultural landscape, globally.
Along with the forts, the buffer zones constitute the most authentic, well-preserved, and representative sites of the Maratha Military Landscapes of India. The nomination boundary of the 12 forts includes all the key features that support their recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The area covers the main defensive structures that showcase the Marathas' unique military architecture. The buffer zone around each fort is carefully designed to reflect both the immediate surroundings of the fort and the larger landscape of related forts. This includes two additional layers of the Maratha defence systems built strategically around the main forts. These outer areas include smaller forts and outposts that supported the core structure.
The buffer also considers old trade routes and natural features like hills, forests and terrain, which played a major role in the region's defence, culture and economy. These natural elements, along with the man-made check posts known as the Met area, formed part of the larger Maratha Military Landscapes of India.
Protection and management
In December 2024, Gwenaëlle Bourdin, the then Director of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) Evaluation Unit (responsible for evaluating the OUV of nominated sites), submitted a short interim report on the evaluation carried out by an expert named Hwajong Lee (Republic of Korea). In the report, the panel considered that the 'Maratha Military Landscapes of India' might have the potential to meet the requirements for the Outstanding Universal Value, although this had not yet been demonstrated during the evaluation.
From requesting an exhaustive description of each fort and of the nominated component parts, asking the State Party to justify its rationale behind selecting 12 forts out of the initial list of 390 forts, and 14 forts in the Tentative List, ICOMOS highlighted many concerns. However, the most important aspect highlighted by the ICOMOS was not its historicity or the description but the negative impact of interventions and developments taking place at a number of the sites from the list. These included steel towers and solar panels at Khanderi Fort, a ropeway and support structure at Raigad, modern structures, pipelines, and electric poles within several nominated areas. At Pratapgarh, new constructions have appeared in the buffer zones, while Panhala Fort has been impacted by communication towers, water tanks, and even a road cutting through the site. Similarly, National Highway 77, which runs through Gingee Fort, raises questions about its impact on the site's integrity. Thus, ICOMOS asked for the Site Management Plan for each nominated fort.
In response, the State Party, provided enough material highlighting its competence in protecting the nominated components. It was noted that eight out of the 12 forts are centrally protected by ASI, and the rest are protected by the Directorate of Archaeology and Museums, government of Maharashtra. For overseeing the management, the State Level Apex Advisory Committee is formed. But is it enough?
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A boon or a threat?
Similar to the Maratha Military Landscapes of India, the magnificent Hill forts of Rajasthan, which include Chittorgarh, Kumbhalgarh, Sawai Madhopur, Jhalawar, Jaipur, and Jaisalmer, were inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2013. They were the first serial nominations of India: a group of geographically dispersed but thematically connected sites spanning multiple states or regions. Such sites require a unified conservation framework and an integrated, collaborative management plan. This increases the role of stakeholders in constructing future strategies that emphasise coordinated governance, ecological sensitivity, and active community involvement. Such an integrated effort targets ensuring long-term protection of the sites.
However, many forts of Rajasthan, especially Kumbhalgarh, are facing growing conservation concerns due to unchecked tourism, structural degradation, and poor conservation efforts. These forts are vulnerable to urban pressure, increasing footfall, which impacts their integrity. It is evident that with increased visibility on the global front, there will be a sharp rise in the footfall. Are the stakeholders prepared for the preservation challenges not only of the monument but also of the landscape that is integral to their significance? Now that the spotlight is on lesser-known chapters of history, the real challenge is in protecting them without overexposing.
Until a management plan is put in place and concerns are taken care of, we must celebrate the recognition that the Maratha forts have awaited for centuries. Let's also remember that heritage is not just about marking national achievements on a global stage—it is meant to be protected, preserved, and passed on to future generations.
Disha Ahluwalia is an archaeologist and junior research fellow at the Indian Council Of Historical Research. She tweets @ahluwaliadisha. Views are personal.
(Edited by Ratan Priya)