State stalls, monuments replica: Slice of India at WHC pavilion
State stalls, monuments replica: Slice of India at WHC pavilion
New Delhi, Scale models of forts associated with Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji, colourful stalls of various states, and live display of craftsmanships were part of a thematic pavilion at World Heritage Committee meeting venue here to display the spirit of 'Incredible India'.
The 46th session of the World Heritage Committee being hosted by India from July 21-31 got underway on Sunday with the opening ceremony attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Director General of UNESCO Audrey Azoulay, among others.
Parallel to the plenary session being held at the main hall of the Bharat Mandapam, an 'Incredible India' exhibition has been set up at hall number 14 depicting heritage landmarks and cultural legacy of the country.
The main gateway to this pavilion is a replica of an ornate gateway in Jaipur, with a softly illuminated 'Incredible India' mounted on its top.
As one enters the pavilion, moving images of iconic cultural heritage sites of India have been depicted on digital walls on both sides.
The gateway leads to a wide open space where different aspects of India's heritage have been displayed, from replicas of monumental sites such as Jantar Mantar of Delhi to Unakoti, the chiselled ‘Angkor Wat of the North-East’ region that was put on the Tentative List of UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2022.
"We have created this 'Incredible India' pavilion to showcase to the delegates and other visitors a slice of India and its diverse cultural flavour under one roof here at the venue of the World Heritage Committee meeting. It has replicas of monuments, virtual reality experience and much more," a senior official of the Ministry of Tourism told PTI.
The main entrance also has giant cut-outs of several UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India from the churches of Goa to temples of south India, and Mahabodhi temple of Bihar to Humayun's Tomb of Delhi.
The special exhibition highlights India's rich cultural heritage, age-old civilisation, geographical diversity and tourism destinations along with modern developments in the fields of information technology and infrastructure, officials said.
Visitors can also see live demonstrations of Indian craftsmanship from a 'thathera' stall showcasing pot-making to a woman weaving a Pashmina shawl using traditional tools.
While artists and musicians perform in a designated arena, in a corner behind it, a Rajasthani man and his son wrap traditional 'pagdi' from his state on the heads of guests.
Kinkar Lal Bhopa from Churu points to a row of neatly tied turbans at his stall, as he beckons visitors to experience this Rajasthani culture. His son assists him in the job.
"We are feeling proud to display our culture to the delegates and other guests who are coming to our stall, drawn both out of curiosity and an urgent to learn more about India," Bhopa told PTI.
Adding a splash of colour to this kaleidoscope of culture is the presence of stalls from various states and Union Territories
"We have divided them into five zones, north, south, east, west and central. In the East zone, one can see stalls of Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, and West Bengal, among others," the official from the Tourism Ministry said.
Next to the West Bengal stall, a panel depicting Durga Puja with idols of Goddess Durga and other deities has been mounted. Kolkata's Durga Puja finds a place on UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage.
Various state stalls besides showcasing their tourism destinations are also letting guests sample some delicacies from their respective regions.
While the Bihar stall offers 'anarsa' and 'khaja', the Rajasthan stall offers 'ghewar' to the visitors.
Payel Halder, pursuing an M.Des. from IIT-Delhi, is among the two artists who are doing live caricaturing on canvas to engage with the delegates and other visitors.
A shopping experience for indigenous craft products also beckons guests at the exhibition hall which also showcases India's digital expertise.
The WHC session is being hosted at the Bharat Mandapam which was also the venue for the G20 Summit.
India has 42 properties inscribed on the World Heritage List which include 34 cultural sites, seven natural sites and one mixed heritage site.
Twelve sites have been added in the last 10 years which includes last year's inscriptions of the Santiniketan and Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas during the Extended 45th Session of the WHC held in Riyadh
India is the sixth country on the list and second in the Asia Pacific Region based on the numbers of the World Heritage List. In addition, India has 57 sites on the Tentative List of the World Heritage.
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