Visit forts of Maratha Military Landscapes which made it to UNESCO list: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday (July 12, 2025) urged every Indian to visit the forts of the Maratha Military Landscapes, which have been included in the prestigious UNESCO World Heritage List.

The ‘Maratha Military Landscapes’ include 12 majestic forts, 11 of which are in Maharashtra and one is in Tamil Nadu.

“When we speak of the glorious Maratha Empire, we associate it with good governance, military strength, cultural pride, and emphasis on social welfare. The great rulers inspire us with their refusal to bow to any injustice. I call upon everyone to go visit these forts and learn about the rich history of the Maratha Empire,” Mr. Modi said in a post on X.

At the 47th Session of the World Heritage Committee on Friday (July 11, 2025), India’s official nomination for the 2024-25 cycle, ‘Maratha Military Landscapes of India’, got inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, becoming India’s 44th property to receive this recognition.

Spanning from the 17th to 19th centuries CE, this extraordinary network of 12 forts demonstrates the strategic military vision and architectural ingenuity of the Maratha Empire, according to an official statement by the Union Culture Ministry.

Spread across the States of Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, the selected sites include Salher, Shivneri, Lohgad, Khanderi, Raigad, Rajgad, Pratapgad, Suvarnadurg, Panhala, Vijaydurg, and Sindhudurg in Maharashtra, along with Gingee Fort in Tamil Nadu.

The proposal was submitted to the World Heritage Committee for consideration in January 2024. After a rigorous 18-month-long process involving several technical meetings with the advisory bodies and a visit by ICOMOS’s mission to review the sites, this decision was taken by the members of the World Heritage Committee at UNESCO Headquarters, Paris.

India also has 62 sites in the Tentative List of the World Heritage, which is a mandatory threshold for any site to be considered as a World Heritage property in the future. Every year, each State party may propose just one site for consideration by the World Heritage Committee for inscription on the World Heritage List.