A Monumental Moment: UNESCO Names Maratha Military Landscape Among 2025 Heritage Sites

Last Updated:July 15, 2025, 18:10 IST

Standing as a symbol of their valour and vision, the 12 forts of the Maratha Empire have been added in the UNESCO World Heritage List for 2025.

Maratha forts and landscapes are now part of the World Heritage List for 2025, as the UNESCO World Heritage Committee added 26 new properties to the popular tourist sites at its 47th session in Paris. At a time when cultural and historical sites are in dire need of protection and revival, a World Heritage tag goes a long way, promoting shared heritage based on OUVs (Outstanding Universal Values) recognised in sites across 196 countries.

Of the 26 new properties added to the World Heritage List, 21 sites are cultural and four are natural, while one other has been slotted by UNESCO into the mixed category. ‘Maratha Military Landscapes of India‘ has become the 44th property in India to receive the global recognition of being included in the World Heritage List.

Spread across the states of Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, the network of forts and strategic military posts associated with Chhattrapati Shivaji Maharaj and other Maratha warriors reflects the brave history and past glory of the empire that ruled significant parts of the Indian subcontinent from the 17th to the 19th century.

India’s Union Home Minister Amit Shah was delighted to share the news of UNESCO’s decision to include 12 forts that act as the symbol of the Maratha Empire’s legacy and courage in the World Heritage List. “It is a moment of immense pride for all countrymen that UNESCO has included 12 forts associated with the life of Maharajadhiraj Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the UNESCO World Heritage list,” he wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter).

“Just a few days ago, I visited the Raigad Fort and had a spiritual experience of the symbols associated with the life of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. These forts have been the main pillars of protection of Hindu Swaraj, and from here, crores of countrymen have been getting continuous inspiration towards their mother language and culture.”

Here is a list of 26 new sites added to the World Heritage List by UNESCO globally.

1. 1. Cambodian Memorial Sites: From centres of repression to places of peace and reflection (Cambodia)
2. 2. Cultural Heritage Sites of Ancient Khuttal (Tajikistan)
3. 3. Diy-Gid-Biy Cultural Landscape of the Mandara Mountains (Cameroon)
4. 4. Faya Palaeolandscape (United Arab Emirates)
5. 5. Forest Research Institute Malaysia, Forest Park Selangor (Malaysia)
6. 6. Funerary Tradition in the Prehistory of Sardinia – The domus de janas (Italy)
7. 7. Maratha Military Landscapes of India (India)
8. 8. Megaliths of Carnac and of the shores of Morbihan (France)
9. 9. Minoan Palatial Centres (Greece)
10. 10. Mount Mulanje Cultural Landscape (Malawi)
11. 11. Murujuga Cultural Landscape (Australia)
12. 12. Petroglyphs along the Bangucheon Stream (Republic of Korea)
13. 13. Rock Paintings of Shulgan-Tash Cave (Russian Federation)
14. 14. Sardis and the Lydian Tumuli of Bin Tepe (Turkiye)
15. 15. The Archaeological Ensemble of 17th Century Port Royal (Jamaica)
16. 16. The Colonial Transisthmian Route of Panama (Panama)
17. 17. The Palaces of King Ludwig II of Bavaria: Neuschwanstein, Linderhof, Schachen and Herrenchiemsee (Germany)
18. 18. The Prehistoric Sites of the Khorramabad Valley (Iran)
19. 19. Wixarika Route through Sacred Sites to Wirikuta (Tatehuari Huajuye) (Mexico)
20. 20. Xixia Imperial Tombs (China)
21. 21. Yen Tu-Vinh Nghiem-Con Son, Kiep Bac Complex of Monuments and Landscapes (Viet Nam)
22. 22. Cavernas do Peruacu National Park (Brazil)
23. 23. Coastal and Marine Ecosystems of the Bijagos Archipelago – Omati Minho (Guinea-Bissau)
24. 24. Gola-Tiwai Complex (Sierra Leone)
25. 25. Mons Klint (Denmark)
26. 26. Mount Kumgang – Diamond Mountain from the Sea (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea)

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Delhi, India, India

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