International Manuscript Heritage Conference
▪ India will host the first international Manuscript Heritage Conference in September, which will be attended by global scholars, thought leaders, and cultural custodians.
▪ The three-day conference, titled “Reclaiming India’s knowledge legacy through manuscript heritage”, is being organised from September 11 to 13 in the national capital as part of the launch of the “Gyan Bharatam Mission”s.
▪ The conference will also commemorate Swami Vivekananda’s Chicago address (September 11, 1893), symbolising India’s intellectual and spiritual global vision.
▪ There will be numerous side events such as an exhibition on Indian manuscripts, one on manuscripts inscribed in the UNESCO Memory of the World, live demonstrations, and workshops.
Maratha fort systems get UNESCO heritage tag
▪ Maratha Military Landscapes of India were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List during the 47th session of the World Heritage Committee in Paris.
▪ Its 12 components are — Salher Fort, Shivneri Fort, Lohgad, Khanderi Fort, Raigad, Rajgad, Pratapgad, Suvarnadurg, Panhala Fort, Vijay Durg, and Sindhudurg in Maharashtra, and Gingee Fort in Tamil Nadu.
▪ Built mostly between the 1600s and 1800s, they show how Marathas used military skills to build powerful defense structures.
▪ There are more than 390 forts in Maharashtra out of which only 12 forts are selected under the Maratha Military Landscapes of India, of these 8 forts are protected by the Archaeological Survey of India.
▪ In the Maratha Military Landscapes of India Salher Fort, Shivneri Fort, Lohgad, Raigad, Rajgad and Gingee Fort are hill forts, Pratapgad is a hill-forest fort, Panhala is a hill-plateau fort, Vijaydurg is coastal fort whereas Khanderi fort, Suvarnadurg and Sindhudurg are island forts.
▪ The Maratha Military ideology originated in the 17th century under the rule of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in 1670 CE, extending through subsequent rulers until the Peshwa rule concluded in 1818 CE.
