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43rd UNESCO Heritage Site of India: Moidams of Assam

Utkarsh Classes Last Updated 14-09-2024
43rd UNESCO Heritage Site of India:  Moidams of Assam Art and Culture 8 min read

The Moidams of Assam, the Mound-Burial System of the Ahom Dynasty, have been included in the cultural category of the UNESCO World Heritage Site list. It is the 43rd site in India to be included in UNESCO’s World Heritage Site list.

The Union Minister for Culture and Tourism, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, gave this information on 26 July 2024. 

The decision to include the Moidam of Assam was taken at the 46th session of the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation(UNESCO) 's World Heritage Committee

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee session is being held for the first time in India at New Delhi from 21-31 July 2024.

3rd site of Assam to be included in UNESCO’s Heritage List

  • The  Moidams of Assam- the Mound-Burial System of the Ahom Dynasty is the third site in Assam and North East to be included in UNESCO’s World Heritage List and the first in the cultural category.
  • Kaziranga National Park of Assam and  Manas Wildlife Sanctuary were included in the UNESCO list in 1985 under the Natural category.

About Moidam

  • Moidams, or "home for spirit," are burial sites which are basically hollow vaults of brick stone and contain the remains of kings and royals of the Tai-Ahom,
  • The Tai Ahom, who arrived in Assam in the 13th century, constructed moidams for the royal families initially with wood and later with stone and burnt bricks,
  • The Tai Ahom considered their rulers divine and developed a distinct funerary tradition of constructing moidams for royal burials.
  • There are 90 Moidams found mainly in the foothills of the Patkai Ranges in eastern Assam. 
  • Tai-Ahom created moidams (burial mounds) in the hills, forests and water,  forming a sacred geographical area. Banyan trees were used for coffins, and bark manuscripts were planted in the Moidams. 
  • The Tai-Ahom consider these burial mounds sacred and reflect their unique funerary practices.

UNESCO World Heritage Sites 

The UNESCO World Heritage Sites categorises heritage into Cultural, Natural, and Mixed categories.  

Italy has the most sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List, with 59, followed by China, with 57 sites.

India is sixth with 43  sites. 

 Ajanta Cave, Ellora Cave (both Maharashtra), the Taj Mahal in Agra, and the Agra Fort in Uttar Pradesh were the first Indian sites to be included in UNESCO’s list in 1983. 

List of Indian Heritages in UNESCO’s World Heritage List  

The following is the list of Indian heritage sites, their locations, and the year they were included in UNESCO’s World Heritage List. 

Serial Number 

Heritage Site 

Year of Inclusion 

State 

Category 

1

Ajanta Caves

1983

Maharashtra

Cultural 

2

Ellora Caves

1983

Maharashtra

Cultural 

3

Agra Fort

1983

Uttar Pradesh 

Cultural 

4

Taj Mahal

1983

Uttar Pradesh

Cultural 

5

Sun Temple

1984

Orissa

Cultural 

6

Mahabalipuram Monuments

1984

Tamil Nadu

Cultural 

7

Kaziranga National Park

1985

Assam

Natural

8

Keoladeo

National Park

1985

Rajasthan

Natural

9

Manas

Wildlife Sanctuary

1985

Assam

Natural

10

Churches and

Convents of Goa

1986

Goa

Cultural 

11

Monuments

of Khajuraho

1986

Madhya

Pradesh

Cultural 

12

Monuments

of Hampi

1986

Karnataka

Cultural 

13

Fatehpur Sikri

1986

Uttar Pradesh

Cultural 

14

Elephanta Caves

1987

Maharashtra

Cultural 

15

Great Living

Chola Temples. It includes

(a) Brihadisvara Temple at Thanjavur, 

(b) Brihadisvara Temple at Gangaikondacholisvaram and 

(c) Airavatesvara Temple at Darasuram. 

1987

Tamil Nadu

Cultural 

16

Pattadakal

Monuments

1987

Karnataka

Cultural 

17

Sundarbans

National Park

1987

West Bengal

Natural

18

Nanda Devi &

Valley of Flowers

National Park

1988

Uttarakhand

Natural

19

Monuments of

Buddha

1989

Sanchi,

Madhya

Pradesh

Cultural 

20

Humayun’s Tomb

1993

Delhi

Cultural 

21

Qutub Minar and

its Monuments

1993

Delhi

Cultural 

22

Mountain

Railways

of Darjeeling,

Kalka- Shimla & Nilgiri

1999

West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu

Cultural 

23

Mahabodhi

Temple

2002

Bodh Gaya, Bihar

Cultural 

24

Bhimbetka Rock Shelters

2003

Madhya Pradesh

Cultural 

25

Chhatrapati

Shivaji Terminus

2004

Maharashtra

Cultural 

26

Champaner

Pavagadh

Archaeological

Park

2004

Gujarat

Cultural 

27

Red Fort

2007

Delhi

Cultural 

28

Jantar Mantar

2010

Delhi

Cultural 

29

Western Ghats

2012

Karnataka,

Kerala,

Tamil Nadu,

Maharashtra

Natural

30

Hill Forts of Rajasthan in 

 
  • Chittorgarh, 
  • Kumbhalgarh 
  • Sawai Madhopur
  • Jhalawar,
  • Jaipur, and 
  • Jaisalmer.

2013

Rajasthan

Culture

31

Rani Ki Vav

2014

Patan, Gujarat

Cultural

32

Great Himalayan

National Park

2014

Himachal

Pradesh

Natural

33

Nalanda

2016

Bihar

Cultural

34

Khangchendzonga

National Park

2016

Sikkim

Mixed 

35

Architectural Work

of Le Corbusier

(Capitol Complex)

2016

Chandigarh

Cultural

36

The Historic City of Ahmedabad

2017

Gujarat

Cultural

37

Victorian Gothic

and Art Deco

Ensembles of Mumbai

2018

Maharashtra

Cultural

38

The Pink City

2019

Jaipur, Rajasthan

Cultural

39

Kakatiya

Rudreshwara

(Ramappa)

Temple

2021

Telangana

Cultural

40

Dholavira

2021

Gujarat

Cultural

41

Santiniketan

2023

West Bengal

Cultural

42

Hoysala temples of Belur, Halebid and Somananthpura

2023

Karnataka

Cultural

43

Moidams – the Mound-Burial System of the Ahom Dynasty

2024 

Assam 

Cultural

FAQ

Answer: Moidams of Assam- the Mound-Burial System of the Ahom Dynasty

Answer: It is the burial site of the royal families of the Tai-Ahom,

Answer: New Delhi from 21 -31 July 2024.

Answer: Khangchendzonga National Park in Sikkim was included in 2016 in the UNESCO list as the 34th Indian site.

Answer: Gajendra Singh Shekhawat
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