Hill Forts of Rajasthan

Hill Forts of Rajasthan is part of the Tentative List in order to qualify for inclusion in the World Heritage List.

Click here for a short description of the site, as delivered by the State Party

Year	Decision	Comments
2012	Advisory Body overruled	Referral instead of "Not inscribed" proposed by ICOMOS
2012	Referred
2011	Tentative list	Submitted as tentative site by State Party

Reviews

Clyde (Malta):
It would be fair to include such a WHS. I think it would deserve the WHS status at least as much as the Belfries of France and Belgium. Jaisalmer Fort and Jodhpur's Fort definitely would be 2 highlights in such a WHS.

Date posted: February 2013

Amitava Dasgupta (India):
Hill Forts of Rajasthan can certainly achieve WHS status. These forts are remnant of splendours of Rajputana. Be it the marvelous architecture, surrounding localities still bearing medieval characteristics , royal courts, palaces and some of them are still used by members of the royal families. These forts leaves the visitor awestruck with its charm and glorious history. Anecdotes of the Kings of Rajasthan is still revered in India and some of them have crafted their tale of valour, patriotism and sacrifice in the peoples mind eternally.

Date posted: March 2012

Els Slots (The Netherlands):

The Hill Forts of Rajasthan are 7 forts that are up for inclusion in the World Heritage List in 2012.

In 1993 I visited one of them: Amber Fort. It was my first trip to India, and I was completely overwhelmed by its street life and visible poverty. Jaipur, the nearest city to Amber Fort, also was the first place we visited on our tour.

The Fort is located on the top of a hill, and we walked there in the late afternoon. I remember that it was getting dark when we returned, and that there were lots of local kids yelling at us, walking with us or wanting to hold hands.

The fort was built from 1592 and "shows the evolution from the purely defensive fort settlements of the early medieval period to the palace fortress type of architecture typified in the 16th century." It is quite an extensive complex, with several courtyards, gardens, a temple, audience halls and living quarters.

My visit was so long ago that I cannot really argue if this is a viable WHS or not. But certainly "palaces" in general are still a very prominent feature of Indian history and culture.

Date posted: July 2011

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