Team Herald
PANJIM: Historian Prajal Sakhardande announced on Tuesday that after a long struggle UNESCO has granted approval for the petroglyph gallery (Rock Carvings) in Usgalimal village to be placed on the provisional list of its World Heritage sites.
These carvings, located on the banks of Kushavati River in Sanguem taluka, date back to around 8000 BC and belong to the upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic period, commonly known as ‘the Stone Age’.
“Kudos to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) Goa Chapter. In the year 2010 we had sat with the then ASI officer Abhijit Ambekar and prepared the application and report to be presented to the ASI, New Delhi and UNESCO. We at the Goa Heritage Action Group also made a presentation to the UNESCO committee in Bombay in April 2012. Finally I congratulate the Goa State Archaeology Department and the Goa ASI Chapter, ASI New Delhi and UNESCO. A great moment for our Goa,” Sakhardande said.
UNESCO’s Standing Committee on Representation in India has sent a list of nine sites in the Cultural Heritage Division along with the report on February 17. Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Lazare Ilondo Asomo informed Vishal Sharma, Permanent Representative of India to UNESCO, that these nine sites have been added to the provisional list of World Heritage Sites. While the list included the Usgalimal rock carvings, the remaining eight rock carving sites are located in Maharashtra.
Furthermore, an in-depth proposal will be prepared for the sites that meet all the criteria as per the conditions prescribed by UNESCO to send a
proposal after completion of the State-level process required for the conservation of artefacts.
All proposals will also be scrutinised by the Central Archaeological Department. UNESCO’s expert committee will visit the sites and inspect the heritage sites and suggest changes if necessary. The sites will be finalised as per the recommendations of UNESCO experts.