Government writes to Centre on world heritage tag for Cyclopean Wall

PATNA: The state government has urged Union cultural ministry to ask Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to prepare a dossier for getting the “world

heritage

site” status for Cyclopean Wall at Rajgir.

CM Nitish Kumar has pitched for inclusion of Cyclopean Wall on the world heritage list on multiple occasions. “A preliminary report on Cyclopean Wall was submitted to chief minister’s office in December, which was approved with certain suggestions. Accordingly, a letter has been sent by principal secretary of state art, culture and youth affairs department to the Union culture ministry, urging it to ask ASI to initiate the process for preparation of dossier for Cyclopean Wall which will be sent to the Unesco,” Atul Kumar Verma, director, state archaeological directorate, said on Thursday.

A dossier is a voluminous document giving details of an archaeological site, its salient features and universal value, among other aspects, which is submitted by the government of the applicant country with World Heritage Committee of Unesco. The dossiers for

Nalanda

ruins and

Mahabodhi Mahavihara

in Bodh Gaya – the two world heritage sites in state – were also prepared in the similar manner by ASI.

The 22-km long Cyclopean Wall at Rajgir is believed to have been built in the pre-Mauryan era, before 3rd century BC, using massive undressed stones. It was built to provide protection to the ancient Rajgriha city, majority of which are protected site of ASI at present.

Archaeologists said the Cyclopean Wall at Rajgir is similar to “Frontiers of the Roman Empire” that runs through Germany, UK and Northern Ireland, and it was included on Unesco’s world heritage list in 1987. The wall represents the outermost boundary of the

Roman Empire

at its zenith in the 2nd century AD. Its three parts comprise a 118-km long Hadrian’s Wall, 550-km long Upper German Raetian Limes and a 60-km long Antonine Wall.