Sirpur Mahotsav to give bid for World Heritage Site tag a push

Raipur: The move to get Unesco's World Heritage Site tag for Sirpur, recognised as one of the significant ancient Buddhist learning centres in India, is set to get yet another push with the Sirpur International Heritage Mahotsav, to be held at the site from Feb 1.Along with the state govt's efforts, the three-day festival, which will have a high-level panel discussion on "Unesco aspirations for Sirpur", is aimed at making a strong bid and strengthening its presence in the international Buddhist circuit."The panel discussion will involve senior officials and conservationists to chart a roadmap for sustainable cultural tourism," Sirpur Special Area Development Authority (SADA) CEO Dhammshir Ganveer said. SADA is organizing the festival jointly with Mahasamund district administration.Sirpur is recognised as one of the most significant ancient Buddhist learning centres in India. At its peak, the monastic hub reportedly hosted over 10,000 monks. The Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang, who visited the region between 630 and 645 CE, recorded the presence of vibrant monasteries and learned scholars. Historical accounts also associate the philosopher Acharya Nagarjuna with Sirpur, where he contributed to the Madhyamaka tradition and the philosophy of the Middle Path (Madhyam Marg).Delegates from Bhutan and South Korea, along with representatives from Japan, are expected to attend."Unesco promotes culture and heritage. Sirpur Festival is a cultural event and the manner in which the festival is celebrated every year and its significance would be taken into account and would help strengthen Sirpur's case as a UNESCO site," the CEO said.In January 2025, Chhattisgarh govt had sent a proposal to the Centre, following which the state govt had initiated a survey on its own with the assistance of National Institute of Technology (NIT) Raipur, along with the Archaeological Survey of India, state tourism department and other state agencies. Even as the Centre is yet to respond to the proposal, the state has continued with the survey. UNESCO has not yet been formally communicated on the matter. "It is a tedious and detailed survey. We are modifying our earlier proposal to resubmit it to the Centre. The survey of the Sirpur heritage site was initiated immediately after the proposal was sent to the Centre. There were some shortcomings, which we are addressing before submitting a fresh proposal. The outcome of the high-level panel discussion on ‘Unesco Aspirations for Sirpur' during the Sirpur Festival will help improve our proposal," SADA CEO told TOI.