Hyderabad (Telangana) : On the occasion of Chhatrapati Shivaji Jayanti, Union Minister Kishan Reddy paid floral tributes to the statue of Shivaji near Mahatma Gandhi Bus station, Gowliguda here in Hyderabad.
Along with Kishan Reddy, former state minister Etala Rajinder, MLAs Venkataramana Reddy and Rakesh Reddy and many senior BJP leaders participated.
Union Minister Kishan Reddy said that 394th birth anniversary of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is being celebrated in a grand manner.
"The central government also organizes massive Shivaji Maharaj Jayanti celebrations in Maharashtra. Shivaji Maharaj was a valiant and brave man who faced many enemies and led an exemplary administration" the Union Minister said.
The minister also reiterated that 8 forts named after Shivaji in Maharashtra have been sent to the United Nations for UNESCO recognition on behalf of the Government of India and the Department of Culture.
"All kinds of steps are being taken to get UNESCO recognition. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also said that he will work in the spirit of Shivaji Maharaj. Shivaji continuously fought for the poor and weaker sections of the people. As he thought, India should also grow powerful in the world. Let's take Shivaji Maharaj as an example and work in his spirit so that justice can be done to all the people of our country" Kishan Reddy said.
In January this year the Government announced that, "Maratha Military Landscapes of India" will be India's nomination for recognition as UNESCO World Heritage List for the year 2024-25.
The twelve component parts of this nomination are, Salher fort, Shivneri fort, Lohgad, Khanderi fort, Raigad, Rajgad, Pratapgad, Suvarnadurg, Panhala Fort, Vijay durg, Sindhudurg in Maharashtra and Gingee Fort in Tamil Nadu. These components, distributed across diverse geographical and physiographic regions, showcase the strategic military powers of the Maratha rule.
The Maratha Military Landscapes of India, which developed between 17th and 19th centuries, represent an extraordinary fortification and military system envisioned by the Maratha rulers. This extraordinary network of forts, varying in hierarchies, scales and typological features, is a result of integrating the landscape, terrain and physiographic characteristics distinctive to the Sahyadri mountain ranges, the Konkan Coast, Deccan Plateau and the Eastern Ghats in the Indian Peninsula.
There are more than 390 forts in Maharashtra out of which only 12 forts are selected under the Maratha Military Landscapes of India, of these eight forts are protected by the Archaeological Survey of India.
The inception of the Maratha Military ideology dates back to 17th Century during the reign of the Maratha King Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj by the 1670 CE and continued through subsequent rules until Peshwa rule till 1818 CE.
At present in India there are 42 World Heritage sites, out of which 34 are cultural sites, seven are natural sites whereas one is mixed site. In Maharashtra there are six World Heritage Sites, five cultural and one natural.