Varanasi, August 04 (HS): Union Culture and Tourism Minister

Gajendra Singh Shekhawat visited historic Sarnath after its inclusion in the

UNESCO World Heritage List. India's Permanent Representative and Ambassador to

UNESCO, Vishal V. Sharma, accompanied him during the visit. Expressing

happiness over this historic achievement, the Union Minister said that the

inclusion of Sarnath, the site of Lord Buddha's first sermon, in the World

Heritage List is a matter of pride not only for Varanasi but for the entire

country.

During the visit, Union Minister Shekhawat directed

officials to install a new World Heritage List plaque, embed a QR code on it,

and include major foreign languages along with Indian languages in the QR

codes to be installed around monuments. He said this would make historical and

cultural information easily available to tourists and Buddhist followers from

India and abroad.

The Union Minister said that Sarnath is the sacred site

where Lord Buddha, after attaining enlightenment, delivered his first sermon,

laying the foundation for Buddhism. It was from here that his teachings spread,

inspiring millions around the world.

He said that inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List

will now significantly increase the number of tourists in Varanasi. Under the

leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the conservation and global

recognition of India's cultural and archaeological heritage is being

continuously promoted. Sarnath was granted World Heritage status in the 48th

meeting of the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural

Organization) World Heritage Committee held in Busan, South Korea. With this, the

number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India has increased to 45. It is

noteworthy that Sarnath was included in the Tentative List of UNESCO in the

year 1998.

During his visit to Sarnath, the Union Minister also gave

necessary guidelines to the concerned officials regarding the conservation,

maintenance of antiquities and historical monuments and expansion of tourist

facilities. On this occasion, Vice Chancellor of Central Institute of Higher

Tibetan Studies, Prof. Wangchuk Dorje, Registrar Dr. Sunita Chandra and

officials of Tourism and Archaeology Department were present.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi