Lok Sabha Debates
Granting Of Unesco Tag To Aihole And Badami Temples In Karnataka -Laid. on 4 February, 2020
Seventeenth Loksabha > Title: Regarding Granting of UNESCO tag to Aihole and Badami temples in Karnataka –laid. *h SHRI P. C. GADDIGOUDAR (BAGALKOT): In my Bagalkot District of Karnataka a number of historical and monumental sites are located. Among them, Pattadkal, Badami and Aihole are prominent. Pattadkal contains a group of ten major temples with UNESCO World Heritage tags depicting the architecture of the Chalukyas. Aihole is an important destination for art and architecture. It is also an important temple town with over 140 temples of Hindus, Jains and Buddhists. At Badami, a complex of Hindu and Jain cave temples built by Chalukyas is located. It is also the favourite destination for film industry. All these three places are visited by a large number of people from within the country and abroad throughout the year.
In 1982, UNESCO accorded World Heritage Status to the temples at Pattadkal. The Durga Temple at Aihole and four caves near Agasthya lake at Badami are known for their unique architecture characteristics. Granting of UNESCO tag to Aihole and Badami would help to conserve these valuable cultural properties in a better way and will attract more tourists and generate more revenue.
Therefore, I urge upon the Hon’ble Minister of Culture to take necessary steps for early declaration of Aihole and Badami as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.