Our ancestors have given us a rich cultural past, and their efforts to preserve our heritage shouldn’t go in vain. World Heritage Day is celebrated to spread awareness of our rich cultural diversity and the importance of preserving our ancient heritage. The purpose of celebrating this date is to share an important message to the younger generations to carry forward their legacy and preserve our culture.
Every year, World Heritage Day is observed on 18 April. The World Heritage Day 2022 theme is “Heritage and Climate“. It is an internationally recognised day to preserve monuments and historical sites and rich inheritance associated with them. The way we live tells a lot about our culture.
But one particular day that is entirely dedicated to the collaborative chronicles of the human race and culture is much needed. The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) has done tremendous work in this regard, and it is a true celebration of their efforts too.
We as humans need to respect the diversity in our cultural offerings and preserve them for future generations to come. The ancient historical monuments are not just a living wonder but speak volumes of history and fascinating ancient lives.
Jammu and Kashmir has the distinction of having multifaceted, variegated and unique cultural blend, making it distinct from the rest of the country, not only from the different cultural forms and heritage, but from geographical, demographically, ethical, social entities, forming a distinct spectrum of diversity and diversions into Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh, all professing diverse religion, language and culture, but continuously intermingling, making it vibrant specimens of Indian Unity amidst diversity. Its different cultural forms like art and architecture, fair and festivals, rites and rituals, seer and sagas, language and mountains, embedded in ageless period of history, speak volumes of unity and diversity with unparalleled cultural cohesion and cultural service. Like the UT of Jammu and Kashmir, Srinagar too has a distinctive blend of cultural heritage. Holy places in and around the city depict the historical cultural and religious diversity of the city as well as the Kashmir valley. While the Kashmir has been the highest learning centre of Sanskrit and Persian where early Indo-Aryanic civilization has originated and flourshed, it has also been embracing point of advent of Islam bringing its fold finest traditions of Persian civilization, tolerance, brotherhood and sacrifice.
Some of the popular heritages of Jammu & Kashmir are as follows :-
Pari Mahal : Pari Mahal or Peer Mahal, also known as The Palace of Fairies, is a seven-terraced garden located at the top of Zabarwan mountain range, overlooking the city of Srinagar and the south-west of Dal Lake in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.It is an example of Islamic architecture and patronage of art during the reign of the then Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan.
Hari Parbat Fort :Hari Parbat is also known as Kooh-e-Maran lies on the west of Dal Lake in Srinagar, in the UT of Jammu & Kashmir. This Mughal structure was built by an Afghan Governor Atta Mohammed Khan in 18th century.
Mughal Garden : Shalimar Bagh is a Mughal garden in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India, linked through a channel to the northeast of Dal Lake. It also known as Shalimar Gardens, Farah Baksh, and Faiz Baksh. The other famous shoreline garden in the vicinity is Nishat Bagh, ‘The Garden of Delight’. The Bagh was built by Mughal Emperor Jahangir, for his wife Nur Jahan, in 1619. The Bagh is considered the high point of Mughal horticulture. It is now a public park and also referred to as the “Crown of Srinagar”.
