After UNESCO recognition, Maharashtra to coach locals as guides at Maratha Forts

Following the historic inscription of the Maratha Military Landscapes of India on the UNESCO World Heritage List, the Government of Maharashtra is taking concrete steps to make sure that the popularity interprets into long-term conservation, public engagement, and neighborhood involvement. One of essentially the most important initiatives now underway is the proposed certification programme to coach native residents as heritage guides on the 12 inscribed forts.  

On July 11, 2025, 11 forts in Maharashtra —Salher, Shivneri, Lohagad, Khanderi, Raigad, Rajgad, Pratapgad, Suvarnadurg, Panhala, Vijaydurg, Sindhudurg—and one in Villupuram, Tamil Nadu—Gingee, have been granted UNESCO World Heritage Site standing. The proposal for this recognition was ready by the Directorate of Archaeology and Museums, Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Maharashtra.  

These forts have been chosen for his or her Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) underneath UNESCO’s cultural standards (iv) and (vi) and characterize the army innovation, ecological adaptation, and architectural excellence of the Maratha Empire, notably underneath Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s imaginative and prescient of Swarajya.    

Criteria iv defines be an excellent instance of a sort of constructing, architectural or technological ensemble, or panorama, whereas standards vi outline, be straight or tangibly related to occasions, traditions, concepts, beliefs, or inventive and literary works of excellent common significance.  

According to Hemant N. Dalavi, Deputy Director of the Directorate of Archaeology and Museums (DoAM), Government of Maharashtra, the subsequent section will deal with bettering conservation, creating tourism facilities, creating web site administration plans, and launching public training programmes. A serious a part of this plan is to coach and certify native residents as guides.  

“It took us virtually two years of executing and planning to pitch the names of those forts. We are proposing a information certification programme for the native residents who’ve extra information of the world,” Mr. Dalavi mentioned. “The tourism division will announce this programme this yr itself. We are nonetheless deciding on the minimal training qualification,” he added.  

The initiative goals to contain folks residing close to the forts in tourism and heritage promotion, offering them with employment alternatives whereas additionally enhancing the customer expertise by way of regionally rooted information. These licensed guides might be geared up to clarify the historic, cultural, and strategic significance of every fort.  

In February 2025, a delegation led by Maharashtra Minister for Information Technology and Cultural Affairs Ashish Shelar was current at UNESCO Headquarters, Paris for a technical presentation.  

Vikas Kharge, Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister of Maharashtra and Additional Chief Secretary, Culture Department, Government of Maharashtra together with Hemant Dalavi, Deputy Director, Directorate of Archaeology and Musuems, Government of Maharashtra have been part of the delegation.   

Mr. Kharge, who performed a pivotal position in facilitating diplomatic engagements and coordinating worldwide conferences with member nations, led the delegation through the forty seventh session of the World Heritage Committee in Paris in July 2025. 

Dr. Tejas Garge, Director, Directorate of Archaeology and Museums, Government of Maharashtra, performed an important position within the preparation of the nomination file.  

District collectors from Nashik, Raigad, Pune, Satara, Kolhapur, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg from Maharashtra and Villupuram, Tamil Nadu, performed a big position within the administration of the forts underneath their jurisdiction, mentioned Mr. Dalavi and emphasised that many of those forts are already open to vacationers, however the UNESCO tag brings new accountability.  

The State now plans to improve customer services, enhance web site administration, and conduct additional excavation and public outreach actions, alongside the information coaching programme. “From the start we have now labored with a number of stakeholders such because the native residents, NGOs working in direction of conservation of the historic forts,” he added.  

The itemizing course of was a results of an elaborate and rigorous effort by the DoAM, in collaboration with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and DRONAH (Development and Research Organisation for Nature, Arts and Heritage), a Gurgaon-based heritage consultancy appointed by the State.  

Maharashtra has a posh community of over 390 forts which have been surveyed, studied, and analysed. These forts have been shortlisted right down to 60 major and secondary forts and additional by way of comparative evaluation of 29 major forts, the present 12 anchor forts have been shortlisted as finest consultant of the Maratha Defence Network. Additionally, 53 buffer forts—forts that have been managed by the Marathas however not included within the ultimate inscription— have been additionally documented and defined to UNESCO evaluators, Mr. Dalavi mentioned. “These buffer forts are unfold throughout Maharashtra and embody three within the buffer area of Gingee fort in Tamil Nadu. The forts within the buffer zone could also be thought-about for inclusion in future extensions of the inscription. For instance: buffer forts in Salher-Salota Fort, covers the first protection strains across the property with northern entrance of Baglan vary and Bhilai Fort on southern spur vary. Mulher being the capital to its East, there are seven such forts on this premises: Dhamnya Fort, Nhavigad Fort, Tambolya Fort, Mangi-Tungi Fort, Mulher-Moragad Fort, Hargad Fort and Bhilai Fort.” Mr. Dalavi defined.  

Similarly, in Shivneri Fort, the buffer covers the Shivneri cluster with forts that majorly advanced as a result of Nane Ghat commerce route with historic Junnar city; forming the community that surrounds the commerce route until Shivneri and there are 5 such forts there: Chavand Fort, Jivdhan Fort, Bhairavgad Fort, Nimgiri Fort and Hadsar Fort.  

In Lohagad Fort, there are 10 buffer forts, in Khanderi Fort there are 4, in Raigad and Rajgad Fort collectively have eight buffer forts, in Pratapgad Fort there are seven, in Suvarnadurg Fort there are three, Panhala-Pawangad Fort there’s one Vishalgad Fort, Vijaydurg Fort has two, Sindhudurg Fort has three and Gingee Fort has three.   

“The anchor forts have been chosen as a result of they’re main forts that performed an important position within the Maratha Empire’s historical past. The buffer forts are these shut by, which have been underneath the territory of the anchor forts,” Mr. Dalavi defined.    

The plan shifting ahead contains organising vacationer facilities, info centres, and conservation infrastructure, with numerous authorities departments concerned in implementation, together with native gram panchayats, municipal companies, the forest division, and MRSAC (Maharashtra Remote Sensing Applications Centre).  

The guided coaching programme, Mr. Dalavi mentioned, might be a key step in involving the native inhabitants within the heritage financial system and conservation. The guides won’t solely assist interpret the forts for guests but additionally function essential stakeholders in defending and preserving them.