1971, UNESCO 25th Anniversary

TYPE:
ANNIVERSARY
DATE OF ISSUE:
4 November 1971
ISSUED BY:
INdia post
NUMBER OF STAMPS PRINTED:
3 MILLION
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India, one of the founding members of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), issued a commemorative stamp on the organisation’s 25th anniversary. The stamp depicts a mural of the Gautam Buddha in the ancient Ajanta Caves complex, which were at the time undergoing a restoration project supported by UNESCO, in what would become India’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site.

UNESCO was founded to develop the “intellectual and moral solidarity of mankind” as a means of building lasting peace. The core purpose of UNESCO’s programme is to achieve education for all, which, in its broadest sense, and to preserve the cultural heritage of humanity.

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Ajanta Caves. Photo: Ministry of Tourism

The first Buddhist cave monuments at Ajanta date from the 2nd and 1st centuries BC. The paintings and sculptures of Ajanta, considered masterpieces of Buddhist religious art, have had a considerable artistic influence. The Ajanta Caves was one of the first preservation projects in India that UNESCO engaged with.

World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO based on the "Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage", adopted by the General Conference of UNESCO on 16 November 1972. To be added to the World Heritage List, a site must be judged to contain "cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity". World Heritage Sites are recognized as special protected zones that must be conserved for future generations.

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The Taj Mahal, 1973. Photo: UN Photo

UNESCO has recognized 38 world heritage sites in India, of which 30 are cultural sites, 7 natural sites and 1 mixed criteria sites. Among these sites are the Ajanta caves, the Taj Mahal, Jaipur (pink city), Western Ghats and Sundarban national park.