UNESCO, on Tuesday, added Dholavira, a Harappan-era city in Kutch, to the World Heritage List.
The news was shared on social media by UNESCO.
Dholavira becomes the fourth place in Gujarat to figure in the World Heritage List. Earlier, UNESCO had included Rani Ki Vav of Patan, Champaner, and Ahmadabad City to the World Heritage List.
Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani took to social media and said it is a matter of immense pride that the @UNESCO has conferred the World Heritage tag to Dholavira, a Harappan-era city in Kutch.
He further said this shows the firm commitment of Prime Minister Narendra Modi towards promoting Indian culture and heritage.
Rupani pointed out that it was Modi's initiative to have Rann Festival in Kutch, which has attracted tourists to Dholavira as well.
Modi took to Twitter to say that he is absolutely delighted by this news.
The prime minister said that Dholavira was an important urban centre and is one of India's most important linkages with its past. Sharing photographs of the cite, Modi said it is a must-visit for people, especially those interested in history.
Since the last few years, Gujarat has started promoting tourism in a big way and it has had actor Amitabh Bachchan as its brand ambassador. One of the famous tag lines of an advertisement campaign by him said, “Kutch nahi dekha toh kuch nahi dekha” (If you haven’t seen Kutch, you haven’t seen anything).
Dholavira is over 210km away from Bhuj, the district capital of Kutch. Bhuj is well connected by road, rail and air traffic.