Shillong, Jan 29 (PTI): India has formally submitted the nomination dossier of Meghalaya’s iconic living root bridges to UNESCO in Paris for consideration for inclusion in the World Heritage list for 2026–27, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said on Thursday.
The nomination dossier was handed over by India’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to UNESCO, Vishal V Sharma, to Lazare Assomo Eloundou, Director of UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre, according to an official statement.
Expressing optimism over the nomination, Sangma said the recognition would honour the indigenous communities that have preserved this unique heritage for generations. “We are hopeful that the living root bridges will be inscribed this year, ensuring that the indigenous communities, the true guardians of this living heritage, receive the global recognition they so richly deserve,” the chief minister said in a post on X.
While submitting the dossier, Sharma thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and the Meghalaya government for their support to the nomination process. He also acknowledged the contributions of Meghalaya Principal Secretary Frederick Kharkongor, officials of the Archaeological Survey of India, the Ministry of External Affairs, subject experts and local communities in safeguarding the property and preparing the detailed submission, the Permanent Delegation of India to UNESCO said.
Situated along the southern slopes of the Khasi and Jaintia Hills in Meghalaya, the living root bridges form a remarkable living cultural landscape that has evolved over centuries through the ingenuity of the indigenous Khasi and Jaintia communities. The nomination highlights how these communities have shaped the landscape through sustainable practices that reflect a deep and enduring relationship between people, nature and spirituality.
The cultural landscape is rooted in traditional systems of land use, community governance and ecological stewardship, guided by indigenous values of respect, reciprocity and responsibility towards Mei Ramew, or Mother Earth, the statement said.
The submission of the nomination, it added, underlines India’s commitment to recognising and preserving living cultural traditions and indigenous knowledge systems, while contributing to global heritage conservation efforts under UNESCO.
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