Let us ‘Vow’ to protect the ethnicity of our Heritages on this ‘World Heritage Day’

Though Goa is the smallest state in India, it has made a quite telling contribution on the historical front of the country. Goa has been known for its ports through the ages, which facilitated trading. The state’s ports became handy not only traders but also rulers like the Mauryas, the Shatavahanas, Bhojas, the Shilaharas, the Kadambas, the Bahmanis and the Portuguese. The ruling stints of these dynasties allowed them to create some monumental edifices on this piece of land, of which some still exist and some have been lost to the time.

In what can be said to be an honor for Goans, as the entire zone of Old Goa (The Churches and Convents of Old Goa) was inducted into UNESCO (The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) World Heritage Site, inscribed under the UNESCO norms, in 1986.

The Catholic faith in Goa was built on the pillars of St Francis Xavier who embraced the land of Goa in 1542 and in order to profess the Catholic faith the Portuguese built the churches. Goa was thus termed as the ‘Rome of the East’.

The inclusion of religious monuments in Goa in the World Heritage List are: the influence of the monuments in the dissemination of Western art forms – the Manueline styles, Mannerist and Baroque – throughout Asia where Catholic missions were established; the value of the set of monuments of Goa as an exceptional example that illustrates the work of evangelization and the specific value of presence in the Basilica of Bom Jesus of the tomb of St. Francis Xavier, which illustrates a major world event, the influence of the Catholic religion in Asia in the modern era.

Cultural Heritage plays a very important role in our life. It is what keeps us attached to our traditions and beliefs.So on this World Heritage Day let us pledge to improve the awareness of the cultural heritage and the ethics of its care so that the future generations can learn about it.

Pic Credit – Shivang Mishra I NT GOGOANOW.COM