Lakkundi temples set to be finalised for UNESCO tentative listing as World Heritage Sites: Report
Mysuru: The ancient group of monuments at Lakkundi and surrounding regions, dating from the 10th to 12th centuries CE and built during the Kalyana Chalukya (Western Chalukya) era, are being finalised for inclusion in UNESCO’s tentative list of World Heritage Sites.
The State, having expressed its commitment to advancing the proposal, has partnered with the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), which is currently refining the proposal, as reported by The Hindu.
Some of the key sites under consideration include the Kasi Visvesvara temple, Manikesvara temple, Nanneswara temple, Brahma Jinalaya, and Musukina Bavi in Lakkundi, along with notable structures like the Mahadeva temple at Itagi, Sri Mallikarjuna temple at Kuruvatti, and the the Someshwara temple at Lakshmeshwara in Gadag.
The monuments listed under “Architectural Ensembles of Kalyana Chalukyas” fulfil two of the six criteria that should be met for inclusion in the UNESCO tentative and final list.
One of the criteria, as cited by The Hindu, states that the monuments should exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, two planning, or design.
The other criterion that the monuments must meet is that they should represent an excellent example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble, or landscape that portrays a key stage or stages in human history; and the Kalyana Chalukya group of monuments meets both criteria.
The list may be revised after further consultations with experts and stakeholders. Once accepted, and on completion of one year under the tentative list, the State will be eligible to prepare a detailed nomination dossier for full World Heritage inscription.
The other heritage sites already under the tentative list include monuments and forts of the Deccan Sultanate, monuments of Srirangapatana island town, Hire Benkal megalithic site, and Badami and Aihole group of monuments.
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Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
