Hundreds of centrally protected monuments, including UNESCO world heritage sites, were lit up across the country on Thursday as India assumed the G20 presidency, officials said.
According to the Archaeological Survey of India, these 100 ASI sites will be illuminated from December 1-7, and all illuminated heritage structures will “highlight the G-20 logo over the monument.”
“Illumination of monuments have been done to mark India assuming the presidency of G20 today. All 100 sites have been lit up today,” said a senior ASI official on Thursday.
The list includes Humayun’s Tomb and Purana Quila in Delhi, Modhera Sun Temple in Gujarat, Konark Sun Temple in Odisha, and Sher Shah Suri’s Tomb in Bihar, ASI stated on Wednesday.
On December 1, India took over the G20 presidency for a year. In India, over 200 meetings will be held in 55 different locations.
Officials previously stated that the first G20 meeting will take place in the first week of December in Udaipur, during the G20 Sherpa meeting.
As India began its G-20 presidency on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that the country will work to further promote oneness, inspired by the theme of “One Earth, One Family, One Future,” and named terror, climate change, and pandemic as the greatest challenges that can best be fought together.
The ASI also tweeted images of some of these sites with the G20 logo on Thursday.
“As India assumes G20 Presidency, 100 centrally-protected monuments, including UNESCO world heritage sites spread across the country are lit up for a week bearing the G20 logo. Some Glimpses. Red Fort, Delhi Royal Palace, Mandu, MP Butter Ball, Mahabalipuram, TN Sanchi Stupa, MP,” It tweeted.
It also shared images of other ASI monuments lit up for the occasion, bearing the G20 logo, such as Nalanda university ruins in Bihar, Thanjavur Big Temple in Tamil Nadu, Metcalfe Hall in Kolkata, West Bengal, and the Old High Court Building in Nagpur, Maharashtra, in a series of tweets.
The G20 logo has been projected on the central dome of the Safdarjung Tomb in Delhi, among other locations.
A senior official stated on Wednesday, “The size of the logo projected on the monuments will depend on the nature and design of the site”.
“At Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Fathepur Sikri — all three UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the logo will be projected on a unipole installed near the sites,” he had added.
In total, 40 cultural and natural sites in India have been designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, with the majority of the cultural sites falling under the jurisdiction of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
Metcalfe Hall and Currency Building in Kolkata, Nalanda university ruins and ancient structures and other monuments at Rajgir in Bihar, Basilica of Bom Jesus and Church of Lady of Rosary in Goa, Tipu Sultan’s Palace and the Gol Gumbaz in Karnataka, and Sanchi Buddhist monuments and Gwalior Fort in Madhya Pradesh are also on the list of 100 shortlisted monuments.