Maharashtra Cultural Affairs Minister Ashish Shelar will leave for France on Tuesday evening to receive the Unesco World Heritage certificate awarded to 12 forts by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, officials said.
After an extensive process lasting almost a year and a half, UNESCO, in its 47th session held on July 11, 2025, inscribed 12 forts from the time of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the World Heritage List under the title Maratha Military Landscapes of India. These forts are at Raigad, Rajgad, Pratapgad, Panhala, Shivneri, Lohagad, Salher, Sindhudurg, Suvarnadurg, Vijaydurg, Khanderi and Gingee in Tamilnadu.
“The network of forts devised and established by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj to safeguard Hindavi Swarajya against foreign invasions, ensure secure governance and promote public welfare stands as an exemplary model of military strategy and statecraft in Indian history,” Shelar said in a press release.
Shelar will lead an official government delegation during the visit from February 11 to 16. He will also pay homage to the half-bust statue of Dr BR Ambedkar installed at the UNESCO headquarters by the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Maharashtra.
Shelar stated that this tribute to Dr. Ambedkar in Paris is a step that powerfully reiterates the values of Indian democracy on the international platform.
During the visit, Shelar will also hold separate meetings with the director general of UNESCO, experts in the field and India’s permanent representative to the UN agency, Vishal Sharma. He expressed confidence that this visit would further strengthen the Government’s ongoing efforts to secure World Heritage recognition for Konkan rock art, sea forts of Maharashtra and intangible cultural heritage traditions such as Pandharpur Wari, Ganeshotsav and Dahi Handi.
Additionally, the delegation will study renowned museums in Paris, focusing on their management practices, exhibition design and use of digital technologies to further enrich the development of the proposed Maharashtra Museum, which is currently being established in Bandra. Bombay.
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In February 2025, a four-member delegation from the Maharashtra government led by Shelar visited Paris to present a comprehensive technical and strategic case to UNESCO.
The Government unveiled a half-bust statue of Dr Ambedkar at the UNESCO headquarters to commemorate 75 years of the Constitution of India. It was installed in Paris on November 26, 2025, on the occasion of Constitution Day.
Dr Ambedkar’s enduring ideals of social justice, equality, fraternity and empowerment through education resonate deeply with UNESCO’s core mission, the statement said, adding that the official visit is expected to further strengthen the cultural heritage of Maharashtra, enhance its tourism potential and reinforce the state’s global standing.