Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking the initiative to ensure that the 600-year-old mound-burial system of the Ahom dynasty - 'Moidams' - is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Sarma also thanked Union Culture Minister Gajendra Shekhawat who called to give him the news while the chief minister was addressing a press conference here.
The unique burial mounds, represented by pyramid-like structures known as "Moidams", were used by the Tai-Ahom dynasty that ruled Assam for around 600 years between 1228 and 1826.
''It is great news for Assam as the Charaideo Moidam is now officially a UNESCO Heritage site... Assam will always remain indebted to the Centre for this honour. This inclusion is a great honour for the country and not for Assam alone,'' Sarma told a press conference.
The 'Moidams' is the first cultural property from the Northeast to get the coveted tag.
The state government had submitted a dossier to the Prime Minister in 2023 and he selected it among a list of monuments for submission as India's nomination for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List for the year 2023-24.
''The Prime Minister's initiative to recommend the Moidams was the game-changer as only one entry can be made from a country during the year,'' he said.
The decision to include 'Moidams' was taken during the ongoing 46th session of the World Heritage Committee (WHC) being held in India
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