As India Assumes G20 Presidency, 100 Iconic Monuments To Be Illuminated From December 1-7

In commemoration of India taking up the G20 Presidency for a year on December 1, hundreds of centrally protected sites will be illuminated for a week.

President of Indonesia Joko Widodo symbolically hands over the G20 Presidency to Prime Minister Narendra Modi at G20 summit (File Photo)

Source : PTI

Hundreds of centrally protected monuments across the country, including United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) world heritage sites, will be lit up for a week and feature the G20 logo beginning December 1, when India takes over the influential group's presidency, news agency PTI reported on Wednesday citing some official sources.

These 100 sites include 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.

On December 1, India will take over the G20 Presidency for a year. In India, almost 200 meetings would be hosted in 55 different places.

Officials had stated that the first G20 meeting will take place in the first week of December in Udaipur, during the G20 Sherpa summit.

A senior official stated on Wednesday that 100 ASI sites, including those designated by UNESCO, will be illuminated for a week.

All illuminated heritage structures shall "highlight the G-20 logo over the monument," he said, PTI reported.

"The size of the logo projected on the monuments will depend on the nature and design of the site," the official said.

"The logo will be projected on a unipole located near the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, and Fathepur Sikri – all three UNESCO World Heritage Sites," he 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).

"The G20 Presidency shall be held by India from December 1 onwards for a one-year term, with high-level dignitaries and delegates visiting various centrally-protected monuments. It has been decided by the Government of India to use this opportunity to highlight our monuments as part of the G20 brand and publicity plan at ASI-protected monuments and sites, with special focus on sites on the UNESCO World Heritage list," reads a memorandum issued recently by the 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 among the other sites that will be illuminated.

(With Inputs From PTI)