RAS question
In the UNESCO inscription of 2013, the six hill forts of Rajasthan were recognized under which specific criterion (criteria) of the World Heritage Convention?
Correct answer: (A) Criteria (ii) and (iii).
UNESCO inscribed the Hill Forts of Rajasthan under World Heritage criteria (ii) and (iii), for interchange in Rajput fort planning, art and architecture and exceptional testimony to Rajput cultural traditions.
Explanation
The inscription rests on two connected ideas. Under criterion (ii), UNESCO treats the forts as evidence of an important interchange of Princely Rajput ideologies in fort planning, art and architecture across Rajasthan's varied physiographic and cultural zones. The source also notes that Rajput architecture drew from antecedents and neighbours and influenced later regional styles. Under criterion (iii), the six massive hill forts are read as architectural manifestations of Rajput valour, bravery, feudalism and cultural traditions. Their fortifications protected not only defensive garrisons but also palaces, temples and urban centres, making them exceptional testimony to Rajput clans' cultural traditions and patronage of religion, arts and literature.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) UNESCO justifies the inscription under criteria (ii) and (iii) only; criterion (vi) is not part of the stated basis for this property.
- (C) UNESCO does not cite criteria (i) or (iv) for the Hill Forts of Rajasthan; its stated reasoning is architectural interchange and Rajput cultural testimony.
- (D) This option drops criterion (ii), the interchange of Rajput fort-planning, art and architecture, and adds unsupported criterion (vi).
Concept
This tests the World Heritage criteria used in Rajasthan art-and-culture questions, not just the monument name. It recurs in RAS because UNESCO inscriptions are often asked through exact criteria and the historical meaning attached to them.