Government of India nominated 2 sites namely Dholavira: A Harappan City and Monuments and Forts of Deccan Sultanate to be included in the World Heritage Sites List for the year 2020. Dholavira: Dholavira is an archaeological site that is located on Tropic of Cancer in Kutch Desert Wildlife Sanctuary, Gujarat. Dholavira is older than Lothal. It consists of the remains of ancient Indus Valley Civilization. Dholavira is known for its water conservation system. It is a saline wetland. Dholavira’s water conservation system had massive water storage reservoirs. The land has a depth of 0.5 m to 1.5 m. In the months of October and November, it dries up and turns into a saline desert. It is also home to a variety of water birds and mammals. Forts of Deccan Sultanate: Another nominated site is Forts of Deccan Sultanate. The Deccan Sultanates which had 5 major kingdoms. They ruled between Vindhya Range and Krishna river in the Deccan Plateau. The architecture of the sultanates was influenced by the Mughals. It was of the Indo-Islamic feature. The 4 major places that are addressed as Deccan Sultanate Monuments and Forts are Bidar Fort, Bijapur Monuments, Golconda Fort and Gulbarga fort. 1. Bidar Fort 2. Bijapur Monuments has the second largest dome in the world that was constructed before the modern age. 3. Golconda Fort is famous for water management. 4. Gulbarga Fort is the initial capital of the Bahamani Sultanate.
