Jaipur, the city of iconic architectural legacy and vibrant culture, made its entry into the UNESCO World Heritage Site list on June 30-July. It was decided on the 43rd Session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee (WHC) in the historic city of Baku, Azerbaijan.

The committee examined the enrolment of Jaipur that was supported by a lot of the countries for the involvement of Pink city as a heritage site on the list, a senior official said.
Along with Jaipur's inclusion, there is a total number of heritage sites in India has grown to 38. There are 30 cultural properties, and seven natural properties, and one mixed site. The first Indian city to get into the honorable list was Ahmedabad in 2017. It became the second city after Ahmedabad to get the recognition.

Before the World Heritage Committee, India's Ministry of Culture said in a statement, India had proposed to designate Jaipur as "an extraordinary urban example in indigenous city planning and construction in South Asia." "Besides exemplary planning, its iconic monuments such as the Govind Dev Ji Temple, Jantar Mantar, City Palace, and Hawa Mahal excel in artistic and architectural craftsmanship of the period."

 Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said the recognition would boost tourism and benefit the local economy. "It is a matter of great pride that our Pink City, Jaipur has been declared as a world heritage site by UNESCO. It will add to the glory of the capital city of Rajasthan," Gehlot tweeted.

The Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi greats over the recognition, "Jaipur is a city allied with culture and grit. Elegant and energetic, Jaipur's hospitality draws the attention of people from all over the world. Glad that Pink city has been inscribed as a World Heritage Site by @UNESCO," Modi tweeted.

The director of UNESCO India Office, Eric Falt, said the tag "celebrates yet another of India's outstanding heritage sites, only one year after the successful nomination of the Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensemble of Mumbai in 2018".
"I would like to wholeheartedly congratulate the government of India, the state of Rajasthan, and the city of Jaipur on this successful nomination," Falt said.

"The city's urban planning shows an exchange of ideas from ancient Hindu and modern Mughal as well as Western cultures. The grid plan is a model that prevails in the West, while the organization of the different districts refers to traditional Hindu concepts," the statement said

"Designed to be a commercial capital, the city has maintained its local commercial, artisanal, and cooperative traditions to this day," it added.
The countries that supported India's nomination are Brazil, Bahrain, Cuba, Indonesia, Azerbaijan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Zimbabwe, China, Guatemala, Uganda, Tunisia, Burkina Faso, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Angola, St Kitts, and Nevis. Australia and Norway initially proposed a referral, but, after the debate, they agreed for the inclusion of Jaipur, the Ministry of Culture said.

UNESCO wants to encourage the protection, identification, and to properly take care of cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be the high value to humanity. It is embodied in an international treaty called the Convention on the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage adopted by UNESCO in 1972.