New Delhi, July 12 -- India achieved a key cultural and diplomatic victory on Friday as twelve historic Maratha forts were inscribed on the Unesco World Heritage List, overcoming strong opposition from the advisory body that had recommended deferring the nomination.

The "Maratha Military Landscapes of India" became the country's 44th World Heritage Site following intense debate at the World Heritage Committee session in Paris, where more than a dozen member states rallied behind India's bid, rejecting advice from ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites).

The inscription recognises a strategic defence network developed between the 17th and 19th centuries across present-day Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. The inscribed forts-Salh...