Tawang monastery. Picture by Eastern Projections

New Delhi, March 12: Nestled in the lap of the lofty Eastern Himalayas, the magnificent Tawang monastery in Arunachal Pradesh is aspiring to higher glory.

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is almost certain to include the monastery in its annual recommendations for Unesco?s coveted World Heritage Site tag.

The satras (Vaishnavite monasteries) of Assam are also in line for a combined nomination this year.

Dotted by satras, the river isle of Majuli was recommended for World Heritage Site status last year.

A senior ASI official said all state units of the organisation had been asked to send a list of prospective nominees by March 31. ?There may be several contenders from each state but that does not necessarily mean they will all be in the final list. All recommendations will be screened by a committee of experts to draw up the final list, which will be sent to Unesco.?

The official said Tawang monastery, Asia?s second oldest, had a ?high possibility? of making the cut.

Unesco includes two categories of sites ? natural and cultural ? in its list of World Heritage Sites. From the Northeast, only the Manas and Kaziranga national parks have so far made it to the exclusive club of 26 World Heritage Sites in the country.

Several formalities have to be completed before Unesco?s World Heritage Centre in Paris considers a site for the tag. To begin with, each country is required to submit in advance a ?tentative list? of sites to the UN agency. Only two sites in each country are finally referred to the committee of experts, which has representatives of 21 nations.

Before this crucial stage of selection, governments have to submit dossiers explaining the uniqueness of the sites recommended and why they deserve World Heritage Site status. Designated organisations peruse these dossiers and get back to Unesco.

In Majuli?s case, the International Commission of Monuments and Sites was given the task of assessing the island?s claim to World Heritage Site status. A Sri Lankan member of the commission visited the island late last year.

The principal prerequisite for a site to be nominated is the existence of a legal and administrative mechanism for its protection and preservation. The ASI has advised the Assam government to introduce a bill to ensure that such a mechanism is in place for Majuli before the decisive Unesco conference gets under way in Lithuania in July.