Aapravasi Ghat – UNESCO World Heriatge Site – Mauritius
In July 2006, the Aapravasi Ghat was inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage Site List. Aapravasi Ghat is now one of the 830 sites on the World Heritage List
The term "Aapravasi Ghat" was given in Mauritius to the Immigration Depot. "Aapravasi" means "immigrant" while the term Ghat signifies the place where water meets the land. In Mauritius. Aapravasi Ghat refers to the place where indentured labourers disembarked and were processed before being sent to work on the island's sugar estates.
AAPRAVASI GHAT IS A UNESCO WORLD HERIATGE SITE IN MAURITIUS.
The Aapravasi Ghat is the most important surviving manifestation of the indentured labour system that existed in the colonial world during the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Aapravasi Ghat represents the beginning of “the great experiment” initiated by the British Government in the use of indentured labour after the abolition of slavery. Mauritius was the first colony to receive indentured labourers under this scheme. It was at the Aapravasi Ghat, the then Immigration Depot, that most of these indentured immigrants landed and completed all official requirements. The success of this "Experiment" in Mauritius encouraged other European colonies around the world to adopt the system.