UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India – Complete List

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India – Complete List

What is UNESCO?

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN). UNESCO has 195 member states and nine associate members. Most of its field offices are “cluster” offices covering three or more countries; national and regional offices also exist.

UNESCO’s AIM

UNESCO’s aim is “to contribute to the building of peace, the eradication of poverty, sustainable development and intercultural dialogue through education, the sciences, culture, communication and information“.

A World Heritage Site is a landmark which has been officially recognized by the United Nations, specifically by the UNESCO. Sites are selected on the basis of having cultural, historical, scientific or some other form of significance, and they are legally protected by international treaties.

1. NATURAL WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN INDIA

SNo.	Natural World Heritage Site	State	Year of Notification	Area (In Km2)
1	Kaziranga National Park	Assam	1985	429.96
2	Keoladeo Ghana National Park	Rajasthan	1985	28.73
3	Manas Wildlife Sanctuary	Assam	1985	391.00
4	Nanda Devi National Park and Valley of Flowers	Uttarakhand	1982 2005	630.00 87.50
5	Sunderbans National Park	West Bengal	1984	1,330.10
6	Western Ghats	Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala	2012	1,60,000.00
7	Great Himalayan National Park	Himachal Pradesh	2014	905.4

2. CULTURAL WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN INDIA

S No.	Name of Cultural World Heritage Site	State	Year of Notification
1	Agra Fort	Uttar Pradesh	1983
2	Ajanta Caves	Maharashtra	1983
3	Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi	Madhya Pradesh	1989
4	Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park	Gujarat	2004
5	Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (Formerly Victoria Terminus)	Maharashtra	2004
6	Churches and Convents of Goa	Goa	1986
7	Elephanta Caves	Maharashtra	1987
8	Ellora Caves	Maharashtra	1983
9	Fatehpur Sikri	Uttar Pradesh	1986
10	Great Living Chola Temples	Tamil Nadu	1987
11	Group of Monuments at Hampi	Karnataka	1986
12	Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram	Tamil Nadu	1984
13	Group of Monuments at Pattadakal	Karnataka	1987
14	Hill Forts of Rajasthan	Rajasthan (Chittorgarh, Kumbhalgarh, Ranthambhore, Amber Sub-Cluster, Jaisalmer, Gagron)	2013
15	Humayun’s Tomb, Delhi	Delhi	1993
16	Khajuraho Group of Monuments	Madhya Pradesh	1986
17	Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya	Bihar	2002
18	Mountain Railways of India	Tamil Nadu	1999
19	Qutb Minar and its Monuments, Delhi	Delhi	1993
20	Rani-Ki-Van (the Queen’s Stepwell) at Patan, Gujarat	Gujarat	2014
21	Red Fort Complex	Delhi	2007
22	Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka	Madhya Pradesh	2003
23	Sun Temple, Konarak	Orissa	1984
24	Taj Mahal	Uttar Pradesh	1983
25	The Jantar Mantar, Jaipur	Rajasthan	2010

26	Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara (Nalanda University) at Nalanda	Bihar	2016
27	The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier, an Outstanding Contribution to the Modern Movement	Chandigarh	2016

3. MIXED WORD HERITAGE SITES IN INDIA 

S No.	Name of Mixed World Heritage Site	State	Year of Notification
1	Khangchendzonga National Park	Sikkim	2016

Source – UNESCO World Heritage Convention

Did You Know?

UNESCO pursues its objectives through five major programs. They are

• Education
• Natural sciences
• Social/human sciences
• Culture
• Communication/information

Headquarters : Place de Fontenoy, Paris, France

Three new sites – “Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara (Nalanda University)” at Nalanda, Bihar, “Capitol Building Complex – The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier” in Chandigarh and “Khangchendzonga National Park, Sikkim” have been added to the list in July, 2016.

Apart from the 35 sites inscribed on the World Heritage list, India has also maintained a list of tentative sites for recognition which has been submitted to UNESCO Committee for evaluation and acceptance.