39 UNESCO Protected World Heritage Sites in India and their Locations:

What is UNESCO World Heritage Site?

UNESCO World Heritage Sites are special places (such as forest areas, mountains, lakes, deserts, monuments, buildings, or cities, etc.) that are selected by the World Heritage Site Committee; And this committee oversees these sites under the auspices of UNESCO.

The purpose of this program is to select and preserve such places of the world which are important for humanity from the point of view of world culture. Under certain circumstances, financial assistance is also given to such places by this committee.

Important facts related to World Heritage or World Heritage Sites:

  • World Heritage Sites or World Heritage Sites are some special places present in the world which are protected by the international organization UNESCO.
  • These places present in the world are valuable, ancient and rare which are important for the world culture. These places can be forest area, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building or city.
  • These places are selected by the World Heritage Committee under the auspices of UNESCO.
  • World Heritage Day is celebrated by UNESCO on 18th April every year for the awareness of people towards these places.
  • As of July 2019, 1,121 places from 167 countries have been included in the list of World Heritage Sites, including 869 cultural, 213 natural and 39 mixed buildings.
  • China has the largest number of sites listed in the list of World Heritage Sites by UNESCO (55), followed by Italy (55), Spain (48), France (44), Germany (46), India (38), Mexico (35). ), the United Kingdom (32) and 31 places from the British Overseas Territories are included in this list.
  • According to the Union Ministry of Culture, the total number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India is 39, including 31 cultural, 7 natural and 1 mixed site.
  • The Kakatiya Rudreswara Temple (also known as Ramappa Temple) at Palampet in Mulugu district, near Warangal in Telangana, during the 44th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee UNESCO World Heritage Site Inscribed on the heritage list.
  • Jaipur, the capital of the Indian state of Rajasthan, is the largest city in the 43rd session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee held in the year 2019. Which is also known as the Pink City. It has been included in the list of World Heritage Sites.
  • The sites to be included in the year 2018 are - 'The Victorian and Art Deco Ensemble of Mumbai' and 'Art Deco' buildings of Mumbai were included in the list of World Heritage Sites.
  • The sites to be included in the year 2016 are the Capitol Complex of Chandigarh, Kanchenjunga Park and the archaeological site of Nalanda University.
  • Ajanta and Ellora caves and Agra fort were first included in the list of World Heritage by UNESCO in the year 1983 from India.

List of World Heritage Sites of India declared by UNESCO:

Names of Places State Names year
Taj Mahal Uttar Pradesh 1983
Agra Fort Uttar Pradesh 1983
Ajanta Caves Maharashtra 1983
Ellora Caves Maharashtra 1983
Sun Temple at Konark Odisha 1984
Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram Tamil Nadu 1984
Kaziranga National Park Assam 1985
Manas Wildlife Sanctuary Assam 1985
Keola Dev National Park Rajasthan 1985
Churches and Monasteries of Old Goa Goa 1986
Fatehpur Sikri Uttar Pradesh 1986
Hampi Group of Monuments Karnataka 1986
Khajuraho Temples Madhya Pradesh 1986
Elephanta Caves Maharashtra 1987
Pattadakal Group of Monuments Karnataka 1987
Sunderbans National Park West Bengal 1987
Brihadisvara Temple Tamil Nadu 1987
Nanda Devi National Park Uttarakhand 1988
Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi Madhya Pradesh 1989
Humayun's Tomb Delhi 1993
Darjeeling Himalayan Railway West Bengal 1999
Mahabodhi Temple Bihar 2002
Bhimbetka Caves Madhya Pradesh 2003
Gangai Koda Cholapuram Temple Tamil Nadu 2004
Airavatesvara Temple Tamil Nadu 2004
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus Maharashtra 2004
Nilgiri Mountain Railway Tamil Nadu 2005
Valley of Flowers National Park Uttarakhand 2005
Red Fort Delhi 2007
Kalka Shimla Railway Himachal Pradesh 2008
Simlipal Sanctuary Odisha 2009
Nokrek Sanctuary Meghalaya 2009
Bhitarkanika Garden Odisha 2010
Jantar Mantar of Jaipur Rajasthan 2010
Western Ghats KarnatakaKerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu 2012
Amer Fort Rajasthan 2013
Ranthambore Fort Rajasthan 2013
Kumbhalgarh Fort Rajasthan 2013
Sonar Fort Rajasthan 2013
Chittorgarh Fort Rajasthan 2013
Gagron Fort Rajasthan 2013
Rani ka Vav Gujarat 2014
Great Himalaya National Park Himachal Pradesh 2014
Capital Complex of Chandigarh Chandigarh, Punjab 2016
Kanchenjunga Park Sikkim 2016
Archaeological site of Nalanda University Bihar 2016
Victorian Gothic Mumbai, Maharashtra 2018
Art Deco Mumbai, Maharashtra 2018
Jaipur Jaipur, Rajasthan 2019
Kakatiya Rudreshwar Temple  Mulugu, Warangal, Telangana 2020
Rampappa Temple Telangana 2021
Dholavira Gujarat 2021

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Ajanta was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in the year 1983. The Ajanta Caves are about 29 rock-cut Buddhist monument caves located in Maharashtra, India, dating back to the 2nd century BC. Excellent samples of depiction and craftsmanship related to Buddhism are found here.

In the year 2003, UNESCO declared the Bhimbetka Rock Shelters Caves as a World Heritage Site. Bhimbetka (भिमबेथका) is a Palaeolithic residential site located in Raisen district of Madhya Pradesh state, India. It is famous for rock paintings and rock shelters made by early humans.

On July 1, 2012, the Western Ghats of India was included in the World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The mountain range situated on the west coast of India is called Western Ghats or Sahyadri. Along the western edge of the Deccan plateau, this mountain range is 1600 km long from north to south.

Ramappa Temple, Telangana. Out of these 39 UNESCO heritage sites in India, this list includes 31 cultural sites, 7 natural sites and 1 mixed site.2

There is no identified cultural site recognized by UNESCO as a 'World Heritage Site' in South America.

  Last update :  Tue 18 Apr 2023
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