World Heritage Sites, Intangible Cultural Heritage, and the Creative Cities Network — India's complete UNESCO tally, updated through the 2025 inscriptions.
📊 Fig. 1 — From treaty to inscription: how the World Heritage List is built.
India: 44 World Heritage Sites total. Worldwide: 1,248 sites across 170 countries (as of the 2025 session). 📊 Fig. 2 — India's 44 World Heritage properties, by category.
India's tally reached 44 properties in 2025, comprising 36 cultural, 7 natural, and 1 mixed site — the table below lists the 36 cultural-category inscriptions chronologically, India's single largest and most exam-relevant group.
| Site (period) | Yr | State | Key facts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agra Fort (16th cent.) | 1983 | Uttar Pradesh | Red-sandstone fort remodelled chiefly under Akbar; a leading example of Indo-Islamic military architecture. |
| Ajanta Caves (c. 200 BC–650 AD) | 1983 | Maharashtra | 29 rock-cut Buddhist caves (25 viharas/monastic halls, 4 chaityas/prayer halls) on the Waghora river in the Sahyadri range, patronised chiefly under the Vakataka king Harisena; described by the Chinese pilgrims Faxian and Xuanzang. |
| Ellora Caves (5th–11th cent.) | 1983 | Maharashtra | Over 100 rock-cut caves (34 open to visitors) on the same range, 100 km from Ajanta: 17 Hindu, 12 Buddhist, 5 Jain. Cave 16, the monolithic Kailasha temple, was carved under Rashtrakuta king Krishna I and depicts Ravana shaking Mount Kailasha. |
| Taj Mahal (17th cent.) | 1983 | Uttar Pradesh | Built by Shah Jahan on the Yamuna as Mumtaz Mahal's mausoleum; chronicler Abdul Hamid Lahori's Padshahnama calls it the Rauza-i-Munawwara ("Illumined Tomb"); declared a centrally protected monument of national importance in 1920. |
| Sun Temple, Konark — 'Black Pagoda' (1238–64 AD) | 1984 | Odisha | Built by Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga dynasty in Kalinga style, shaped as a colossal stone chariot with 12 wheels on each side; the Chandrabhaga Mela draws pilgrims each February. |
| Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram (7th–8th cent.) | 1984 | Tamil Nadu | Pallava-era rock-cut and structural monuments — the Pancha Rathas, the Shore Temple, mandapas, and the giant open-air relief 'Arjuna's Penance / Descent of the Ganges.' |
| Churches and Convents of Goa | 1986 | Goa | Includes the Basilica of Bom Jesus (holding the tomb of St. Francis Xavier), the Church and Convent of St. Francis of Assisi, the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary, and the Chapel of St. Cajetan; named one of the 'Seven Wonders of Portuguese Origin' in 2009. |
| Khajuraho Group of Monuments (9th–11th cent.) | 1986 | Madhya Pradesh | Hindu and Jain temples in Nagara style, built chiefly under Chandela king Dhanga; principal Hindu shrines include the Kandariya Mahadeva, Vishvanatha (panchayatana plan), Lakshmana and Chausath Yogini temples, alongside Jain temples to Parshvanatha, Adinatha and Shantinatha. A smaller Rajasthani temple, Bhand Deva, is nicknamed 'Little Khajuraho.' |
| Fatehpur Sikri — 'City of Victory' (16th cent.) | 1986 | Uttar Pradesh (Agra) | Built by Akbar in honour of Sufi saint Shaikh Salim Chishti; served briefly as the Mughal capital. |
| Group of Monuments at Hampi (14th–16th cent.) | 1986 | Karnataka | Vijayanagara-empire capital on the Tungabhadra river, UNESCO-described as an 'austere, grand' site; highlights include the Virupaksha temple and its annual chariot festival, the stone chariot of the Vitthala complex, the musical pillars of the Hazara Rama temple, the Lotus Mahal, and Lakshmi-Narasimha sculpture — Krishnadevaraya's reign is credited with pioneering stone gopurams here. |
| Elephanta Caves | 1987 | Maharashtra (Mumbai) | Seven rock-cut caves devoted to Shaivism and Shaktism, centred on a roughly 20-foot Trimurti/Sadashiva sculpture of Shiva. |
| Group of Monuments at Pattadakal (7th–8th cent.) | 1987 | Karnataka | Nine Hindu temples and one Jain temple under the Chalukyas, in the transitional Vesara style; the Virupaksha temple (c. 740 AD) was commissioned by Queen Lokamahadevi to commemorate her husband Vikramaditya II's victory over the Pallavas. |
| Great Living Chola Temples (11th–12th cent.) | 1987 | Tamil Nadu | Three Chola-era temples: the Brihadisvara Temple at Thanjavur (Raja Raja Chola I, 11th cent.), the Brihadisvara Temple at Gangaikondacholapuram (Rajendra Chola I, 1035 AD), and the Airavatesvara Temple (named for a white elephant), noted for its Rajagambhira mandapa. |
| Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi (3rd cent. BC–12th cent. AD) | 1989 | Madhya Pradesh | The oldest surviving Buddhist sanctuary, spanning the Mauryan through Gupta periods and beyond; monolithic Ashokan pillars, the Great Stupa, and torana gateways carved with yakshi/yaksha figures rather than Buddha images, plus Sunga-period additions and Satavahana-era inscriptions. |
| Humayun's Tomb (1572) | 1993 | Delhi | India's first grand garden (charbagh-style) tomb, commissioned by Humayun's widow Bega Begum, and the first major structure to use red sandstone so extensively — a direct architectural forerunner of the Taj Mahal. |
| Qutb Minar and its Monuments (13th cent.) | 1993 | Delhi | A red-sandstone minaret named for Sufi saint Khwaja Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki, begun by Qutbuddin Aibak and completed under Iltutmish and Firoz Shah Tughlaq; the complex also includes the Alai Darwaza (Alauddin Khilji), the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque (built over earlier Hindu and Jain temples), and the corrosion-resistant Iron Pillar. |
| Mountain Railways of India (1881–1908) | 1999* | West Bengal / Tamil Nadu / Himachal Pradesh | A serial listing covering three narrow-gauge lines: the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (inscribed 1999, linking Siliguri and Darjeeling), the Nilgiri Mountain Railway (added 2005, Mettupalayam–Udhagamandalam, 46 km, steam-hauled), and the Kalka–Shimla Railway (added 2008, 96.6 km, single track). |
| Mahabodhi Temple Complex (3rd cent. BC) | 2002 | Bihar | One of the four sacred sites of the Buddha's life, marking his enlightenment; built by Ashoka around the Bodhi Tree and the Vajrasana ('Diamond Throne'). |
| Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka | 2003 | Madhya Pradesh | Prehistoric rock art in the foothills of the Vindhyas, with paintings from the Upper Palaeolithic through Mesolithic periods depicting daily life, hunting, and social scenes. |
| Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus) | 2004 | Maharashtra (Mumbai) | Designed by F. W. Stevens in a late-medieval Victorian Gothic Revival style blended with Italian and Indian architectural motifs. |
| Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park (15th–16th cent.) | 2004 | Gujarat | Documents the transition between Hindu and Islamic building traditions; features early urban planning and rainwater-harvesting works around Champaner and Pavagadh Hill, including the Kalikamata temple at the hilltop. |
| Red Fort Complex (1638) | 2007 | Delhi | Built by Shah Jahan as the 'zenith of Mughal creativity' (World Heritage citation); the Prime Minister addresses the nation from the Lahori Gate each Independence Day; the complex also holds the Moti Masjid (added by Aurangzeb), Diwan-i-Aam, Diwan-i-Khas, and Rang Mahal, and features on the Rs 500 note. |
| Jantar Mantar, Jaipur (18th cent.) | 2010 | Rajasthan | An observatory of 19 masonry instruments built by the Rajput ruler Sawai Jai Singh II, including the world's largest stone sundial, used to track astronomical positions. |
| Six Hill Forts of Rajasthan (8th–18th cent.) | 2013 | Rajasthan | A serial listing — Chittorgarh, Kumbhalgarh, Ranthambore, Gagron, Amber, and Jaisalmer forts — cited by UNESCO as an outstanding example of Rajput hill-military architecture. |
| Rani-ki-Vav (the Queen's Stepwell), Patan | 2014 | Gujarat | An 11th-century stepwell on the Saraswati river, built by Queen Udayamati in memory of her husband, Chaulukya king Bhima I; designed as an inverted temple across seven levels with over 500 major sculptural panels, and pictured on the reverse of the Rs 100 note. |
| Architectural Work of Le Corbusier, Capitol Complex, Chandigarh | 2016 | Chandigarh | Part of a 17-site transnational listing across 7 countries (mostly in France) recognising Le Corbusier's contribution to the modern movement in architecture; Chandigarh is the only Indian component. |
| Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara (3rd–13th cent. AD) | 2016 | Bihar | Ruins of one of the Indian subcontinent's oldest planned centres of Buddhist learning and monastic life. |
| Historic City of Ahmedabad (15th cent.) | 2017 | Gujarat | India's first city to earn this listing; founded by Sultan Ahmad Shah on the Sabarmati river, its dense fabric of mosques, tombs, Hindu and Jain temples (including the Bhadra citadel) reflects centuries of religious co-existence. |
| Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai | 2018 | Maharashtra | A townscape blending European Victorian Gothic and Art Deco idioms with Indian decorative motifs. |
| Jaipur City (1727) | 2019 | Rajasthan | A planned walled city laid out under Sawai Jai Singh II; its heritage precinct also includes the Govind Devji temple, City Palace, Jantar Mantar, and Hawa Mahal. |
| Kakatiya Rudreshwara (Ramappa) Temple (1213–1253) | 2021 | Telangana | Dedicated to Ramalingeshwara (Shiva); built by general Recharla Rudra under Kakatiya king Ganapati Deva using a sandbox foundation technique, granite pillars, black-basalt sculpture, and unusually light, porous 'floating' bricks in the tower (vimana); Marco Polo reputedly called it the 'brightest star in the galaxy of temples.' |
| Dholavira: A Harappan City | 2021 | Gujarat | A Bronze-Age Indus Valley city on Khadir Bet island in the Rann of Kutch, rediscovered in 1968 by archaeologist J. P. Joshi; notable for its citadel-middle-town-lower-town layout and sophisticated water conservation system. |
| Santiniketan | 2023 | West Bengal | Founded near Bolpur by Maharshi Debendranath Tagore and expanded in 1901 by Rabindranath Tagore into the Brahmacharya-ashram model that grew into Visva-Bharati University; its Uttarayan complex holds five houses built by Tagore, and the site is linked with artists Nandalal Bose and Ramkinkar Baij. |
| Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas (12th–13th cent.) | 2023 | Karnataka | Temple complexes at Belur (Chennakesava, built by Vishnuvardhana in 1117 AD), Halebidu (Hoysaleswara), and Somnathapura (Chennakesava), renowned for over 240 wall sculptures narrating the epics. |
| Moidams — the Mound-Burial System of the Ahom Dynasty | 2024 | Assam | Pyramidal earthen burial mounds of the Ahom royal family, a distinctive funerary tradition without close parallel elsewhere in India. |
| Maratha Military Landscapes of India (17th–19th cent.) | 2025 | Maharashtra / Tamil Nadu | A serial listing of twelve strategically sited forts — including Raigad, Shivneri, Sindhudurg, Rajgad and Gingee (Tamil Nadu) — that underpinned Maratha military power; India's 44th World Heritage property overall. |
* The three components of the Mountain Railways of India were inscribed in stages (1999, 2005, 2008) but are counted as a single serial World Heritage property.
Maintained under the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, this list now runs to more than 700 elements worldwide; India currently contributes 16.
| Element | Yr | State/Region | Key facts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Koodiyattam (Sanskrit theatre) | 2008 | Kerala | A dance-drama tied to Hindu mythology, performed by the Chakyar community, with women of the Ambalavasi Nambiar caste taking female roles; staged over 6–20 days inside temples. The vidushaka (jester-narrator) is a distinctive figure, and the mizhavu drum is its principal instrument. |
| Ramlila ('enactment of the Ramayana') | 2008 | Uttar Pradesh | Performed mainly in the run-up to Dussehra by mostly male casts (including the Sita role), typically over the ten nights of Sharad Navratri. A unique variant staged since 1972 at Bakshi Ka Talab near Lucknow casts Muslim youths in the lead roles, later dramatised in the radio play Us Gaon Ki Ramlila. |
| Tradition of Vedic Chanting | 2008 | Pan-India (multiple Vedic schools/shakhas) | An oral tradition preserved through several distinct pathas (recitation methods); considered one of the world's oldest continuously maintained oral traditions. |
| Ramman (religious festival / ritual theatre) | 2009 | Garhwal region, Chamoli dist., Uttarakhand | Celebrated by the Hindu community of Saloor-Dungra village in the Painkhanda valley as an offering to the local deity Bhumiyal Devta, accompanied by the singing of Jagars; not performed anywhere else. |
| Mudiyettu (ritual folk dance-drama) | 2010 | Kerala | Re-enacts the battle between the goddess Kali and the demon Darika in village temples between February and May, marked by elaborate face painting, headgear, and the ritual floor drawing known as a kalam. |
| Chhau dance ('martial-art dance') | 2010 | Odisha, West Bengal, Jharkhand | Three regional styles — Mayurbhanj (Odisha, performed without masks), Purulia (West Bengal), and Seraikella (Jharkhand), the latter two using masks; a whole-community tradition, performed by male dancers, usually at night. |
| Kalbelia dance | 2010 | Rajasthan | Performed by the Kalbelia (snake-charmer) community, with movements evoking a serpent's motion, accompanied by the pungi and khanjari alongside cymbals. |
| Buddhist Chanting of Ladakh | 2012 | Ladakh (formerly J&K) | Rooted in the Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions; performed indoors and in monastery courtyards. |
| Sankirtana (singing, drumming and dancing) | 2013 | Manipur | Originating among Vaishnavites around the 15th century to narrate the life of Krishna; performed in temples, typically by two drummers and about ten singer-dancers, with cymbals and drums as the core instruments. |
| Traditional Brass and Copper Craft of Utensil-Making (Thatheras) | 2014 | Jandiala Guru, Punjab | A craft using brass, copper, tin and kansa (a copper-tin alloy), historically patronised by Maharaja Ranjit Singh in the 19th century. |
| Nowrouz (Persian New Year) | 2016 | Kashmiri community (a shared, multi-country listing) | Marks the new year and denotes respect for the environment; observed with Gathas (hymns), a lamp, silver coins, flowers, and a bowl of water holding a gold fish and sprouted wheat. |
| Yoga | 2016 | Pan-India | An ancient physical, mental and spiritual discipline, traditionally transmitted through the guru-shishya parampara (teacher-student lineage). |
| Kumbh Mela | 2017 | Prayagraj, Haridwar, Nashik, Ujjain | The full Kumbh rotates among the four sites roughly every 12 years, with an Ardh ('half') Kumbh at Haridwar/Prayagraj about every 6 years; the Nashik-Ujjain gathering is also called the Simhastha. |
| Durga Puja in Kolkata | 2021 | West Bengal | Celebrated around September-October, it is the single largest and most widely participated festival in Kolkata and greater Bengal. |
| Garba of Gujarat | 2023 | Gujarat | A ritualistic, devotional circle dance performed through the nine nights of Navratri in worship of the feminine energy (Shakti); India's 15th ICH inscription. |
| Deepavali (Diwali) | 2025 | Pan-India | The festival of lights, symbolising the victory of light over darkness; India's 16th and most recent ICH inscription. |
The 8 creative fields: Crafts & Folk Art · Design · Film · Gastronomy · Literature · Media Arts · Music · Architecture (added 2025).
| City | Yr | Creative field |
|---|---|---|
| Varanasi | 2015 | Music |
| Jaipur | 2015 | Crafts & Folk Art |
| Chennai | 2017 | Music |
| Mumbai | 2019 | Film |
| Hyderabad | 2019 | Gastronomy |
| Srinagar | 2021 | Crafts & Folk Art |
| Gwalior | 2023 | Music |
| Kozhikode | 2023 | Literature |
| Lucknow | 2025 | Gastronomy (Awadhi cuisine) |
| Category | India's count | Latest addition |
|---|---|---|
| World Heritage Sites (total) | 44 (36 cultural + 7 natural + 1 mixed) | Maratha Military Landscapes (2025) |
| Intangible Cultural Heritage elements | 16 | Deepavali (2025) |
| UCCN Creative Cities | 9 | Lucknow — Gastronomy (2025) |
UNESCO inscriptions are updated annually — cross-check the current tally at whc.unesco.org and ich.unesco.org before final revision.
| Year | Question | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | ‘China is using its economic relations and positive trade surplus as tools to develop potential military power status in Asia’ — discuss its impact on India as her neighbour. | 10 |
| 2013 | What are the areas of cooperation and conflict between India and her South Asian neighbours arising out of India’s big brother image? | 12 |
