Heritage

India's 45 UNESCO World Heritage Sites and 16 elements of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

India's heritage on the world stage

AI-drafted · awaiting admin review

India has 45 UNESCO World Heritage Sites and 16 elements on the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Key facts
World Heritage Sites	45: 37 cultural, 7 natural and 1 mixed. Sarnath became the 45th in July 2026, at the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee
Intangible Cultural Heritage	16 elements. Deepavali became the 16th on 10 December 2025, at the committee session held at the Red Fort, New Delhi
Tentative list	Dozens more sites are on India's tentative list, waiting for nomination

Protecting heritage is a shared duty. The Archaeological Survey of India and the Ministry of Culture look after monuments, and Sangeet Natak Akademi maintains the national inventory of intangible heritage. You can help by visiting respectfully, never defacing monuments, and recording the living traditions of your own family and village in the Preserve section.

Sources

UNESCO World Heritage Sites (45)

UNESCO World Heritage Sites
#	Name	Inscribed	Type	Where
1	Agra Fort Red sandstone fortress-city of the Mughal era.	1983	Cultural	Uttar Pradesh
2	Ajanta Caves Buddhist rock-cut caves with paintings from the 2nd century BCE to the 6th century CE.	1983	Cultural	Maharashtra
3	Ellora Caves Hindu, Buddhist and Jain caves side by side, including the Kailasa temple carved from one rock.	1983	Cultural	Maharashtra
4	Taj Mahal White-marble mausoleum at Agra, a jewel of Indian architecture.	1983	Cultural	Uttar Pradesh
5	Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram Pallava rock-cut temples, rathas and the great relief of the descent of the Ganga.	1984	Cultural	Tamil Nadu
6	Sun Temple, Konark 13th-century temple built as the chariot of the Sun god, with 24 carved wheels.	1984	Cultural	Odisha
7	Kaziranga National Park Home to the world's largest population of the one-horned rhinoceros.	1985	Natural	Assam
8	Keoladeo National Park Wetland near Bharatpur that hosts thousands of migratory birds.	1985	Natural	Rajasthan
9	Manas Wildlife Sanctuary Forests and grasslands in the Himalayan foothills with tigers, elephants and rare species.	1985	Natural	Assam
10	Churches and Convents of Goa Old Goa's churches, including the Basilica of Bom Jesus.	1986	Cultural	Goa
11	Fatehpur Sikri Short-lived Mughal capital with the Buland Darwaza.	1986	Cultural	Uttar Pradesh
12	Group of Monuments at Hampi Ruins of Vijayanagara, capital of a great South Indian empire.	1986	Cultural	Karnataka
13	Khajuraho Group of Monuments Chandela-era Hindu and Jain temples famed for their sculpture.	1986	Cultural	Madhya Pradesh
14	Elephanta Caves Island cave temples with the great three-headed Sadashiva sculpture.	1987	Cultural	Maharashtra
15	Great Living Chola Temples Brihadisvara temples at Thanjavur and Gangaikondacholapuram and the Airavatesvara temple at Darasuram, still in worship.	1987, 2004	Cultural	Tamil Nadu
16	Group of Monuments at Pattadakal Chalukya temples blending northern and southern styles.	1987	Cultural	Karnataka
17	Sundarbans National Park The world's largest mangrove forest, home of the Royal Bengal tiger.	1987	Natural	West Bengal
18	Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks High Himalayan wilderness and alpine meadows of rare flowers.	1988, 2005	Natural	Uttarakhand
19	Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi The Great Stupa begun by Emperor Ashoka, with carved gateways.	1989	Cultural	Madhya Pradesh
20	Humayun's Tomb, Delhi Garden tomb that inspired the Taj Mahal.	1993	Cultural	Delhi
21	Qutb Minar and its Monuments, Delhi Tall stone minaret, with the rust-resistant Iron Pillar of the Gupta age nearby.	1993	Cultural	Delhi
22	Mountain Railways of India Darjeeling Himalayan, Nilgiri and Kalka–Shimla railways.	1999, 2005, 2008	Cultural	West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh
23	Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya Where Siddhartha attained enlightenment and became the Buddha.	2002	Cultural	Bihar
24	Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka Rock shelters with paintings from the Stone Age onwards.	2003	Cultural	Madhya Pradesh
25	Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park Hill fortress, temples, mosques and a pre-Mughal city.	2004	Cultural	Gujarat
26	Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus Mumbai's grand railway station, a blend of Victorian Gothic and Indian styles.	2004	Cultural	Maharashtra
27	Red Fort Complex Where the Prime Minister hoists the Tricolour every Independence Day.	2007	Cultural	Delhi
28	The Jantar Mantar, Jaipur Astronomical observatory of Sawai Jai Singh II, with the world's largest stone sundial.	2010	Cultural	Rajasthan
29	Western Ghats Mountain chain older than the Himalaya; a global biodiversity hotspot.	2012	Natural	Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu
30	Hill Forts of Rajasthan Chittorgarh, Kumbhalgarh, Ranthambore, Gagron, Amber and Jaisalmer.	2013	Cultural	Rajasthan
31	Great Himalayan National Park Conservation Area High mountain forests and meadows with rare Himalayan wildlife.	2014	Natural	Himachal Pradesh
32	Rani-ki-Vav (the Queen's Stepwell) at Patan 11th-century stepwell carved with hundreds of sculptures.	2014	Cultural	Gujarat
33	Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara One of the world's oldest universities, a centre of learning for 800 years.	2016	Cultural	Bihar
34	Khangchendzonga National Park India's first 'mixed' site: sacred mountains and outstanding nature.	2016	Mixed	Sikkim
35	The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier (Capitol Complex, Chandigarh)Part of a transnational listing of modern architecture.	2016	Cultural	Chandigarh
36	Historic City of Ahmadabad India's first World Heritage City, with its pols (traditional neighbourhoods).	2017	Cultural	Gujarat
37	Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai Buildings around the Oval Maidan from two eras of architecture.	2018	Cultural	Maharashtra
38	Jaipur City, Rajasthan Planned city of 1727 laid out on a grid, the Pink City.	2019	Cultural	Rajasthan
39	Kakatiya Rudreshwara (Ramappa) Temple 13th-century temple built with 'floating' bricks.	2021	Cultural	Telangana
40	Dholavira: a Harappan City Harappan city in the Rann of Kachchh with remarkable water management.	2021	Cultural	Gujarat
41	Santiniketan Rabindranath Tagore's university town.	2023	Cultural	West Bengal
42	Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas Temples of Belur, Halebidu and Somanathapura.	2023	Cultural	Karnataka
43	Moidams: the Mound-Burial System of the Ahom Dynasty Royal burial mounds of the Ahom kings at Charaideo. The first cultural site from the North-East.	2024	Cultural	Assam
44	Maratha Military Landscapes of India Twelve forts of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's era, including Raigad, Shivneri, Pratapgad, Sindhudurg and Gingee.	2025	Cultural	Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu
45	Ancient Buddhist Site, Sarnath Where the Buddha gave his first sermon. Includes the Dhamek and Chaukhandi stupas and the Ashokan pillar. India's 45th site.	2026	Cultural	Uttar Pradesh

Intangible Cultural Heritage (16)

Intangible Cultural Heritage
#	Name	Inscribed	Where
1	Tradition of Vedic chanting Oral transmission of the Vedas with precise memorisation techniques.	2008	All of India
2	Ramlila, the traditional performance of the Ramayana Village and town performances of the Ramayana before Dussehra.	2008	North India
3	Kutiyattam, Sanskrit theatre Over 2,000 years of Sanskrit theatre in Kerala's temples.	2008	Kerala
4	Ramman, religious festival and ritual theatre of the Garhwal Himalayas Masked festival of the Saloor-Dungra villages, Chamoli.	2009	Uttarakhand
5	Mudiyettu, ritual theatre and dance drama of Kerala Dance drama of Goddess Kali's battle with the demon Darika.	2010	Kerala
6	Kalbelia folk songs and dances of Rajasthan Serpentine dances of the Kalbelia community.	2010	Rajasthan
7	Chhau dance Martial dance of Mayurbhanj, Seraikella and Purulia, often masked.	2010	Odisha, Jharkhand, West Bengal
8	Buddhist chanting of Ladakh Recitation of sacred Buddhist texts in the monasteries of Ladakh.	2012	Ladakh
9	Sankirtana, ritual singing, drumming and dancing of Manipur Devotional singing and drumming at the heart of Manipuri Vaishnav life.	2013	Manipur
10	Traditional brass and copper craft of utensil making among the Thatheras of Jandiala Guru Hand-beaten brass and copper utensils of Amritsar district.	2014	Punjab
11	Yoga Ancient discipline of body, breath and mind.	2016	All of India
12	Nawrouz New Year festival, celebrated in India especially by the Parsi community.	2016	All of India (with other countries)
13	Kumbh Mela The largest peaceful gathering of pilgrims on Earth.	2017	Prayagraj, Haridwar, Ujjain, Nashik
14	Durga Puja in Kolkata The Goddess's festival as public art and community celebration.	2021	West Bengal
15	Garba of Gujarat Circular devotional dance of Navratri.	2023	Gujarat
16	Deepavali The festival of lights, inscribed at the session held in New Delhi.	2025	All of India

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