India Gets its 38th UNESCO World Heritage Site: Complete Information
By BYJU'S Exam Prep
Updated on: September 25th, 2023
Table of content
India Gets its 38th UNESCO World Heritage Site in the form of Pink City, Jaipur! Big news for India. The Walled City of Jaipur, known for its iconic architectural legacy and vibrant culture, made its entry into the UNESCO World Heritage Site list. The announcement was made after the 43rd Session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, underway at Baku (the capital city of Azerbaijan) from June 30 to July 10, 2019, examined the nomination of the Walled City of Jaipur for inclusion in the World Heritage list.
Full list of UNESCO world heritage sites in India
World Heritage Sites:
- These Sites are the places which have been officially recognized by a specialized agency of the UN (United Nations), UNESCO based on their natural, cultural, historical, and scientific importance
About UNESCO in brief–
UNESCO is a specialized agency of the UN, whose objective is to contribute to peace and security by promoting international collaboration through educational, scientific, and cultural reforms. Its headquarter is in Paris, France. Audrey Azoulay is the present Director-General of UNESCO - The list of World Heritage sites is maintained by World Heritage Programme which is administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee
UNESCO World Heritage Committee-
It is composed of 21 UNESCO member states which are elected by the UN General Assembly - These are areas of importance of cultural or natural heritage as described in the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, 1972
Criteria for Selection of World Heritage Sites-
- These criteria are explained in the World Heritage Convention, 1972
- These criteria are regularly revised by the World Heritage Committee to reflect the evolution of the World Heritage concept itself
- Before the revised Operational Guidelines, World Heritage sites were selected based on six cultural and four natural criteria
- With the adoption of the revised Operational Guidelines, only one set of ten criteria
World Heritage Sites in India-
- Currently, There are 38 (30 cultural, 7 natural and 1 mixed) World Heritage Sites in India as on 8th July 2019.
- First time from India two sites Agra fort and Ajanta Caves were included in World Heritage Sites in 1983
- In 2018, the following site has been selected as a heritage site
Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai, Mumbai - Only one mixed-criteria site in India is Khangchendzonga National Park, Sikkim.
Brief History of Jaipur:
The historic city of Jaipur in Rajasthan was founded in 1727 AD under the patronage of Sawai Jai Singh II. It serves as the capital city of the culturally-rich state of Rajasthan. ICOMOS (The International Council on Monuments and Sites) had inspected the city in 2018, post its nomination, adding, the WHC in Baku examined the nomination and inscribed it in UNESCO World Heritage Site list.
Cultural Heritage sites in India
|
Sl. No. |
Cultural Heritage Sites (Year of Inclusion) |
States/UTs |
|
1 |
Agra Fort (1983) |
Uttar Pradesh |
|
2. |
Ajanta Caves (1983) |
Maharashtra |
|
3. |
Ellora Caves(1983) |
Maharashtra |
|
4. |
Taj Mahal(1983) |
Uttar Pradesh |
|
5. |
Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram (1984) |
Tamil Nadu |
|
6. |
Sun Temple, Konark (1984) |
Orissa |
|
7. |
Churches and Convents of Goa (1986) |
Goa |
|
8. |
Fatehpur Sikri (1986) |
Uttar Pradesh |
|
9. |
Group of Monuments at Hampi (1986) |
Karnataka |
|
10. |
Khajuraho Group of Monuments (1986) |
Madhya Pradesh |
|
11. |
Elephanta Caves (1987) |
Maharashtra |
|
12. |
Great Living Chola Temples 12 (1987,2004) |
Tamil Nadu |
|
13. |
Group of Monuments at Pattadakal (1987) |
Karnataka |
|
14. |
Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi (1989) |
Madhya Pradesh |
|
15. |
Humayun’s Tomb (1993) |
Delhi |
|
16. |
Qutb Minar and its Monuments (1993) |
Delhi |
|
17. |
Mountain Railways of India (Includes Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, the Nilgiri Mountain Railway and the Kalka-Shimla Railway) (1990, 2005, 2008) |
Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Tamilnadu |
|
18. |
Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya (2002) |
Bihar |
|
19. |
Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka (2003) |
Madhya Pradesh |
|
20. |
Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park (2004) |
Gujarat |
|
21. |
Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus) (2004) |
Mumbai |
|
22. |
Red Fort Complex (2007) |
Delhi |
|
23. |
The Jantar Mantar (2010) |
Delhi |
|
24. |
Hill Forts of Rajasthan (Chittorgarh, Kumbhalgarh, Ranthambore fort, Gagron Fort, Amber Fort and Jaisalmer Fort) (2013) |
Rajasthan |
|
25. |
Rani-ki-Vav at Patan (2014) |
Gujarat |
|
26. |
Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara (Nalanda University) (2016) |
Bihar |
|
27. |
Capitol Building Complex – The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier (2016) |
Chandigarh |
|
28. |
Historic City of Ahmadabad (2017) |
Gujarat |
|
29. |
Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai (2018) |
Mumbai |
|
30. |
Jaipur City (2019) |
Rajasthan |
Natural Heritage sites in India
|
Sl. No. |
Natural Heritage Sites (Year of Inclusion) |
States |
|
1. |
Kaziranga National Park (1985) |
Assam |
|
2. |
Keoladeo National Park (1985) |
Rajasthan |
|
3. |
Manas Wildlife Sanctuary (1985) |
Assam |
|
4. |
Sundarbans National Park (1987) |
West Bengal |
|
5. |
Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks (1988, 2005) |
Uttarakhand |
|
6. |
Western Ghats (2012) |
Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra |
|
7. |
Great Himalayan National Park Conservation Area (2014) |
Himachal Pradesh |
Mixed Heritage site in India
|
Sl. No. |
Mixed Heritage Site (Year of Inclusion) |
State |
|
1. |
Khangchendzonga National Park (2016) |
Sikkim |
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