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World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection by an international convention administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain “cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity”.
World Heritage is the designation for places on Earth that are of outstanding universal value to humanity and as such, have been inscribed on the World Heritage List to be protected for future generations to appreciate and enjoy.
The objectives of UNESCO’s World Heritage Convention are ambitious and far-reaching: to ensure the protection of endangered cultural and natural resources, to enhance sustainable development primarily through heritage tourism, and, ultimately, to fulfill UNESCO’s “unique mandate”. Being designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site can catapult an obscure ruin or geological oddity into international prominence as a major tourist attraction.
Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live with today, and what we pass on to future generations. Our cultural and natural heritage are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration.
There are 42 World Heritage Sites in India. Out of these, 34 are cultural, seven are natural, and one, Khangchendzonga National Park, is of mixed type. India has the sixth-most sites worldwide. The first sites to be listed were the Ajanata Caves, Ellora Caves, Agra Fort & Taj Mahal all of which were inscribed in the 1983 session of the World Heritage Committee. The most recent sites listed were Santiniketan and the Scared Ensemble of the Hoysalas, in 2023.
Dholavira, Harappan City in the Rann of Kutchh, becomes India’s 40th UNESCO World Heritage Site. Santiniketan is India’s 41st UNESCO World Heritage Site & Scared Ensemble of the Hoysalas the 42nd site.
At different times, two sites were listed as endangered: the Manas Wildlife Sanctuary was listed between 1992 and 2011 due to poaching and the activities of Bodo militias, and the monuments at Hampi were listed between 1999 and 2006 due to risks from increased traffic and new constructions in surroundings. One site is transnational: The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier is shared with six other countries. In addition, India has 57 sites on its tentative list.
Currently, Maharashtra has largest number of sites – Total 5 Unesco World Heritage Sites and this number is highest among all states and UTs in India. The sites include Ajanta Caves, Ellora Caves, Elephanta Caves, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus and the Victorian Gothic and Art Deco buildings of South Mumbai.
The city in India which has been given the status of 1st UNESCO World Heritage City is Ahmedabad or Amdavad, which is steeped in history and tradition. Offering a seamless blend of spectacular architecture of centuries-old mosques and contemporary avant-garde design, Gujarat’s biggest city is a bustling cosmopolitan hub. Have attached one picture, which can be used with article.