Sarnath in Uttar Pradesh has become a UNESCO World Heritage site, as announced by the UN grouping in Busan, South Korea, as part of the the 48th Session of the World Heritage Committee held in Busan, South Korea on July 25, 2026.
India’s Ministry of Culture, in a press release, said that “this global accolade celebrates India’s enduring cultural legacy, showcasing its diverse traditions of architectural brilliance, regional identity, and historical continuity” and highlighted the importance of the Buddhist site.
India’s other UNESCO world heritage sites
The country now has 45 World Heritage Sites according to the UNESCO website. The last addition or ‘inscription’ was in 2024, with the Maratha Military Landscapes located Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.
Here’s the full list:
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | Year of inclusion in list | Location |
| Agra Fort | 1983 | Agra, Uttar Pradesh |
| Ajanta Caves | 1983 | Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad), Maharashtra |
| Ellora Caves | 1983 | Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad), Maharashtra |
| Taj Mahal | 1983 | Agra, Uttar Pradesh |
| Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram | 1984 | Chengalpattu district, Tamil Nadu |
| Sun Temple, Konârak | 1984 | Puri district, Odisha |
| Kaziranga National Park | 1985 | Golaghat and Nagaon districts, Assam |
| Keoladeo National Park | 1985 | Bharatpur, Rajasthan |
| Manas Wildlife Sanctuary | 1985 | Assam |
| Churches and Convents of Goa | 1986 | Velha Goa, Goa |
| Fatehpur Sikri | 1986 | Agra district, Uttar Pradesh |
| Group of Monuments at Hampi | 1986 | Vijayanagara district, Karnataka |
| Khajuraho Group of Monuments | 1986 | Chhatarpur district, Madhya Pradesh |
| Elephanta Caves | 1987 | Gharapuri (Mumbai Harbour), Maharashtra |
| Great Living Chola Temples | 1987 | Thanjavur, Darasuram & Gangaikonda Cholapuram, Tamil Nadu |
| Group of Monuments at Pattadakal | 1987 | Bagalkot district, Karnataka |
| Sundarbans National Park | 1987 | South 24 Parganas, West Bengal |
| Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks | 1988 | Chamoli district, Uttarakhand |
| Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi | 1989 | Raisen district, Madhya Pradesh |
| Humayun’s Tomb, Delhi | 1993 | New Delhi, Delhi |
| Qutub Minar and its Monuments, Delhi | 1993 | New Delhi, Delhi |
| Mountain Railways of India | 1999 | Darjeeling (West Bengal), Nilgiri (Tamil Nadu), Kalka-Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) |
| Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya | 2002 | Gaya district, Bihar |
| Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka | 2003 | Raisen district, Madhya Pradesh |
| Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park | 2004 | Panchmahal district, Gujarat |
| Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus | 2004 | Mumbai, Maharashtra |
| Red Fort Complex | 2007 | Old Delhi, Delhi |
| The Jantar Mantar, Jaipur | 2010 | Jaipur, Rajasthan |
| Western Ghats | 2012 | Spread across Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu |
| Hill Forts of Rajasthan | 2013 | Chittorgarh, Kumbhalgarh, Sawai Madhopur, Jhalawar, Jaipur & Jaisalmer, Rajasthan |
| Great Himalayan National Park Conservation Area | 2014 | Kullu district, Himachal Pradesh |
| Rani-ki-Vav (the Queen’s Stepwell) at Patan, Gujarat | 2014 | Patan, Gujarat |
| Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara | 2016 | Nalanda district, Bihar |
| Khangchendzonga National Park | 2016 | Sikkim |
| The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier, an Outstanding Contribution to the Modern Movement | 2016 | Corbusier Chandigarh |
| Historic City of Ahmadabad | 2017 | Ahmedabad, Gujarat |
| Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai | 2018 | Mumbai, Maharashtra |
| Jaipur City, Rajasthan | 2019 | Jaipur, Rajasthan |
| Dholavira: a Harappan City | 2021 | Kutch district, Gujarat |
| Kakatiya Rudreshwara (Ramappa) Temple, Telangana | 2021 | Mulugu district, Telangana |
| Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas | 2023 | Belur, Halebidu & Somnathapura, Karnataka |
| Santiniketan | 2023 | Birbhum district, West Bengal |
| Moidams – the Mound-Burial System of the Ahom Dynasty | 2024 | Charaideo district, Assam |
| Maratha Military Landscapes of India | 2025 | Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu |
| Ancient Buddhist Site of Sarnath | 2026 | Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh |
UNESCO World Heritage List: Criteria for inclusion
To be included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, a property must demonstrate ‘outstanding universal value’ and meet at least one of these ten criterias:
1. Represent a masterpiece of human creative genius
2. Exhibit an important interchange of human values over a span of time or within a cultural area, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning, or landscape design.
3. Bear a unique or exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or a civilization that is living or has disappeared
4. Be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble, or landscape that illustrates a significant stage (or stages) in human history.
5. Be an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use, or sea-use representative of a culture (or cultures), or human interaction with the environment (especially when vulnerable under irreversible change).
6. Be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, ideas, beliefs, or artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance.
7. Contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance.
8. Be outstanding examples representing major stages of Earth’s history, including the record of life, ongoing geological processes in landform development, or significant geomorphic/physiographic features.
9. Be outstanding examples representing ongoing ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, freshwater, coastal, and marine ecosystems and communities of plants and animals.
10. Contain the most significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity, including those containing threatened species of Outstanding Universal Value.
Published – July 27, 2026 11:36 am IST
