UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India: Know Future World Heritage Sites in India

World Heritage Sites are those natural or man-made sites, area or structures that are being designated by the World Heritage Convention an organization of UNESCO as of outstanding international importance. These sites are specially protected by the government. There are more than 40 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India in 2023.

All world heritage sites in India are of universal value and preserved for current and future generations. Apart from this, these sites generate good revenues through tourism. In today’s post, we are going to share the list of UNESCO World Heritage in Sites in India.

List of All UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India 2023

Here is the list of UNESCO world heritage site India 2023:

NameRegionPeriod Built by
Ajanta CavesMaharashtra2nd century BC to the 6th centuryAshoka and Gupta Rulers
Ellora CavesMaharashtra600 to 1000 ADThe Rashtrakuta king, Krishna I
Agra FortUttar Pradesh, India16th CenturyAkbar
Taj MahalAgra, Uttar Pradesh17th CenturyShahjahan
Sun Temple KonarakPuri, Odisha13th CenturyNarasimhadev I
Group of Monuments at MahabalipuramMahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu7th and 8th CenturiesPallava Kings
Kaziranga National ParkAssam20th Century
Manas Wildlife SanctuaryAssam20th Century
Keoladeo National ParkRajasthan1981
Churches and Convents of GoaVelha Goa (Old Goa), Goa16th and 18th CenturiesPortuguese Colonial Rulers
Khajuraho Group of MonumentsMadhya Pradesh950 AD to 1050 ADChandela Dynasty
Group of Monuments at HampiVijayanagara district, Karnataka14th and 16th CenturiesVijayanagara Empire
Fatehpur SikriUttar Pradesh16th CenturyAkbar
Group of Monuments at PattadakalBagalkot District, karanataka8th CenturyQueen Lokamahadevi and her husband (King Vikramaditya II)
Elephants CavesMaharashtra5th and 8th CenturyRashtrakuta rulers
Great Living Chola TemplesBrihadeeswarar temple, Gangaikonda Cholapuram, Tamil Nadu, Airavateshwarar Temple, Darasuram, Tamil Nadu, Brihadeeswarar Temple, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu11th and 12th CenturyChola Empire
Sundarbans National ParkWest Bengal1939 and 1982
Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National ParksUttarakhand1939 and 1982
Buddhist Monuments at SanchiMadhya Pradesh3rd and 1st Centuries BC to the 12th Century ADEmperor Ashoka and Mauryan Empire
Humayun’s Tomb DelhiDelhi1572Mughal Emperor Humayun’s widow Biga Begum (Hajji Begum)
Qutub Minar and its Monuments, DelhiDelhiLate 12th Century Qutubuddin Aibak and Illtumish
Mountain Railways in IndiaDarjeeling Himalayan Railway (1999), Darjeeling, West Bengal, India

Nilgiri Mountain Railway (2005) Ooty, Tamil Nadu, India

Kalka-Shimla Railway, Himachal Pradesh (2008), India

19th and early 20th CenturiesIndian Railways
Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh GayaBihar3rd century BC

5th and 6th century AD and 19th century

Emperor Ashoka and Gupta Rulers
Rock Shelters of BhimbetkaMadhya Pradesh30000 years_
Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (Formerly Victoria Terminus)Maharashtra1887 to 1888Frederick William Stevens
Champaner Pavagadh Archaeological ParkGujaratPrehistoric and 8th to 14th centuries
Red Fort ComplexDelhi1648Shahjahan
The Jantar Mantar JaipurJaipur, Rajasthan1727 and 1734Jai Singh II
Western GhatsAgasthyamalai Sub-Cluster (Kerala)

Periyar Sub-Cluster (Kerala)

Anamalai Sub-Cluster (Kerala)

Nilgiri Sub-Cluster (Tamil Nadu)

Talakaveri Sub-Cluster (Karnataka)

Kudremukh Sub-Cluster (Karnataka)

Sahyadri Sub-Cluster (Maharashtra)

Hill Forts of RajasthanRanthambhore

Amber Sub-Cluster

Jaisalmer

Gagron

7th to 16th CenturiesRajput Rulers
Rani ki Vav (The Queen’s Stepwell)Patan, Gujarat11th CenturyRani Udaymati
Great Himalayan National ParkHimachal Pradesh
Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara at Nalanda, BiharBihar5th to 12th Century
Khangchenzonga National ParkSikkim
The Architectural Work of Le CorbusierChandigarh20th CenturyLe Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret, Matthew Nowicki and Albert Mayer
Historic City of AhmadabadAhmedabad, Gujarat15th CenturySultan Ahmad Shah I
The Victorian and Art Deco Ensemble of MumbaiMaharashtraLate 19th to Early 20th Century
JaipurJaipur, RajasthanNovember 1727Sawai Jai Singh II
Kakatiya Rudreshwara (Ramappa) TempleTelangana1213Ganapati Deva and Recharla Rudra Reddy
Dholavira: A Harappan CityGujarat3rd to mid 2nd millennium BCE

Number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Indian States

Here is the state-wise list of Number of World Heritage Sites in India in 2023-

  • Arunachal Pradesh – 1 Sites
  • Assam – 2 Sites
  • Bihar – 2 Sites
  • Chandigarh – 1 Sites
  • Delhi – 3 Sites
  • Goa – 1 Sites
  • Gujarat – 4 Sites
  • Himachal Pradesh – 2 Sites
  • Karnataka – 3 Sites
  • Kerala – 1 Sites
  • Madhya Pradesh – 3 Sites
  • Maharashtra – 5 Sites
  • Odisha – 1 Sites
  • Rajasthan – 4 Sites
  • Telangana – 1 Sites
  • Tamil Nadu – 3 Sites
  • Uttarakhand – 1 Sites
  • Uttar Pradesh – 3 Sites
  • West Bengal – 2 Sites
  • Sikkim – 1 Sites

List of Future UNESCO heritage sites in India

Apart from the list of 40 World Heritage Sites in India mentioned above, there is a list of tentative sites for recognition which has been submitted to the UNESCO Committee for evaluation and acceptance. So, it is accepted that there will be many more UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India.

Name RegionPeriod
Temples at BishnupurWest Bengal (Bishnupur)1600 – 1758 AD
Mattancherry Palace, Ernakulam, KeralaKerala (Mattancherry, Kochi)1555 AD
Mandu, Madhya Pradesh Group of MonumentsMadhya Pradesh (Mandu)Mostly 16th and 17th Centuries AD
Ancient Buddhist Site, Sarnath, Varanasi, Uttar PradeshUttar Pradesh (Sarnath, Varanasi District)500 CE
Sri Harimandir Sahib, Amritsar, PunjabPunjab, India (Amritsar)August 1604
River Island of Majuli in midstream of Brahmaputra River in AssamAssam (Brahmaputra River)
Namdapha National ParkArunachal Pradesh
Wild Ass Sanctuary, Little Rann of KutchGujarat (Kutchh)
Bhitarkanika Conservation AreaOdisha
Neora Valley National ParkWest Bengal (Kalimpong District)
Desert National ParkRajasthan
Mughal Gardens in KashmirJammu and Kashmir (Chashma Shahi, Srinagar)1619–1650 AD
Silk Road Sites in IndiaBihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra, Puducherry, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Uttar PradeshAround 114 BC – 1450s
SantiniketanWest Bengal (Shantiniketan)1862
The Qutb Shahi Monuments of HyderabadTelangana (Hyderabad)14th to 17th centuries
DelhiDelhi6th century BC
Apatani Cultural LandscapeItanagar, Arunachal Pradesh
Archaeological remains of LothalLothal, Gujarat2450 BC to 1800 BC
Bahá’í House of WorshipBahá’í House of Worship, Delhi (New Delhi)December 24, 1986
Cellular JailCellular Jail, Port Blair1906
Chettinad, Village Clusters of the Tamil MerchantsTamil Nadumostly 19th century
Chilika LakeOdisha
Monuments and forts of the Deccan SultanateKarnataka (Gulbarga, Bidar, Bijapur) and Telangana (Hyderabad)16th and 17th centuries
Ekamra Kshetra – The Temple CityOdisha (Bhubaneswar)3rd century BC to 11th century AD
Iconic Saree Weaving Clusters of IndiaIndia2014
Padmanabhapuram PalaceTamil Nadu1601 AD
Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysala                Hoysaleshwara temple, HalebiduKarnataka (Belur and Halebidu)1113–1268 AD
Monuments of Srirangapatna Island TownKarnataka9th–18th century
Narcondam IslandAndaman and Nicobar islands
The Neolithic Settlement of BurzahomJammu and Kashmir3000 BC to 1000 BC
Thembang Fortified VillageArunachal Pradesh
The Glorious Kakatiya Temples and GatewaysTelangana (Warangal)12th and 13th centuries                2014
Sites of SatyagrahaIndia
Moidams – the Mound-Burial system of the Ahom DynastyAssam 
Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, SrirangamTamil Nadu (Srirangam, Tiruchirapalli)817 AD, or before, to 1987
Mountain Railways of India (Extension)Maharashtra1881
Sites along the Uttarapath, Badshahi Sadak, Sadak-e-Azam, Grand Trunk RoadIndia
Evolution of Temple Architecture – Aihole-Badami-PattadakalKarnataka (Aihole, Badami, and Pattadakal)5th to 8th Centuries
Cold Desert Cultural Landscape of IndiaLadakh
Keibul Lamjao Conservation AreaManipur1977
Garo HillsMeghalaya
The historic ensemble of OrchhaMadhya Pradesh16th century
Iconic Riverfront of the Historic City of VaranasiVaranasi, India
Temples of KanchipuramTamil Nadu6th – 7th centuries CE
Hire Benkal, Megalithic SiteKarnatakaNeolithic Age
Bhedaghat- Lametaghat in Narmada Valley                Marble Rocks at BhedaghatMadhya Pradesh
Satpura Tiger ReserveMadhya Pradesh
Serial Nomination of Maratha Military Architecture in MaharashtraMaharashtra17th century CE
Geoglyphs of Konkan Region of IndiaMaharashtra, Goa 
Jingkieng jri: Living Root Bridge Cultural LandscapesMeghalaya 
Sri Veerabhadra Temple and Monolithic Bull (Nandi), Lepakshi (The Vijayanagara Sculpture and Painting Art Tradition)Andhra Pradesh 
Sun Temple, Modhera and its adjoining monumentsGujarat 
Vadnagar – A multi-layered Historic town, GujaratGujarat 
Rock-cut Sculptures and Reliefs of the Unakoti, Unakoti Range, Unakoti DistrictTripura 

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