Heritage sites are the ones that hold great history, depict culture, and have value, and are required to be preserved for future generations to have a look at them.
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These can be any architecture or technology—monumental arts, town-planning, or landscape design—developed over a long period or a cultural era of the world that shows the significance of human values.
A place is considered a “UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) World Heritage Site” if it passes ten parameters set by the international organization, which are subdivided into cultural and natural heritage criteria. There are over 1200 such World Heritage Sites, of which India owns more than 40.
Following are Indian UNESCO World Heritage Sites with the year in which they were observed as one :
- Ajanta Caves
Place – Maharashtra
Year – 1983
- Ellora Caves
Place – Maharashtra
Year – 1983
- Taj Mahal
Place – Agra, Uttar Pradesh
Year – 1983
- Agra Fort
Place – Uttar Pradesh
Year – 1983
- Sun Temple
Place – Konark, Odisha
Year – 1984
- Mahabalipuram Temples
Place – Tamil Nadu
Year – 1985
- Manas Wildlife Sanctuary
Place – Bharatpur, Rajasthan
Year – 1985
- Kaziranga National Park
Place – Assam
Year – 1985
- Keoladeo National Park
Place – Bharatpur, Rajasthan
Year – 1985
- Churches in Goa
Place – Goa
Year – 1966
- Khajuraho Temples
Place – Madhya Pradesh
Year – 1986
- Fatehpur Sikri
Place – Uttar Pradesh
Year – 1986
- Hampi Temples
Place – Karnataka
Year – 1986
- Sundarbans National Park
Place – West Bengal
Year – 1987
- Elephants Caves
Place – Maharashtra
Year – 1987
- Pattadakal Temples
Place – Karnataka
Year – 1987
- Nanda Devi National Park
Place – Uttarakhand
Year – 1988
- Sanchi Stupa
Place – Madhya Pradesh
Year – 1989
- Humayun’s Tomb
Place – Delhi
Year – 1993
- Qutub Minar
Place – Delhi
Year – 1993
- Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
Place – West Bengal
Year – 1999
- Mahabodhi Temple
Place – Bodh Gaya, Bihar
Year – 2002
- Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka
Place – Madhya Pradesh
Year – 2003
- Brihadeshwara Temple
Place – Gangaikondacholapuram, Tamil Nadu
Year – 2004
- Victoria Terminus
Place – Mumbai
Year – 2004
- Airavatesvara Temple
Place – Darasuram, Tamil Nadu
Year – 2004
- Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park
Place – Gujarat
Year – 2004
- Valley of Flowers
Place – Uttarakhand
Year – 2005
- Nilgiri Mountain Railway
Place – Tamil Nadu
Year – 2005
- Red Fort
Place – Delhi
Year – 2007
- Kalka-Shimla Railway
Place – Himachal Pradesh
Year – 2008
- Jantar Mantar
Place – Jaipur, Rajasthan
Year – 2010
- Western Ghat
Year – 2012
- Hill forts
Place – Rajasthan
Year – 2013
- Rani Ki Vav
Place – Gujarat
Year – 2014
- Great Himalayan National Park
Place – Himachal Pradesh
Year – 2014
- Nalanda Mahavihara
Place – Bihar
Year – 2016
- Khangchendzonga National Park
Place – Sikkim
Year – 2016
- The Architectural work of Le corbusier
Place – Chandigarh
Year – 2016
- Historic city of Ahmedabad
Place – Gujarat
Year – 2017
- The Victorian and Art Deco Ensemble of Mumbai
Place – Mumbai
Year – 2018
- Pink City
Place – Jaipur
Year – 2020
UNESCO’s Heritage Project
UNESCO has its own International World Heritage Project, under which its World Heritage Committee performs the work to assign the sites as heritage. A total of 21 countries are part of the committee, often referred to as the “State Parties” to the project.
What World Heritage Committee Do?
It looks out and identifies the places with unique cultures from its state parties and then has the task of registering those in the global heritage list. The uniqueness of these heritage sites is also that they are each assigned a unique number and become a place of tourist attraction, therefore generating huge revenue for their country and allowing the tourism sector to flourish.
Maintenance of UNESCO Heritage Sites
UNESCO takes the responsibility of handling and maintaining these sites, and funds for the same are generated and provided by the international organisation. Although the property of the heritage is owned by the government of that specific nation, the responsibility of safeguarding them comes to the international community.
