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.
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
Here is the list of UNESCO world heritage site India:
| Name | Region | Period | Built by |
| Ajanta Caves | Maharashtra | 2nd century BC to the 6th century | Ashoka and Gupta Rulers |
| Ellora Caves | Maharashtra | 600 to 1000 AD | The Rashtrakuta king, Krishna I |
| Agra Fort | Uttar Pradesh, India | 16th Century | Akbar |
| Taj Mahal | Agra, Uttar Pradesh | 17th Century | Shahjahan |
| Sun Temple Konarak | Puri, Odisha | 13th Century | Narasimhadev I |
| Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram | Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu | 7th and 8th Centuries | Pallava Kings |
| Kaziranga National Park | Assam | 20th Century | – |
| Manas Wildlife Sanctuary | Assam | 20th Century | – |
| Keoladeo National Park | Rajasthan | 1981 | – |
| Churches and Convents of Goa | Velha Goa (Old Goa), Goa | 16th and 18th Centuries | Portuguese Colonial Rulers |
| Khajuraho Group of Monuments | Madhya Pradesh | 950 AD to 1050 AD | Chandela Dynasty |
| Group of Monuments at Hampi | Vijayanagara district, Karnataka | 14th and 16th Centuries | Vijayanagara Empire |
| Fatehpur Sikri | Uttar Pradesh | 16th Century | Akbar |
| Group of Monuments at Pattadakal | Bagalkot District, karanataka | 8th Century | Queen Lokamahadevi and her husband (King Vikramaditya II) |
| Elephants Caves | Maharashtra | 5th and 8th Century | Rashtrakuta rulers |
| Great Living Chola Temples | Brihadeeswarar temple, Gangaikonda Cholapuram, Tamil Nadu, Airavateshwarar Temple, Darasuram, Tamil Nadu, Brihadeeswarar Temple, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu | 11th and 12th Century | Chola Empire |
| Sundarbans National Park | West Bengal | 1939 and 1982 | – |
| Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks | Uttarakhand | 1939 and 1982 | – |
| Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi | Madhya Pradesh | 3rd and 1st Centuries BC to the 12th Century AD | Emperor Ashoka and Mauryan Empire |
| Humayun’s Tomb Delhi | Delhi | 1572 | Mughal Emperor Humayun’s widow Biga Begum (Hajji Begum) |
| Qutub Minar and its Monuments, Delhi | Delhi | Late 12th Century | Qutubuddin Aibak and Illtumish |
| Mountain Railways in India | Darjeeling 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 Centuries | Indian Railways |
| Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya | Bihar | 3rd century BC 5th and 6th century AD and 19th century | Emperor Ashoka and Gupta Rulers |
| Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka | Madhya Pradesh | 30000 years | _ |
| Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (Formerly Victoria Terminus) | Maharashtra | 1887 to 1888 | Frederick William Stevens |
| Champaner Pavagadh Archaeological Park | Gujarat | Prehistoric and 8th to 14th centuries | – |
| Red Fort Complex | Delhi | 1648 | Shahjahan |
| The Jantar Mantar Jaipur | Jaipur, Rajasthan | 1727 and 1734 | Jai Singh II |
| Western Ghats | Agasthyamalai 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 Rajasthan | Ranthambhore Amber Sub-Cluster Jaisalmer Gagron | 7th to 16th Centuries | Rajput Rulers |
| Rani ki Vav (The Queen’s Stepwell) | Patan, Gujarat | 11th Century | Rani Udaymati |
| Great Himalayan National Park | Himachal Pradesh | – | – |
| Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara at Nalanda, Bihar | Bihar | 5th to 12th Century | – |
| Khangchenzonga National Park | Sikkim | – | – |
| The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier | Chandigarh | 20th Century | Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret, Matthew Nowicki and Albert Mayer |
| Historic City of Ahmadabad | Ahmedabad, Gujarat | 15th Century | Sultan Ahmad Shah I |
| The Victorian and Art Deco Ensemble of Mumbai | Maharashtra | Late 19th to Early 20th Century | – |
| Jaipur | Jaipur, Rajasthan | November 1727 | Sawai Jai Singh II |
| Kakatiya Rudreshwara (Ramappa) Temple | Telangana | 1213 | Ganapati Deva and Recharla Rudra Reddy |
| Dholavira: A Harappan City | Gujarat | 3rd 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
- 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 | Region | Period |
| Temples at Bishnupur | West Bengal (Bishnupur) | 1600 – 1758 AD |
| Mattancherry Palace, Ernakulam, Kerala | Kerala (Mattancherry, Kochi) | 1555 AD |
| Mandu, Madhya Pradesh Group of Monuments | Madhya Pradesh (Mandu) | Mostly 16th and 17th Centuries AD |
| Ancient Buddhist Site, Sarnath, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh | Uttar Pradesh (Sarnath, Varanasi District) | 500 CE |
| Sri Harimandir Sahib, Amritsar, Punjab | Punjab, India (Amritsar) | August 1604 |
| River Island of Majuli in midstream of Brahmaputra River in Assam | Assam (Brahmaputra River) | – |
| Namdapha National Park | Arunachal Pradesh | – |
| Wild Ass Sanctuary, Little Rann of Kutch | Gujarat (Kutchh) | – |
| Bhitarkanika Conservation Area | Odisha | – |
| Neora Valley National Park | West Bengal (Kalimpong District) | – |
| Desert National Park | Rajasthan | – |
| Mughal Gardens in Kashmir | Jammu and Kashmir (Chashma Shahi, Srinagar) | 1619–1650 AD |
| Silk Road Sites in India | Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra, Puducherry, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh | Around 114 BC – 1450s |
| Santiniketan | West Bengal (Shantiniketan) | 1862 |
| The Qutb Shahi Monuments of Hyderabad | Telangana (Hyderabad) | 14th to 17th centuries |
| Delhi | Delhi | 6th century BC |
| Apatani Cultural Landscape | Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh | – |
| Archaeological remains of Lothal | Lothal, Gujarat | 2450 BC to 1800 BC |
| Bahá’í House of Worship | Bahá’í House of Worship, Delhi (New Delhi) | December 24, 1986 |
| Cellular Jail | Cellular Jail, Port Blair | 1906 |
| Chettinad, Village Clusters of the Tamil Merchants | Tamil Nadu | mostly 19th century |
| Chilika Lake | Odisha | – |
| Monuments and forts of the Deccan Sultanate | Karnataka (Gulbarga, Bidar, Bijapur) and Telangana (Hyderabad) | 16th and 17th centuries |
| Ekamra Kshetra – The Temple City | Odisha (Bhubaneswar) | 3rd century BC to 11th century AD |
| Iconic Saree Weaving Clusters of India | India | 2014 |
| Padmanabhapuram Palace | Tamil Nadu | 1601 AD |
| Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysala Hoysaleshwara temple, Halebidu | Karnataka (Belur and Halebidu) | 1113–1268 AD |
| Monuments of Srirangapatna Island Town | Karnataka | 9th–18th century |
| Narcondam Island | Andaman and Nicobar islands | – |
| The Neolithic Settlement of Burzahom | Jammu and Kashmir | 3000 BC to 1000 BC |
| Thembang Fortified Village | Arunachal Pradesh | – |
| The Glorious Kakatiya Temples and Gateways | Telangana (Warangal) | 12th and 13th centuries 2014 |
| Sites of Satyagraha | India | – |
| Moidams – the Mound-Burial system of the Ahom Dynasty | Assam | |
| Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam | Tamil Nadu (Srirangam, Tiruchirapalli) | 817 AD, or before, to 1987 |
| Mountain Railways of India (Extension) | Maharashtra | 1881 |
| Sites along the Uttarapath, Badshahi Sadak, Sadak-e-Azam, Grand Trunk Road | India | – |
| Evolution of Temple Architecture – Aihole-Badami-Pattadakal | Karnataka (Aihole, Badami, and Pattadakal) | 5th to 8th Centuries |
| Cold Desert Cultural Landscape of India | Ladakh | – |
| Keibul Lamjao Conservation Area | Manipur | 1977 |
| Garo Hills | Meghalaya | – |
| The historic ensemble of Orchha | Madhya Pradesh | 16th century |
| Iconic Riverfront of the Historic City of Varanasi | Varanasi, India | – |
| Temples of Kanchipuram | Tamil Nadu | 6th – 7th centuries CE |
| Hire Benkal, Megalithic Site | Karnataka | Neolithic Age |
| Bhedaghat- Lametaghat in Narmada Valley Marble Rocks at Bhedaghat | Madhya Pradesh | – |
| Satpura Tiger Reserve | Madhya Pradesh | – |
| Serial Nomination of Maratha Military Architecture in Maharashtra | Maharashtra | 17th century CE |
| Geoglyphs of Konkan Region of India | Maharashtra, Goa | |
| Jingkieng jri: Living Root Bridge Cultural Landscapes | Meghalaya | |
| Sri Veerabhadra Temple and Monolithic Bull (Nandi), Lepakshi (The Vijayanagara Sculpture and Painting Art Tradition) | Andhra Pradesh | |
| Sun Temple, Modhera and its adjoining monuments | Gujarat | |
| Vadnagar – A multi-layered Historic town, Gujarat | Gujarat | |
| Rock-cut Sculptures and Reliefs of the Unakoti, Unakoti Range, Unakoti District | Tripura |
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