List of all 42 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India

India is home to 42 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, making it the sixth country with the most sites in the world.

The first four sites to be inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1983 were the Ajanta Caves, Ellora Caves, Agra Fort, and Taj Mahal. The most recent site to be listed is the Hoysala Temples of Karnataka, which was added on 18 September 2023.

Maharashtra is the state with the highest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India, with a total of six sites. One of these sites, the Western Ghats, is shared between six states.

What is UNESCO World Heritage Site?

A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). UNESCO designates World Heritage Sites for their cultural, historical, or scientific significance.

Nomination Process:

To become a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a country must first identify its significant cultural and natural sites and include them in a Tentative List. Then the country can select sites from that list to nominate for inscription on the World Heritage List. The nomination file is evaluated by two international bodies, which make recommendations to the World Heritage Committee.

The Committee meets once a year to decide which nominated properties to add to the World Heritage List. The committee includes a site on the World Heritage List, if it meets at least one of the ten selection criteria.

Out of the 42 World Heritage Sites in India, 34 sites are cultural, 7 are natural, and one is of mixed type. These sites represent India’s rich and diverse cultural and natural heritage.

34 Cultural UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India:

Sno.	Site Name	Inscription Year	State
1	Agra Fort	1983	Uttar Pradesh
2	Ajanta Caves	1983	Maharashtra
3	Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara	2016	Bihar
4	Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi	1989	Madhya Pradesh
5	Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park	2004	Gujrat
6	Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus	2004	Maharashtra
7	Churches and Convents of Goa	1986	Goa
8	Dholavira: A Harappan City	2021	Gujrat
9	Elephant Caves	1987	Maharashtra
10	Ellora Caves	1983	Maharashtra
11	Fatehpur Sikri	1986	Uttar Pradesh
12	Great Living Chola Temples	1987,2004	Tamilnadu
13	Group of Monuments at Hampi	1986	Karnataka
14	Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram	1984	Tamilnadu
15	Group of Monuments at Pattadakal	1987	Karnataka
16	Hill Forts of Rajasthan	2013	Rajasthan
17	Historic City of Ahmadabad	2017	Gujrat
18	Humayun’s Tomb	1993	Delhi
19	Jaipur City	2019	Rajasthan
20	Kakatiya Rudreshwara(Ramappa) Temple	2021	Telangana
21	Khajuraho Group of Monuments	1986	Madhya Pradesh
22	Mahabodhi Temple Complex	2002	Bihar
23	Mountain Raiways of India	1995,2005,2008	–
24	Qutb Minar and its Monuments	1993	Delhi
25	Rani-ki-Vav	2014	Gujrat
26	Red Fort Complex	2007	Delhi
27	Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka	2003	Madhya Pradesh
28	Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas	2023	Karnataka
29	Santiniketan	2023	West Bengal
30	Sun Temple	1984	Odisha
31	Taj Mahal	1983	Uttar Pradesh
32	The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier	2016	Chandigarh
33	The Jantar Mantar	2010	Rajasthan
34	Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai	2018	Maharashtra

7 Natural UNESCO World Heritages in India:

Sno.	Site Name	Inscription Year	State
35	Great Himalyan National Park Conservative Area	2014	Himachal Pradesh
36	Kaziranga National Park	1985	Assam
37	Keoladeo National Park	1985	Rajasthan
38	Manas Wildlife Sanctuary	1985	Assam
39	Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks	1988,2005	Uttarakhand
40	Sundarbans National Park	1987	West Bengal
41	Western Ghats	2012	Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu

1 Mixed(Natural and Cultural) UNESCO World Heritage Site in India:

SNo.	Site Name	Inscription Year	State
42	Khangchendzonga National Park	2016	Sikkim