Indian Rich Culture, monuments recognised by UNESCO as a world Heritage Site, are preserved for future generations. (This is copied from Wikipedia and amended accordingly)
UNESCO World Heritage Site of India
| Heritage Site | State | Year | Brief of Heritage site |
| Ajanta Caves | Maharashtra | 1983 | The Ajanta caves represent a collection of Buddhist art from two periods. The first monuments date to the 2nd and 1st centuries BCE and were created by the followers of Theravada Buddhism. Further monuments were added in the 5th and 6th centuries CE, during the Vakataka dynasty, by the followers of Mahayana Buddhism. |
| Ellora Caves | Maharashtra | 1983 | The Ellora Caves comprise 34 temples and monasteries built between the 7th and 11th centuries. They were built by followers of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism |
| Agra Fort | Uttar Pradesh | 1983 | Agra Fort is a 16th-century Mughal imperial fortress in Agra. It got its present layout under the Emperor Akbar. |
| Taj Mahal | Uttar Pradesh | 1983 | The Taj Mahal is the finest example of Indo-Islamic architecture. It was built in Agra between 1631 and 1648. It was designed by Ustad Ahmad Lahori . |
| Sun Temple, Konark | Odisha | 1984 | This Hindu temple was built in the 13th century and is one of the finest examples of Kalinga architecture. It represents the chariot of the solar deity Surya. |
| Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram | Tamil Nadu | 1984 | The monuments around the town of Mamallapuram were built in the 7th and 8th centuries, under the Pallava dynasty. |
| Kaziranga National Park | Assam | 1985 | It is one of the best wildlife sanctuaries in the world, home to the world’s largest population of the Indian rhinoceros |
| Manas Wildlife Sanctuary | Assam | 1985 | The sanctuary along the Manas River covers grasslands on floodplains and forests, both in lowlands and in hills. the site was listed as endangered due to poaching and the activities of Bodo militias. |
| Keoladeo National Park | Rajasthan | 1985 | Keoladeo is a man-made and man-maintained wetland. It is important both for migratory and resident birds, especially waterbirds. Over 350 species of birds The park is also protected under the Ramsar Convention. |
| Churches and Convents of Goa | Goa | 1986 | The site comprises seven churches and convents that were built in the 16th and 17th centuries . The Basilica of Bom Jesus, where Saint Francis Xavier is buried |
| Khajuraho Group of Monuments | Madhya Pradesh | 1986 | This site comprises 23 temples, both Hindu and Jain, that were built in the 10th and 11th centuries, during the Chandela dynasty. The temples are built in the Nagara style. |
| Group of Monuments at Hampi | Karnataka | 1986 | Hampi was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire until its abandonment after its sacking and pillaging by the Deccan sultanates in 1565. For about 200 years, it was a prosperous multi-cultural city |
| Fatehpur Sikri | Uttar Pradesh | 1986 | Fatehpur Sikri was the capital of the Mughal Empire under Emperor Akbar, until the capital was moved to Lahore in 1585 . The site comprises a large collection of monuments and temples in the Mughal style, such as the Jama Masjid, the Buland Darwaza, the Panch Mahal palace, and the Tomb of Salim Chishti. |
| Group of Monuments at Pattadakal | Karnataka | 1987 | This site comprises nine Hindu temples and one Jain temple that were built in the 7th and 8th centuries under the Chalukya dynasty |
| Elephanta Caves | Maharashtra | 1987 | The cave complex, located on Elephanta Island in Mumbai Harbour, was constructed mainly in the 5th and 6th centuries, with remains of human occupation dating back to the 2nd century BCE. The temples are dedicated to Shiva. |
| Great Living Chola Temples | Tamil Nadu | 1987 | This site comprises three Hindu temples built in the 11th and 12th centuries under the Chola dynasty. Initially, only the Brihadisvara Temple was listed as a World Heritage Site; two other temples, the Brihadisvara Temple and the Airavatesvara Temple were added in 2004, after which the site was renamed to its current name. |
| Sundarbans National Park | West Bengal | 1987 | It is the world’s largest and richest mangrove forest, with about 78 recorded mangrove species. |
| Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks | Uttarakhand | 1988 | This site comprises two areas in the West Himalayas, the Valley of Flowers National Park and the Nanda Devi National Park. the area is home to the Asiatic black bear, snow leopard, brown bear, and bharal. Nanda Devi NP was originally listed alone in 1988; the Valley of Flowers NP was added in 2005. |
| Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi | Madhya Pradesh | 1989 | Sanchi is one of the oldest extant Buddhist sanctuaries and was instrumental in the spread of the religion through the Indian subcontinent. It became important under Emperor Ashoka of the Maurya Empire in the 3rd century BCE. The remains of a pillar from the period are preserved. |
| Humayun’s Tomb, Delhi | Delhi | 1993 | The tomb of the Mughal emperor Humayun was constructed in the 1560s and represents the first example of a garden tomb on the Indian subcontinent, |
| Qutb Minar and its Monuments, Delhi | Delhi | 1993 | The complex comprises several early Islamic India monuments from the 13th and 14th centuries when the Delhi Sultanate established power there. |
| Mountain Railways of India | West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh | 1999 | The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway was initially listed alone in 1999. The Nilgiri Mountain Railway was added in 2005, and the Kalka–Shimla railway (pictured) in 2008. |
| Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya | Bihar | 2002 | The Buddhist temple complex marks the site where Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree. The present temple dates to the 5th and 6th centuries CE during the Gupta period and was built upon a previous structure commissioned by Emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BCE. |
| Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka | Madhya Pradesh | 2003 | This site comprises five clusters of rock shelters in the foothills of the Vindhya Range. They contain rock paintings from the hunter-gatherer societies of the Mesolithic to the historical period. The nearby villages still maintain some cultural practices similar to those depicted in the paintings. |
| Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus) | Maharashtra | 2004 | built in the late 19th century. It was designed by Frederick William Stevens in the Victorian Gothic style with influences from Indian traditional buildings. |
| Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park | Gujarat | 2004 | The site contains remains from several periods, from the Chalcolithic to the remains of Champaner. Important buildings include the Hindu temple Kalika Mata, Jain temples, and Jama Mosque which features both Hindu and Muslim architectural elements. |
| Red Fort Complex | Delhi | 2007 | The Red Fort was built under Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in the mid-17th century |
| The Jantar Mantar, Jaipur | Rajasthan | 2010 | The Jantar Mantar in Jaipur is India’s most significant historic astronomical observatory. It dates from the early 18th century and was built by Rajput king Sawai Jai Singh. |
| Western Ghats | Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu | 2012 | The Western Ghats is a mountain range that runs along the western coast of the Indian subcontinent. The area is a biodiversity hotspot and home to endangered species such as the Bengal tiger, lion-tailed macaque, Nilgiri tahr, and Nilgiri langur. The World Heritage Site comprises 39 individual properties. |
| Hill Forts of Rajasthan | Rajasthan | 2013 | This site comprises six forts: the Chittor Fort, Kumbhalgarh Fort, Ranthambore Fort, Gagron Fort, Amber Fort and Jaisalmer Fort, which were constructed between the 8th and 18th centuries by Rajput kingdoms. They are situated in different settings; for example, Ranthambore is in a forest, and Jaisalmer is in a desert. |
| Rani-ki-Vav (the Queen’s Stepwell) at Patan, Gujarat | Gujarat | 2014 | Rani-ki-Vav is one of the finest examples of a stepwell, an elaborate type of well where groundwater is accessed through several levels of stairs. It was constructed in the 11th century, during the Chaulukya dynasty, on the banks of the Saraswati River in the city of Patan. After the change in the river course in the 13th century, it was no longer in use and got covered with silt, which allowed for its preservation. |
| Great Himalayan National Park Conservation Area | Himachal Pradesh | 2014 | The national park covers habitats from alpine peaks of the Himalayas above 6,000 m (20,000 ft) to alpine meadows and riverine forests below 2,000 m (6,600 ft). |
| Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara at Nalanda, Bihar | Bihar | 2016 | Nalanda Mahavihara was a Buddhist ancient higher-learning institution established in the 5th century and lasting until its sacking in the 13th century. The remains include shrines and stupas, viharas (residential and educational buildings), and artworks in different materials |
| Khangchendzonga National Park | Sikkim | 2016 | The national park is located around Mount Khangchendzonga, the world’s third highest mountain (8,586 m (28,169 ft)). It is a sacred mountain in Tibetan Buddhism, where the area is considered a beyul, a sacred hidden land |
| The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier, an Outstanding Contribution to the Modern Movement* | Chandigarh | 2016 | This transnational site (shared with Argentina, Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland, and Japan) encompasses 17 works of Franco-Swiss architect Le Corbusier. Le Corbusier was an important representative of the 20th-century Modernist movement, which introduced new architectural techniques to meet the needs of the changing society. |
| Historic City of Ahmadabad | Gujarat | 2017 | The city of Ahmedabad was founded by Ahmad Shah I in 1411 to serve as the capital of the Gujarat Sultanate. It was the meeting place of many religions (Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Jainism, Christianity, Zoroastrianism, and Judaism), which resulted in a unique urban fabric. The architecture is based on timber, and the typical neighborhoods are called pols, densely packed traditional houses with gated streets. |
| Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai | Maharashtra | 2018 | This site comprises two assemblies of buildings in Mumbai from the British Empire era. Public buildings in the Victorian Gothic style .The Bombay High Court building . The Art Deco buildings date to the early 20th century and include cinema halls and apartment buildings. |
| Jaipur City, Rajasthan | Rajasthan | 2019 | Jaipur was founded by the Rajput ruler Jai Singh II in 1727. It was a strong trade centre and home to craftsmen and artists. Important buildings and sites include the Hawa Mahal palace , Govind Dev Ji Temple, City Palace, and Jantar Mantar, which is listed as a separate World Heritage Site. |
| Kakatiya Rudreshwara (Ramappa) Temple, Telangana | Telangana | 2021 | The Hindu temple, dedicated to Shiva, was constructed in the first half of the 13th century under the Kakatiya dynasty. It is decorated with stone carvings and sculptures in granite and dolerite that depict regional dance customs |
| Dholavira: a Harappan City | Gujarat | 2021 | Dholavira was one of the centres of the Harappan Civilisation from the 3rd to mid-2nd millennium BCE, in the Bronze Age. The remains include a walled city and a cemetery, and there are remains of buildings and water management systems. The site was rediscovered in 1968. |
| Santiniketan | West Bengal | 2023 | Santiniketan was founded as an ashram by Debendranath Tagore in the second half of the 19th century and then developed into a university town for Visva-Bharati University. |
| Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas | Karnataka | 2023 | Three Hoysala temples – the Chennakeshava Temple in Belur, the Hoysaleswara Temple in Halebidu and the Keshava temple in Somanathapura, dating between the 12th and 14th centuries. The temples were built by the followers of Vaishnavism and Shaivism and they are richly decorated with stone sculptures and carvings. The Chennakeshava Temple in Belur is still an important pilgrimage site. |
There are many Heritage site which are nominated but not added in UNESCO world Heritage Site
World heritage