- UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, established in 1946 and headquartered in Paris. It aims to encourage conservation of natural and cultural heritage around the world through initiatives like the World Heritage Convention. - India has over 30 cultural sites and 7 natural sites inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, including the Taj Mahal, Ellora and Ajanta Caves, Sundarbans National Park, and Nanda Devi National Park. - These sites represent outstanding examples of architectural, archaeological, and natural heritage, showcasing India's rich cultural traditions and biodiversity. UNESCO works to promote their protection for future generations.

2. UNESCO
✔ It is located in Paris, France.
✔ UNESCO was established on November
4th, 1946 as a specialized agency of the
UN. Its 1st General Conference was held
on November 19th, 1946 in Paris.
✔ India has 38 world heritage sites that
include 30 Cultural properties, 7 Natural
properties and 1 mixed site.
✔ UNESCO strives to encourage the
conservation, identification, and
maintenance of natural and cultural
heritage around the world.
✔ This is embodied in an international
treaty called the Convention concerning
the Protection of the World Cultural and
Natural Heritage, adopted by UNESCO in
1972.

3. NATURAL HERITAGE SITE STATE YEAR OF
NOTIFICATION
Kaziranga National Park Assam 1985
Keoladeo Ghana National Park Rajasthan 1985
Manas Wildlife Sanctuary Assam 1985
Nanda Devi National Park and Valley
of Flowers
Uttarakhand 1988
Sundarbans National Park West Bengal 1987
Western Ghats Maharashtra,Goa,Karnataka,Kerala,Tamil
Nadu
2012
Great Himalayan National Park Himachal Pradesh 2014

4. Cultural Heritage Sites
Cultural site State Year of notification
Taj Mahal Uttar Pradesh 1983
Ellora Caves Maharashtra 1983
Ajanta Caves Maharashtra 1983
Agra fort Uttar Pradesh 1983
Sun temple konarak Orissa 1984
Group of monuments at Mahabalipuram Tamil Nadu 1984
Khajuraho group of monuments Madhya Pradesh 1986
Group of monuments at Hampi Karnataka 1986
Fatehpur Sikri Uttar Pradesh 1986

5. Churches and convents of Goa Goa 1986
Group of monuments at Pattadakal Karnataka 1987
Great Living Chola Temples Tamil Nadu 1987
Elephanta Caves Maharashtra 1987
Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi Madhya Pradesh 1989
Qutb Minar and its Monuments Delhi 1993
Humayun’s Tomb Delhi 1993
Mountain Railways of India Tamil Nadu 1999
Mahabodhi temple complex at Bodh Gaya Bihar 2002
Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka Madhya Pradesh 2003
Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Maharashtra 2004

6. Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological
Park
Gujarat 2004
Red Fort Complex Delhi 2007
The Jantar Mantar Rajasthan 2010
Hill Forts of Rajasthan Rajasthan 2013
Rani-Ki-Van Gujarat 2014
Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara
(Nalanda University)
Bihar 2016
The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier, an
Outstanding Contribution to the Modern
Movement
Chandigarh 2016
Historic City of Ahmedabad Gujarat 2017
Victorian and Art Deco Ensemble of Mumbai Maharashtra 2018
Jaipur City Rajasthan 2020

7. This national park houses the third highest peak in the world – Mount
Khangchendzonga. It also offers unique diversity in terms of landscape
ranging from plains to valleys and glaciers. Meanwhile, a huge part of the
park is composed of snow-capped mountains.
Khangchendzonga National
Park
Sikkim 2016

8. Nanda Devi National Park
boasts rugged and high-
mountain wilderness and is
dominated by India’s
second-highest mountain-
the peak of Nanda Devi.
The Valley of Flowers, in
contrast, flaunts
aesthetically pleasing
meadows of alpine flowers.
This richly diverse area is
also home to rare and
endangered animals,
including the Asiatic black
bear, snow leopard, brown
bear and blue sheep.

9. •Western Ghats consist of a chain of mountains running parallel to India’s
Western Coast and passing from the states of Kerala, Maharashtra, Goa,
Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
•They also influence the Indian monsoon weather patterns that mediate the warm
tropical climate of the region and act as a barrier to rain-laden monsoon winds
that sweep in from the south-west.

10. The Great Himalayan National Park at Kullu, Himachal Pradesh, is characterized by
high alpine peaks, alpine meadows and riverine forests.
•It also encloses glacial and snow meltwater sources of several rivers as well as the
catchment area.

11. This wetland is located
in the state of Rajasthan
and served as a duck
shooting reserve till the
end of 19th century.
However, soon enough
the hunting ceased and
the area was declared a
national park in 1982.
The Sundarbans National
Park, the largest estuarine
mangrove forest in the world
is a national park, tiger
reserve, World Heritage Site
and a biosphere reserve
located in the Sundarbans
Ganges river delta bordering
the Bay of Bengal, in West
Bengal.
It is filled with mangrove
forest and a giant reserve for
Bengal tigers.

12. It was first established as a
reserved forest in 1908 to protect
the dwindling numbers of
rhinoceros
 It underwent several
transformations over the years, as
The Kaziranga Game Sanctuary
in 1916, renamed Kaziranga
Wildlife Sanctuary in 1950, and
declared a national park in 1974.
It is the home of the world's
most one-horned rhinos.
Manas Wildlife Sanctuary is a
biodiversity hotspot located in
Assam. It is a part of Manas
Tiger Reserve and sprawls
alongside Manas river.
 In 1907, it was declared a
reserve forest, a sanctuary in
1928, and became a tiger reserve
in 1973 as part of “Project Tiger”
and a World Heritage Site in
December 1985.

13. ✔ The Taj Mahal, one of the Seven Wonders of the World
✔ It was built by Emperor Shahjahan in memory of his
third wife Begum Mumtaz Mahal who had died in 1631.
✔ It is a mausoleum and funerary mosque.

15. This site includes six majestic
forts situated in Chittorgarh,
Kumbhalgarh, Sawai Madhopur,
Jaisalmer, Jaipur and Jhalawar, all
situated in the state of Rajasthan.
These fortifications enclose
urban centres, palaces, trading
centres and temples, where various
forms of art and culture flourished.

16. These monuments were built by the
Portuguese colonial rulers during the
16th and 18th centuries in Goa.
The Basilica of Bom Jesus also
houses the sacred tomb of St. Francis
Xavier.
These monuments are well known
for spreading- Manueline, Mannerist
and Baroque art in major parts of
Asia.

17. • Chosen from the work of Le Corbusier,
the 17 sites comprising this transnational
serial property are spread over seven
countries.
•Urban and Architectural Work of Le
Corbusier in Chandigarh, is home to
numerous architectural projects of Le
Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret, Matthew
Nowicki and Albert Mayer.

18. •16th-century Mughal
monument
•It comprises the Jahangir
Palace and the Khas Mahal,
built by Shah Jahan;
audience halls, such as the
Diwan-i-Khas
•Built during the second half of the
16th century by Emperor Akbar,
Fatehpur Sikri or ‘The City of
Victory,’ also served as the capital of
the Mughal empire for a short time
period.
•It contains an array of monuments
and temples, including one of the
largest mosques in India- the Jama
Masjid.

19. This series of sculpted caves
are located in Elephanta Island
in India.
There are two groups of caves
on this site: one group consists of
five Hindu caves and the other
consists of two Buddhist caves
There are a total of 29
caves (all buddhist) of which 25
were used as Viharas or
residential caves while 4 were
used as Chaitya or prayer halls.
The paintings are
generally themed around
Buddhism – the life of Buddha
and Jataka stories.
this site is a blend of religious arts from the Jainism,
Buddhism and Hinduism practices
The cave is home to 34 monasteries and temples that were
sculpted into the rocks of the basalt cliffs

20. The Chhatrapati Shivaji
Terminus is a historic railway
station in Mumbai, which serves
as the headquarters of the
Central Railways.
The station was designed
during the late 19th century by
architect Frederick William
Stevens.
It features a Gothic
architectural style and was
named as a World Heritage Site
in 2004.
This is a collection of the Victorian
Gothic buildings and Art Deco
buildings.
They are the Bombay High Court,
Rajabai Clock Tower, Eros Cinema
and the University of Mumbai

21. These temples were built during
the Chandella dynasty, which
reached at its pinnacle between
950 and 1050.
 There are a total of 85 temples
built within this complex but only
22 survived belonging to two
different religions namely-
Hinduism and Jainism, including
the famous Temple of Kandariya.
 You will find a variety of structures in
the area including palaces, monasteries,
temples and monolithic pillars.
The site, however, has been
conjectured to have been developed in
the 3rd century BC, when Emperor
Ashoka of the Mauryan Empire ruled.
These shelters are located within the foothills of Vindhya range, on the southern edge of the
central Indian plateau.
The paintings within these rock shelters are believed to date back to the Mesolithic period.

22. This site was the last capital of the
kingdom of Vijaynagar.
These Dravidian temples and
palaces were built by rulers of
Vijaynagar between the 14th and
16th centuries.
The Virupaksha temple and
several other monuments comprise
this cultural heritage site.
These are a remarkable
combination of temples built by the
Chalukya Dynasty in the 6th to the
8th century at Aihole, Badami and
Pattadakal, the latter city was
known as the “Crown Rubies”.
This site is composed of nine
Hindu temples and a Jain sanctuary

23. Built-in 1570, it has long-
standing cultural significance
because it was the first garden-
tomb to be constructed in India.
This tomb was the inspiration
behind several architectural
innovations including the Taj
Mahal.
as two mosques including the
Quwwatu’l-Islam, the olQutub
Minar was built in red sandstone
in the early 13th century, in
Delhi.
The tower is surrounded by
various aesthetically-pleasing
treasures, for instance- the Alai
Darwaza built-in 1311 as well
dest mosque in northern India.
This was built as the palace fort of Shahjahanabad, the
capital of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and is named after
its immense walls of red sandstone.
The Red Fort Complex in entirety, includes the Red Fort
as well as Salimgarh fort built-in 1546 by Islam Shah Suri.

24. •The first temple was built by
Emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century
BC (260 BC) around the Bodhi Tree
Ficus religiosa
•It is one of the earliest Buddhist
temples built entirely in brick and
considered to be one of the four sacred
sites associated with the life of
Gautama Buddha.
•Considered to be the most ancient
university of the Indian
Subcontinent.
•Includes stupas, shrines, viharas
(residential and educational
buildings) and important artworks in
stucco, stone and metal.

25. The Jantar Mantar in Jaipur is a
collection of architectural
astronomical instruments, built by
Maharaja (King) Jai Singh II at his
then new capital of Jaipur between
1727 and 1734.
It is modelled after the one that he
had built at the Mughal capital of
Delhi. He had constructed a total of
five such facilities at different
locations, including the ones at Delhi
and Jaipur.
The fortified city of Jaipur, in
India’s northwestern state of
Rajasthan was founded in 1727
by Sawai Jai Singh II.a
The streets feature continuous
colonnaded businesses that
intersect in the centre, creating
large public squares called
chaupars. Markets, stalls,
residences and temples built
along the main streets have
uniform facades.

26. This cultural site was inscribed
in 2004 as it holds a large
collection of unexcavated
archaeological properties within
a prehistoric landscape
The site is the only complete and
unchanged Islamic pre-Mughal
city.
Situated on the banks of
Saraswati river, this stepwell
was built as a memorial to a
king.
Stepwells are considered to be
easily accessible underground
water resources and storage
systems, which have been
constructed in the Indian
subcontinent since the
3rd millennium B.C.
•It is a walled city in India, which was
founded in the early 15th century by Ahmad
Shah I of Gujarat Sultanate.