World Heritage Sites are monuments, cities and natural areas that the World Heritage Committee lists under UNESCO's 1972 Convention because they have 'outstanding universal value'. Sites are cultural, natural or mixed (both). A country must first put a site on its Tentative List, then nominate it; the 21-member Committee decides at its annual session.
Key facts
- Convention adopted 16 November 1972, in force 1975; 196 states parties; about 1,273 sites in 173 countries. (as of 23 Oct 2026)
- India ratified the convention on 14 November 1977; its first inscriptions were in 1983 (Agra Fort, Ajanta and others).
- India's sites are mostly cultural, with seven natural and one mixed site; the first four were inscribed in 1983.
- The World Heritage Committee has 21 members and meets once a year; a site must be on a country's Tentative List before nomination.
- The 46th session (2024) was held in New Delhi, the first in India.
Latest
India has 45 World Heritage Sites (37 cultural, 7 natural, 1 mixed); the newest are Moidams (2024), Maratha Military Landscapes (2025) and Sarnath (2026). On 29 September 2026 India added five entries to its Tentative List (now 78): Bagh Cave Paintings, Udaigiri Caves, Ginnorgarh Fort and the Chambal Valley temples, all in Madhya Pradesh, plus the transnational Sites of Satyagraha (seven components in India, two in South Africa); the Painted Haveli Towns of Shekhawati (Rajasthan) and Rangpur (Assam) were added earlier in September.
Why exams ask about it
Every year setters ask the newest Indian site, its state, the only mixed site, the session city and the Tentative List additions.