World Heritage Sites (WHS)

• places of Outstanding Universal Value
• Recognized for cultural, natural or mixed significance
• Protected for the benefit of present and future generations

Tentative list

• Official inventory of cultural and natural sites.
• The state party to the framework nominates the sites to be considered for the UNESCO's World Heritage List.

Bharat's tentative list

• total 70 sites are currently on to the list.
• Categories covered are cultural, natural and mixed heritage.
• The latest addition is the Chausathi Yogini group of temples, Odisha, added last year.

World Heritage Committee Session, 2024

• 46th Session of the World Heritage Committee in New Delhi on 21 July, 2024.

UNESCO

• in 1960s, US promoting the concept of a ‘World Heritage Trust’
• 1972 - the adoption of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage
• 14, Nov, 1977 -Bharat accepted the World Heritage Convention

Strategic objectives - 5C's

1. credibility,
2. conservation,
3. capacity-building,
4. communication, and
5. communities.

Sites in Bharat

• ! 44 UNESCO-identified cultural and natural sites as of 2025
• Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Ajanta Caves, and Ellora Caves - first 4 sites inscribed in 1983

5. Konark Sun Temple,
6. Ahmedabad city,
7. Kaziranga National Park,
8. the ancient city of Dholavira,
9. Nalanda Mahavira,
10. Rani ki Vav, Gujarat
11. Reclining Buddha
12. Gujarat’s Garba in UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity - recent inclusion
13. the Charaideo Maidam of Assam, mound-burial system of the Ahom Dynasty

Examples around world

Egypt

• construction of Egypt’s Aswan High Dam in 1954 raised international concerns over fears it would submerge Egypt’s ancient archaeological heritage sites, specifically the Abu Simbel temple complex.
• In 1959, in response to appeals from the governments of Egypt and Sudan, UNESCO launched a campaign to assist them in protecting and rescuing endangered monuments.

Issues

Hampi, Karnataka

• The capital city of the Vijayanagar Empire from the 14th to 16th centuries
• inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986
• includes mandapas, pillared halls, gateways, temples, the chariot, and an exceptional hydraulic system
• protected under
  • the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act 1958
  • the Karnataka Ancient and Historical Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act 1961. 
• @ included in the World Heritage in Danger List in 1999, prompted by the construction of two suspension bridges that threatened the site’s integrity
• From 1999 to 2006, Hampi was on the endangered list, until restoration efforts based on the recommendations of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and the World Heritage Centre began.
• Urban Master Plan was established to monitor illegal constructions
• Today, the ASI, under the Ministry of Culture, has a separate, smaller administrative division, which monitors and manages the site of Hampi.

Rani ki vav

• in 2015 allowed the renovation of an abandoned railway line close to Rani ki Vav in Patan, Gujarat.
• In 2023, ahead of the World Cup cricket final, captains Rohit Sharma and Pat Cummins posed for a photograph with the trophy at the Adalaj ki Vav (Adalaj Stepwell)

Print

July 2025

Forts of Chhatrapati Shivaji

• @ latest inclusion - Maratha Military landscapes

World Heritage Sites

Tell Umm Amer Heritage site, Palestine

• The World Heritage Committee (WHC) decided to include the Palestinian site of Tell Umm Amer in both the UNESCO World Heritage Site List and the Lost of World Heritage in Danger during its 46th session in New Delhi.
• It is an ancient Christian monastery founded in the fourth century by Hilarion the Great (291-371 CE).
• It is also known as the ‘Monastery of Saint Hilarion.
• It was the first monastic community in the Holy Land, laying the groundwork for the spread of monastic practices in the region.
• The monastery occupied a strategic position at the crossroads of major trade and communication routes between Asia and Africa.

February 2026

UNESCO WHS Tentative List

• The list included Odisha's Diamond Temple named
  1. Ratnagiri,
  2. Udayagiri, and
  3. Lalitgiri.
• This is the first mandatory step before a full inscription into the World Heritage Sites list.

Diamond Triangle

• The Buddhist Diamond Triangle refers to a serial cultural cluster of three major Buddhist monastic stupa complexes in Jajpur and Katak districts of Odisha

Lalitgiri

• Also known as Naltigiri
• Located on the Nandapahad hillock
• Earliest among the three
• Came into prominence between the $2^{nd}$ and $3^{rd}$ century BCE to the $13^{th}$ century CE.
• One of the longest-lived Buddhist sites in India

Udayagiri

• Also known as the Sunrise Hill
• Largest among the three
• Situated on the crescent-shaped hill along the Virupari
• Flourished from the 1st to the 13th century CE
• A major center for Buddhist learning.

Ratnagiri

• Means Hill of Jewels
• Located 100 km north east of Bhubaneswar
• Between Birupa and Brahmani rivers
• Emerged as a major Vajrayana hub between the 4th and 12th centuries CE, particularly under the Bhaumakara dynasty.
• The only Buddhist monastery in India with a curvilinear roof.
  • curvilinear roofs often mimic natural forms, such as waves, hills, or shells.

Witnessed all 3 schools of Buddhism

The sites are believed to have witnessed the propagation of all three major schools of Buddhism:

1. Hinayana,
2. Mahayana, and
3. Vajrayana.

Reason behind the name

The term "diamond triangle" is linked to Vajrayana or Tantrayana Buddhism, where Vajra means thunderbolt or diamond.

UNESCO Asia Pacific Awards

About the awards

• Established in 2000
• UNESCO Asia-Pacific Award for Cultural Heritage Conservation
• Honour the efforts to recognize the outstanding heritage conservation projects.
• Eligibility includes private individuals, organizations, and public-private partnerships.
• The project must have been completed within the last ten years.

The categories are

• Award of Excellence (highest)
• Award of Distinction
• Award of Merit
• Award for New Design in Heritage Context
• Special Recognition for Sustainable Development (Started since 2020)

Award of Merit for the Year 2025

• $ 475 years old Our Lady of Grace Cathedral in Vasai in Palghar in Maharashtra.

About Our Lady of Grace Cathedral

• Built during the Portuguese influence in the Konkan region
• Notable for using traditional stone and mud mortar, entirely eschewing the modern cement, a testament to 16th century engineering.
  • Portuguese architectural style is characterized by heavy stone masonry and fortress-like exterior

Key elements

• Prominent bell tower
• restored colonnade
• hand-carved liturgical elements
• wooden altars
• use of authentic materials like lime, wood, and stone