Khangchendzonga National Park

Located at the heart of the Himalayan range in northern India (State of Sikkim), the Khangchendzonga National Park includes a unique diversity of plains, valleys, lakes, glaciers and spectacular, snow-capped mountains covered with ancient forests, including the world’s third highest peak, Mount Khangchendzonga. Mythological stories are associated with this mountain and with a great number of natural elements (caves, rivers, lakes, etc.) that are the object of worship by the indigenous people of Sikkim. The sacred meanings of these stories and practices have been integrated with Buddhist beliefs and constitute the basis for Sikkimese identity.

 India

N27 45 53 E88 22 38

Date of Inscription: 2016

Criteria: (iii)(vi)(vii)(x)

Property : 178,400 ha

Buffer zone: 114,712 ha

Ref: 1513

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Keoladeo National Park

This former duck-hunting reserve of the Maharajas is one of the major wintering areas for large numbers of aquatic birds from Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, China and Siberia. Some 364 species of birds, including the rare Siberian crane, have been recorded in the park.

 India

State of Rajasthan, 50 km west of Agra

N27 9 32 E77 30 31

Date of Inscription: 1985

Criteria: (x)

Property : 2,873 ha 

Ref: 340

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks

Nestled high in West Himalaya, India’s Valley of Flowers National Park is renowned for its meadows of endemic alpine flowers and outstanding natural beauty. This richly diverse area is also home to rare and endangered animals, including the Asiatic black bear, snow leopard, brown bear and blue sheep. The gentle landscape of the Valley of Flowers National Park complements the rugged mountain wilderness of Nanda Devi National Park. Together they encompass a unique transition zone between the mountain ranges of the Zanskar and Great Himalaya, praised by mountaineers and botanists for over a century and in Hindu mythology for much longer.

 India

State of Uttaranchal

N30 43 0.012 E79 40 0.012

Date of Inscription: 1988

Extension: 2005

Criteria: (vii)(x)

Property : 71,783 ha 

Buffer zone: 514,286 ha

Ref: 335bis

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Kaziranga National Park

In the heart of Assam, this park is one of the last areas in eastern India undisturbed by a human presence. It is inhabited by the world's largest population of one-horned rhinoceroses, as well as many mammals, including tigers, elephants, panthers and bears, and thousands of birds.

 India

State of Assam

N26 40 0 E93 25 0

Date of Inscription: 1985

Criteria: (ix)(x)

Property : 42,996 ha 

Ref: 337

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram

 

Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram

This group of sanctuaries, founded by the Pallava kings, was carved out of rock along the Coromandel coast in the 7th and 8th centuries. It is known especially for its rathas (temples in the form of chariots),mandapas (cave sanctuaries), giant open-air reliefs such as the famous 'Descent of the Ganges', and the temple of Rivage, with thousands of sculptures to the glory of Shiva.

 India

Tamil Nadu State, Chingleput District

N12 37 0.012 E80 11 30.012

Date of Inscription: 1984

Criteria: (i)(ii)(iii)(vi)

Ref: 249

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Group of Monuments at Pattadakal

 

Group of Monuments at Pattadakal

Pattadakal, in Karnataka, represents the high point of an eclectic art which, in the 7th and 8th centuries under the Chalukya dynasty, achieved a harmonious blend of architectural forms from northern and southern India. An impressive series of nine Hindu temples, as well as a Jain sanctuary, can be seen there. One masterpiece from the group stands out – the Temple of Virupaksha, built c. 740 by Queen Lokamahadevi to commemorate her husband's victory over the kings from the South.

 India

State of Karnataka, Bijapur District, Badami Taluk

N15 56 53.988 E75 49 0.012

Date of Inscription: 1987

Criteria: (iii)(iv)

Property : 5.56 ha 

Buffer zone: 113 ha

Ref: 239rev

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Humayun's Tomb, Delhi

 

Humayun's Tomb, Delhi

This tomb, built in 1570, is of particular cultural significance as it was the first garden-tomb on the Indian subcontinent. It inspired several major architectural innovations, culminating in the construction of the Taj Mahal.

 India

Delhi

N28 35 35.988 E77 15 2.016

Date of Inscription: 1993

Criteria: (ii)(iv)

Ref: 232

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Mountain Railways of India

Mountain Railways of India

This site includes three railways. The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway was the first, and is still the most outstanding, example of a hill passenger railway. Opened in 1881, its design applies bold and ingenious engineering solutions to the problem of establishing an effective rail link across a mountainous terrain of great beauty. The construction of the Nilgiri Mountain Railway, a 46-km long metre-gauge single-track railway in Tamil Nadu State was first proposed in 1854, but due to the difficulty of the mountainous location the work only started in 1891 and was completed in 1908. This railway, scaling an elevation of 326 m to 2,203 m, represented the latest technology of the time. The Kalka Shimla Railway, a 96-km long, single track working rail link built in the mid-19th century to provide a service to the highland town of Shimla is emblematic of the technical and material efforts to disenclave mountain populations through the railway. All three railways are still fully operational.

 India

N11 30 37.008 E76 56 8.988

Date of Inscription: 1999

Extension: 2005,2008

Criteria: (ii)(iv)

Property : 89 ha 

Buffer zone: 645 ha

Ref: 944ter

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Western Ghats

Older than the Himalaya mountains, the mountain chain of the Western Ghats represents geomorphic features of immense importance with unique biophysical and ecological processes. The site’s high montane forest ecosystems influence the Indian monsoon weather pattern. Moderating the tropical climate of the region, the site presents one of the best examples of the monsoon system on the planet. It also has an exceptionally high level of biological diversity and endemism and is recognized as one of the world’s eight ‘hottest hotspots’ of biological diversity. The forests of the site include some of the best representatives of non-equatorial tropical evergreen forests anywhere and are home to at least 325 globally threatened flora, fauna, bird, amphibian, reptile and fish species.

• Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park
• Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve
• Thattekad Bird Sanctuary
• Mudumalai Tiger Reserve
• Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary
• Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary
• Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary
• Periyar Tiger Reserve
• Srivilliputtur Wildlife Sanctuary
• Eravikulam National Park
• Grass Hills National Park
• Karian Shola National Park
• Sathyamangalam Wildlife Sanctuary
• Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary
• Silent Valley National Park
• New Amarambalam Reserved Forest
• Mukurthi National Park
• Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary
• Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary
• Talakaveri Wildlife Sanctuary
• Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary
• Kudremukh National Park
• Someshwara Wildlife Sanctuary
• Kaas Plateau
• Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary
• Chandoli National Park
• Radhanagari Wildlife Sanctuary
• Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary
• Pambadum Shola National Park
• Anamudi Shola National Park
• Chimmony Wildlife Sanctuary
• Peechi-Vazhani Wildlife Sanctuary
• Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary
• Mathikettan Shola National Park
• Kurinjimala Sanctuary
• Karimpuzha National Park
• Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary
• Ranipuram National Park

India

N8 31 47 E77 14 59

Date of Inscription: 2012

Criteria: (ix)(x)

Property : 795,315 ha

Ref: 1342rev

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Group of Monuments at Hampi

 

Group of Monuments at Hampi

The austere, grandiose site of Hampi was the last capital of the last great Hindu Kingdom of Vijayanagar. Its fabulously rich princes built Dravidian temples and palaces which won the admiration of travellers between the 14th and 16th centuries. Conquered by the Deccan Muslim confederacy in 1565, the city was pillaged over a period of six months before being abandoned.

India

Karnataka, Bellary District

N15 18 51.984 E76 28 18.012

Date of Inscription: 1986

Minor modification inscribed year: 2012

Criteria: (i)(iii)(iv)

Property : 4,187 ha

Buffer zone: 19,454 ha

Ref: 241bis

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus)

Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus)

The Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, formerly known as Victoria Terminus Station, in Mumbai, is an outstanding example of Victorian Gothic Revival architecture in India, blended with themes deriving from Indian traditional architecture. The building, designed by the British architect F. W. Stevens, became the symbol of Bombay as the ‘Gothic City’ and the major international mercantile port of India. The terminal was built over 10 years, starting in 1878, according to a High Victorian Gothic design based on late medieval Italian models. Its remarkable stone dome, turrets, pointed arches and eccentric ground plan are close to traditional Indian palace architecture. It is an outstanding example of the meeting of two cultures, as British architects worked with Indian craftsmen to include Indian architectural tradition and idioms thus forging a new style unique to Bombay.

India

City of Mumbai, Maharashtra State

N18 56 24.44 E72 50 10.33

Date of Inscription: 2004

Criteria: (ii)(iv)

Property : 2.85 ha

Ref: 945rev

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Ajanta Caves

Ajanta Caves

The first Buddhist cave monuments at Ajanta date from the 2nd and 1st centuries B.C. During the Gupta period (5th and 6th centuries A.D.), many more richly decorated caves were added to the original group. The paintings and sculptures of Ajanta, considered masterpieces of Buddhist religious art, have had a considerable artistic influence.

India

Maharashtra State, Aurangabad District , Soyagon Taluka, Lenapur Village

N20 33 11.988 E75 42 0

Date of Inscription: 1983

Criteria: (i)(ii)(iii)(vi)

Property : 8,242 ha

Buffer zone: 78,676 ha

Ref: 242

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Hill Forts of Rajasthan

Brief Description

The serial site, situated in the state of Rajastahan, includes six majestic forts in Chittorgarh; Kumbhalgarh; Sawai Madhopur; Jhalawar; Jaipur, and Jaisalmer. The ecclectic architecture of the forts, some up to 20 kilometres in circumference, bears testimony to the power of the Rajput princely states that flourished in the region from the 8th to the 18th centuries. Enclosed within defensive walls are major urban centres, palaces, trading centres and other buildings including temples that often predate the fortifications within which developed an elaborate courtly culture that supported learning, music and the arts. Some of the urban centres enclosed in the fortifications have survived, as have many of the site's temples and other sacred buildings. The forts use the natural defenses offered by the landscape: hills, deserts, rivers, and dense forests. They also feature extensive water harvesting structures, largely still in use today.

India

N24 52 60 E74 38 46

Date of Inscription: 2013

Criteria: (ii)(iii)

Ref: 247rev

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Agra Fort

Brief Description

Near the gardens of the Taj Mahal stands the important 16th-century Mughal monument known as the Red Fort of Agra. This powerful fortress of red sandstone encompasses, within its 2.5-km-long enclosure walls, the imperial city of the Mughal rulers. It comprises many fairy-tale palaces, such as the Jahangir Palace and the Khas Mahal, built by Shah Jahan; audience halls, such as the Diwan-i-Khas; and two very beautiful mosques.

India

Uttar Pradesh, Agra District

N27 10 60 E78 1 60

Date of Inscription: 1983

Criteria: (iii)

Ref: 251

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Taj Mahal

Brief Description

An immense mausoleum of white marble, built in Agra between 1631 and 1648 by order of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favourite wife, the Taj Mahal is the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage.

India

Uttar Pradesh, Agra District

N27 10 27.012 E78 2 31.992

Date of Inscription: 1983

Criteria: (i)

Ref: 252

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Churches and Convents of Goa

Brief Description

The churches and convents of Goa, the former capital of the Portuguese Indies – particularly the Church of Bom Jesus, which contains the tomb of St Francis-Xavier – illustrate the evangelization of Asia. These monuments were influential in spreading forms of Manueline, Mannerist and Baroque art in all the countries of Asia where missions were established.

India

State of Goa

N15 30 7.992 E73 54 42.012

Date of Inscription: 1986

Criteria: (ii)(iv)(vi)

Ref: 234
Source: http://whc.unesco.org