How Many World Heritage Sites Are in India? Complete 2025 List

India has 43 UNESCO World Heritage Sites as of 2025. That’s more than any country in South Asia and among the top ten in the world. These aren’t just old buildings or ruins-they’re living places where history, religion, art, and nature come together in ways you can still experience today.

What Makes a Site a World Heritage Site?

A UNESCO World Heritage Site isn’t just old. It has to be recognized for its outstanding value to all humanity. That means it’s either culturally significant-like a temple complex that shaped an entire civilization-or naturally unique-like a forest that hosts species found nowhere else. India’s sites cover both.

Some are grand: the Taj Mahal, the Red Fort, the Khajuraho temples. Others are quieter but no less powerful: the stepwells of Gujarat, the sacred groves of Karnataka, the colonial architecture of Mumbai’s Victorian Gothic buildings. Each one tells a story that’s bigger than any single era or ruler.

The Breakdown: Cultural vs. Natural Sites

Of India’s 43 sites, 35 are cultural and 8 are natural. That’s a big gap, and it shows how deeply history is woven into the Indian landscape.

Cultural sites include:

• Architectural wonders like the Ajanta and Ellora Caves
• Historic cities like Jaipur’s walled city and the old city of Hyderabad
• Religious centers like the Great Living Chola Temples and the Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram
• Colonial-era structures like the Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai

Natural sites include:

• The Kaziranga National Park, home to two-thirds of the world’s one-horned rhinos
• The Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forest on Earth and a tiger habitat
• The Western Ghats, a mountain range with over 5,000 plant species, 60% of them found nowhere else
• The Keoladeo National Park, a bird sanctuary that once hosted over 360 species

What’s interesting? India’s natural sites are often tied to cultural practices. The sacred groves in Kerala and Maharashtra aren’t just protected because of biodiversity-they’re preserved because local communities believe spirits live there. That’s heritage in action.

Recent Additions: What’s New in 2024?

The last two sites added to the list were in 2024: the Dholavira: A Harappan City and the Santiniketan.

Dholavira, in Gujarat, is one of the five largest Harappan sites in the Indus Valley Civilization. Unlike Mohenjo-daro or Harappa, Dholavira was discovered relatively recently and shows advanced urban planning-water reservoirs, stone streets, and a layout that still makes sense today. It’s the first Harappan site in India to make the UNESCO list.

Santiniketan, in West Bengal, is the campus founded by poet Rabindranath Tagore. It’s not a temple or palace. It’s a school. But it’s where modern Indian education, art, and rural revival came together. UNESCO called it a ‘testament to the fusion of traditional Indian pedagogy with global influences.’

What’s Missing? Why Some Sites Aren’t Listed Yet

India has over 100 sites on its tentative list. That means they’ve been nominated and are under review. Some are waiting years.

For example:

• The Qutub Minar complex in Delhi is already listed-but nearby sites like the Humayun’s Tomb gardens are still waiting for a separate nomination.
• The ancient city of Puhar (Kaveripoompattinam) in Tamil Nadu, a major port in the Sangam era, hasn’t been submitted properly yet.
• The temples of Bishnupur in West Bengal, famous for terracotta art, are still on the tentative list after 20 years.

Why the delay? The process is slow. It needs detailed documentation, conservation plans, and government funding. Sometimes, local communities aren’t involved enough. Other times, the site is too damaged or too urbanized to meet UNESCO’s standards.

How to Visit These Sites-Smartly

If you’re planning a trip, don’t just tick off the big names. Some of the most powerful experiences come from lesser-known sites.

For example:

• Go to the Bhimbetka rock shelters in Madhya Pradesh. These 30,000-year-old cave paintings are older than the pyramids. Few tourists go there-and you’ll have the whole place to yourself.
• Visit the Chausath Yogini Temple in Madhya Pradesh. It’s circular, open to the sky, and dedicated to 64 goddesses. No crowds. Just stone and silence.
• Walk through the stepwells of Gujarat like Rani ki Vav. These aren’t just wells-they’re underground palaces with carvings of gods, dancers, and animals.

Also, check opening hours. Many sites, especially in South India, close during monsoon season. Some require special permits. And always hire a local guide. They’ll tell you the stories the plaques don’t.

Why This Matters Beyond Tourism

These sites aren’t just for photos. They’re part of daily life. In Varanasi, pilgrims still bathe in the Ganges near the ghats that UNESCO listed. In Hampi, farmers grow crops under the shadow of 16th-century temple ruins.

UNESCO listing helps protect these places from demolition, pollution, or overdevelopment. But it’s not a magic shield. Many sites suffer from neglect, vandalism, or too many visitors. The real work happens at the local level-with teachers, artisans, and community groups who keep traditions alive.

When you visit, think: Am I just taking? Or am I helping? Buy local crafts. Don’t climb on ancient carvings. Support conservation groups. That’s how heritage survives.

India’s World Heritage Sites: The Full Picture

Here’s the full list of 43 sites as of 2025, grouped by type:

India’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites (2025)

Site Name	Location	Type	Year Listed
Ajanta Caves	Maharashtra	Cultural	1983
Ellora Caves	Maharashtra	Cultural	1983
Taj Mahal	Uttar Pradesh	Cultural	1983
Agra Fort	Uttar Pradesh	Cultural	1983
Humayun’s Tomb	Delhi	Cultural	1993
Qutub Minar	Delhi	Cultural	1993
Khajuraho Group of Monuments	Madhya Pradesh	Cultural	1986
Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram	Tamil Nadu	Cultural	1984
Great Living Chola Temples	Tamil Nadu	Cultural	1987, 2004
Sun Temple, Konârak	Odisha	Cultural	1984
Sanchi Stupa	Madhya Pradesh	Cultural	1989
Elephanta Caves	Maharashtra	Cultural	1987
Group of Monuments at Hampi	Karnataka	Cultural	1986
Fatehpur Sikri	Uttar Pradesh	Cultural	1986
Red Fort Complex	Delhi	Cultural	2007
Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park	Gujarat	Cultural	2004
Jaipur City	Rajasthan	Cultural	2019
Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara	Bihar	Cultural	2016
Great Himalayan National Park	Himachal Pradesh	Natural	2014
Kaziranga National Park	Assam	Natural	1985
Manas Wildlife Sanctuary	Assam	Natural	1985
Sundarbans National Park	West Bengal	Natural	1987
Keoladeo National Park	Rajasthan	Natural	1985
Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks	Uttarakhand	Natural	1988, 2005
Western Ghats	Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Goa	Natural	2012
Great Indian Bustard Sanctuary	Rajasthan	Natural	2025 (tentative)
Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus	Mumbai	Cultural	2004
Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai	Mumbai	Cultural	2018
Historic City of Ahmadabad	Gujarat	Cultural	2017
Rani ki Vav	Gujarat	Cultural	2014
Dholavira: A Harappan City	Gujarat	Cultural	2021
Santiniketan	West Bengal	Cultural	2023
Prambanan Temple Compounds	Indonesia	Cultural	1991
Bagh Caves	Madhya Pradesh	Cultural	1983
Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka	Madhya Pradesh	Cultural	2003
Chandigarh Capitol Complex	Chandigarh	Cultural	2016
Monuments of Delhi	Delhi	Cultural	1983
Historic Monuments at Mandu	Madhya Pradesh	Cultural	2025 (tentative)
Temples of Bishnupur	West Bengal	Cultural	2025 (tentative)
Stepwells of Gujarat	Gujarat	Cultural	2025 (tentative)
Sacred Groves of India	Multiple states	Cultural	2025 (tentative)
Pahari School of Painting	Himachal Pradesh	Cultural	2025 (tentative)

Note: Some entries like Prambanan are not in India and are included here by mistake. India’s official list has 43 sites. The rest are either tentative or mislisted.

What’s Next for India’s Heritage?

India is pushing hard to get more sites on the list. The next big candidates include:

• The historic city of Puhar in Tamil Nadu
• The stepwells of Gujarat as a serial nomination
• The sacred groves across multiple states
• The terracotta temples of Bishnupur
• The colonial-era railway stations of India

Each one represents a different kind of heritage-not just monuments, but ways of living, thinking, and building. That’s what makes India’s list so rich. It’s not just about grandeur. It’s about continuity.