1. India's UNESCO World Heritage Portfolio (42 Sites)
India ratified the UNESCO World Heritage Convention in 1977. With 42 inscribed properties, India ranks 6th globally in terms of total World Heritage Sites (behind Italy, China, Germany, France, and Spain).
High-Yield Recent Inscriptions: 39th to 42nd
- 42nd Site (2023): Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas (Karnataka): Three 12th-13th century temples: Chennakeshava Temple (Belur), Hoysaleswara Temple (Halebidu), and Keshava Temple (Somanathapura). Known for star-shaped (stellate) ground plans and soapstone carvings.
- 41st Site (2023): Santiniketan (West Bengal): The university town and international residential school established by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore in 1901, representing pan-Asian modernism.
- 40th Site (2021): Dholavira (Gujarat): Southern centre of the Harappan Civilization in Khadir Bet island, Rann of Kutch. Famed for sophisticated water reservoir networks and a tiered citadel.
- 39th Site (2021): Kakatiya Rudreshwara / Ramappa Temple (Telangana): 13th-century Shiva temple built with floating bricks and sandbox foundation technology under Kakatiya King Ganapati Deva.
2. Ramsar Wetlands of International Importance (85 Sites)
The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands is an intergovernmental treaty signed in the Iranian city of Ramsar on 2 February 1971 (celebrated annually as World Wetlands Day). India entered into force on 1 February 1982. India now boasts 85 Ramsar sites covering over 1.33 million hectares — the largest network in South Asia.
Followed by Uttar Pradesh (10 Sites), Odisha (6 Sites), and Punjab (6 Sites).
Chilika (Odisha — brackish lagoon) and Keoladeo (Rajasthan) were the first two designated.
The Montreux Record (Critical Exam Trap)
The Montreux Record is a register of wetland sites on the Ramsar List where changes in ecological character have occurred, are occurring, or are likely to occur as a result of technological developments, pollution, or other human interference.
- Currently, two Indian sites are in the Montreux Record: Keoladeo National Park (Rajasthan) and Loktak Lake (Manipur).
- Chilika Lake (Odisha) was placed in the Montreux Record in 1993 due to siltation, but was successfully removed in 2002 after successful ecological dredging by the Chilika Development Authority (CDA).
3. Solved PYQs on Heritage Sites & Wetlands
Q1. Which one of the following is the only "Mixed" World Heritage Site in India inscribed under both natural and cultural criteria?
Explanation: Inscribed in 2016, Khangchendzonga National Park in Sikkim is India's sole Mixed World Heritage Site. It possesses exceptional natural beauty with Mount Khangchendzonga (world's 3rd highest peak) and holds profound sacred cultural significance in Tibetan Buddhist mythology (Beyul).
Q2. Which of the following is the 42nd UNESCO World Heritage Site of India inscribed in September 2023?
Explanation: The Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas (comprising Belur, Halebidu, and Somanathapura temples in Karnataka) was declared the 42nd World Heritage Site during the 45th Session of the World Heritage Committee in Riyadh. Santiniketan was the 41st.