Sarnath recognised as UNESCO World Heritage Site: Full list of India’s sites, criteria for inclusion

Sarnath in Uttar Pradesh has become a UNESCO World Heritage site, as announced by the UN group in Busan, South Korea, as part of the 48th World Heritage Site.^he Session of the World Heritage Committee held in Busan, South Korea, on July 25, 2026.

“This global award celebrates India’s enduring cultural heritage, showcasing its architectural genius, regional identity and distinct traditions of historical continuity,” India’s Ministry of Culture said in a press release, highlighting the importance of the Buddhist site.

Other UNESCO world heritage sites of India

There are currently 45 World Heritage Sites in the country, according to the UNESCO website. The final addition or ‘inscription’ was made in 2024 with the Maratha Military Landscapes located in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.

Devout Buddhists pray outside the Dhamek Stupa, the ancient Buddhist site in Sarnath, India, Saturday, July 18, 2026. | Photo Credit: AP

Here is the full list:

UNESCO World Heritage List: Inclusion criteria

To be included on the UNESCO World Heritage List, a property must demonstrate ‘outstanding universal value’ and meet at least one of the following ten criteria:

1. Represent the masterpiece of human creative genius

2. Demonstrating a significant exchange of human values ​​over a period of time or within a cultural field regarding developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, urban planning or landscape design.

3. Offering unique or exceptional testimony to a living or extinct cultural tradition or civilization

4. Be an outstanding example of a building type, architectural or technological ensemble, or landscape that illustrates an important stage (or stages) in human history.

5. Be an outstanding example of a culture (or cultures)’ traditional human settlement, land use, or marine use, or human interaction with the environment (especially when vulnerable to irreversible change).

6. Being directly or concretely related to events of outstanding universal significance or to living traditions, ideas, beliefs, or artistic and literary works.

7. It includes outstanding natural phenomena or areas of extraordinary natural beauty and aesthetic importance.

8. Life records must be outstanding specimens representing major stages of Earth history, including ongoing geological processes in landform development or significant geomorphic/physiographic features.

9. Be outstanding examples that represent ongoing ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, freshwater, coastal and marine ecosystems and plant and animal communities.

10. It should include natural habitats most important for the in situ conservation of biodiversity, including those containing threatened species of Outstanding Universal Value.