WORLD HERITAGE SITES 
in India
Ajanta Caves: 1983  Ajanta Caves: 1983 

The Buddhist cave monuments at Ajanta of the 2nd and 1st centuries B.C. were greatly enriched during the Gupta period (5th and 6th centuries A.D.) when many more richly decorated caves were added to the original group. The paintings and sculptures of Ajanta, masterpieces of Buddhist religious art, have had considerable artistic influence.
1983 Ellora Caves 1983 Ellora Caves
These 34 monasteries and temples were dug side by side in the wall of a high basaltic cliff, not far from Aurangabad, in Maharashtra, extending over more than 2 kilometres. Ellora, with its uninterrupted sequence of monuments dating from 600 to 1000 A.D., revives the civilization of ancient India. Not only is the complex of Ellora a unique artistic creation and a technological exploit but, with its sanctuaries devoted to Buddhism, Brahmanism and Janism, it illustrates the spirit of tolerance characteristic of ancient India.
1983 Agra Fort 1983 Agra Fort
Just next to the gardens of the Taj Majal, the Red Fort of Agra, an important Mogul monument of the 17th century, is a powerful fortress of red sandstone which encompasses, within its enclosure walls of 2.5 kilometres, the imperial city of the Mogul rulers. It comprises many fairy-like palaces, such as the Jahangir Palace or the Khas Mahal, built by Shah Jahan, the reception rooms, such as the Diwan-i-Khas, and two very beautiful mosques.
1983 Taj Mahal 1983 Taj Mahal
An immense funerary mosque of white marble, built in Agra between 1631 and 1648 by order of the Mogul emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favourite wife, the Taj Mahal is the most perfect jewel of Moslem art in India and is one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage.
1984 Sun Temple, Konarak 1984 Sun Temple, Konarak
On the shore of the Bay of Bengal, bathed in the rays of the rising sun, the temple at Konarak is a monumental representation of the chariot of the sun god Surya, with its twenty-four wheels decorated with symbolic designs, led by a team of six horses. It is one of India's most famous 13th-century Brahman sanctuaries
1985 Group of Monuments 
at Mahabalipuram 		1985 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 Siva.
1985 Kaziranga National Park 1985 Kaziranga National Park
In the heart of the Assam, this park is one of the last areas in northern India undisturbed by man. The largest population of one-horned rhinoceroses in the world inhabits Kaziranga Park, as well many mammals, including tigers, elephants, panthers, bears, and thousands of birds.
1985 Manas Wildlife Sanctuary 1985 Manas Wildlife Sanctuary
On a gentle slope in the foothills of the Himalayas, where wooded hills give way to alluvial grasslands and tropical forests, the Manas sanctuary is home to a great variety of wildlife, including many endangered species, such as the tiger, the pygmy hog, and the Indian rhinoceros and elephant.
1985 Keoladeo National Park 1985 Keoladeo National Park
This former duck-hunting reserve of the Maharajas remains 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.
1986 Churches and Convents of  Goa 1986 Churches and Convents of Goa
The former capital of the Portuguese Indies, the churches and convents of Goa illustrate the evangelisation of Asia, particularly the Church of Bom Jesus, which contains the tomb of St Francis-Xavier. These monuments had an influential role in spreading forms of Manueline, Mannerist and Baroque art in all the countries in Asia where missions were established.
1986 Group of Monuments 
at Khajuraho 		1986 Group of Monuments at Khajuraho
Built during the Chandella Dynasty, at its height between 950 and 1050, the temples of Khajuraho, of which only about 20 remain and which fall under three distinct groups, belong to two different religions - Brahmanism and Jainism. They strike a perfect balance between architecture and sculpture. The Temple of Kandariya is decorated with a profusion of sculptures that are among the greatest masterpieces of Indian art.
1986 Group of Monuments 
at Hampi 		1986 Group of Monuments at Hampi
Hampi, austere and grandiose, is the site of the last capital of the last great Hindu kingdom of Vijayanagar, whose extremely rich princes built Dravidian temples and palaces which won the admiration of travellers between the 14th and 16th centuries. Conquered by the Moslems in 1565, the city was pillaged over a period of six months, and then abandoned.
1986 Fatehpur Sikri 1986 Fatehpur Sikri
The "City of Victory", built during the second half of the 16th century by Emperor Akbar, Fatehpur Sikri was the capital of the Moghol Empire for only about 10 years. The complex of monuments and temples, all in a uniform architectural style, includes one of the largest mosques in India, the Jama Masjid
1987 Group of Monuments 
at Pattadakal 		1987 Group of Monuments at Pattadakal
Pattadakal, in Karnatāka, illustrates the apogee of an eclectic art which, in the 7th and 8th centuries A.D., under the Chālukya Dynasty, achieved a harmonious blend of architectural forms from the north and south of India. An impressive series of nine Hindu temples, as well as a Jain sanctuary can be seen there. In this group one masterpiece stands out - the Temple of Virūpāksha, built around 740 by Queen Lokamahadevi to commemorate her husband's victory over the kings from the south.
1987 Elephanta Caves 1987 Elephanta Caves
On an island in the Oman Sea close to Bombay, the "City of Caves" contains a collection of rock art characteristic of the cult of Siva, where Indian art has found one of its most perfect expressions, particularly in the huge, high reliefs in the main cave.
1987 Brihadisvara Temple 
Thanjavur 		1987 Brihadisvara Temple, Thanjavur
Under the reign of the great King Rajaraja, founder of the Chola empire which stretched over all of southern India and its neighbouring islands, the great Temple of Tanjore (Thanjavur) was constructed between 1003 and 1010. Surrounded by two rectangular enclosures, the Brihadisvar, built from blocks of granite and, in part, from bricks, is crowned with a pyramidal 13-storey tower, the vimana, 61 metres high and topped with a bulb-shaped monolith. The walls of the temple are covered in rich sculpted decoration.
1987 Sundarbans National Park 1987 Sundarbans National Park
The Sundarbans covers 10,000 square kilometres of land and water (more than half of it in India, the rest in Bangladesh), in the Ganges delta. It contains the world's largest region of mangrove forests. A number of rare or endangered species live in the park, including tigers, aquatic mammals, birds and reptiles.
1988 Nanda Devi National Park 1988 Nanda Devi National Park
The Nanda Devi National Park is one of the most spectacular wilderness areas in the Himalayas, and is dominated by the peak of Nanda Devi, which reaches over 7,800 metres. No humans live in the park, which has remained more or less intact because of its inaccessibility. It is the habitat of several endangered mammals, especially the snow leopard, Himalayan musk deer and bharal.
1989 Buddhist Monastery 
at Sanchi 		1989 Buddhist Monastery at Sanchi
On a hill which overlooks the plain, about 40 kilometres from Bhopal, the site of Sānchi groups Buddhist monuments (monolithic pillars, palaces, temples and monasteries), all in different states of conservation, dating for the most part back to the 2nd and 1st centuries B.C. This oldest existing Buddhist sanctuary was a principle centre of Buddhism in India until the 12th century A.D.
1993 Humayun's Tomb 1993 Humayun's Tomb
This tomb, built in 1570, has a special cultural significance, as it is the first garden-tomb on the Indian sub-continent. It inspired major architectural innovations, which culminated in the construction of the Taj Mahal.
1993 Qutb Minar and its 
Monuments, Delhi		 1993 Qutb Minar and its Monuments, Delhi
Built in the early 13th century a few kilometres south of Delhi, the red sandstone tower of Qutb Minar is 72.5 m high, tapering from 2.75 m in diameter at its peak to 14.32 m at its base, and alternating angular and rounded flutings. The surrounding archeological area contains funerary buildings, notably the magnificent Alai-Darwaza gate, the masterpiece of Indo-Moslem art built in 1311, and two mosques, including Quwwatu'l-Islam, the oldest in northern India, made from materials from about twenty Brahmin temples.
1999 Darjeeling Himalayan Railway 1999 Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway is the first, and still the most outstanding, example of a hill passenger railway. Opened in 1881, it applied bold and ingenious engineering solutions to the problem of establishing an effective rail link across a mountainous terrain of great beauty. It is still fully operational and retains most of its original features intact.

Criterion:  The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway is an outstanding example of the influence of an innovative transportation system (developed in the 19th century)  on the social and economic development of a multi-cultural region, which was to serve as a model for similar developments in many parts of the world.

 

Dates Declared World Heritage Sites:

1983 : Ajanta Caves 
 1983 :  Ellora Caves
1983:  Agra Fort
1983:  Taj Mahal
1984:  Sun Temple, Konarak
1985:  Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram
1985 Kaziranga National Park
1985 Manas Wildlife Sanctuary
1985 Keoladeo National Park
1986 Churches and Convents of  Goa
1986 Group of Monuments at Khajuraho
1986 Group of Monuments at Hampi
1986 Fatehpur Sikri
1987 Group of Monuments at Pattadakal
1987 Elephanta Caves
1987 Brihadisvara Temple, Thanjavur
1987 Sundarbans National Park
 1989 Buddhist Monastery at Sanchi
 1993 Humayun's Tomb
1993 Qutb Minar and its Monuments, Delhi