Context
The Permanent Delegation of India to UNESCO announced the inclusion of four new Indian cultural heritage sites in the Tentative List of the World Heritage Convention — taking India’s total to 73.
| Site | State/Region | Key Details |
|---|---|---|
| Rangpur-Sivasagar Historic Ensemble | Assam | Pre-modern urban and cultural landscape located in Sivasagar district, about 360 km north-east of Guwahati |
| Colonial Penal Settlement | Andaman Islands | Established after the 1857 uprising; comprises Chatham Island, Viper Island, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Island and Cellular Jail |
| Nicobarese Cultural Continuity | Nicobar Islands | Located in the Nancowry group of islands; includes Trinket, Katchal, Chowra, Teressa, Kamorta, Nancowrie and Bompoka |
| Painted Haveli Towns of Shekhawati | Rajasthan | Located in the semi-arid Shekhawati region; spans Sikar, Jhunjhunu and Churu districts |
Important Facts for Exams
- All four new additions are Cultural
- Sivasagar was the capital of the Ahom kingdom; the Moidams of Charaideo were inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 2024
- Cellular Jail, Port Blair — the Kala Pani penal colony
- Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Island was formerly Ross Island; Chatham Island houses one of Asia’s oldest sawmills
- Nicobar’s Nancowry group — inhabited by the Nicobarese, a Scheduled Tribe; the Shompen are a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group of Great Nicobar
- Shekhawati havelis are known for their painted frescoes, built by Marwari merchant families
- A site must be on the Tentative List for at least one year before nomination for inscription
- India has 44 inscribed World Heritage Sites — 36 cultural, 7 natural, 1 mixed (Khangchendzonga)
- India’s most recent inscriptions: Moidams of the Ahom Dynasty (2024) and the Maratha Military Landscapes (2025)
- UNESCO — headquartered at Paris; the World Heritage Convention dates to 1972
- India’s nodal body for cultural nominations: the Archaeological Survey of India, under the Ministry of Culture
