Published By: Satavisha

Some Of The UNESCO World Heritage Sites In India That You May Not Know About

The UNESCO World Heritage Convention has listed 38 World Heritage Sites in India, making it the nation with the 6th largest number of World Heritage sites in the world.

Mountain Railways of India

The mountain railways of India constitute the Kalka-Shimla Railway, Nilgiri Mountain Railway, and Darjeeling Himalayan railway and are recognized as UNESCO World Heritage sites of India. The toy trains during the 19th and early 20th centuries were an ingenious solution to the issue of poor connectivity owing to the rugged terrain of the hills. The mountain railways now offer the tourists an alluring temptation of passing through long tunnels and charming tea plantations, catering to their delight.

Rani Ki Vav

Rani kivav (the Queen’s Stepwell) in Gujarat, was constructed during the reign of the Solanki dynasty. This explicit ancient Indian architecture was built by queen Udayamati, the widow of Bhimdev I (son of the founder of the dynasty) to honor him. In 2014, UNESCO declared it a World Heritage site. The stepped corridors of the architecture are segregated into seven levels of wells.

City of Ahmedabad

In 2017, Ahmedabad in Gujarat was declared as the first UNESCO World Heritage City of India. The city is steeped in tradition and history, proffering a seamless fusion of avant-garde contemporary design and centuries-old mosques. The urban fabric of Ahmedabad comprises densely packed conventional houses and the walled city on the banks of the Sabarmati River has been flourishing for six centuries now.

KumbhMela

KumbhMela is the largest religious festival in India and in 2017, it acquired the status of UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This Indian festival is celebrated in rotation in Ujjain, Prayag (Allahabad), Nasik, and Haridwar, once in three years. The festival returns to a place after twelve years and attracts millions of spectators, making it a living heritage site of India.

Capitol Complex

Capitol Complex, also known as Complexe du Capitole in Chandigarh was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the year 2016. Le Corbusier’s phenomenal architectural design is an exceptional contribution to the Modern Movement and the building was erected in 1950 after India was partitioned.  The Capitol Complex hosts the legislative assembly for the states of Punjab and Haryana, the Secretariat, and the High Court.

Did you know about all the aforementioned UNESCO World Heritage sites of India?