India Hosts 46th World Heritage Committee Meeting in New Delhi
New Delhi, July 2024: India is hosting the 46th session of the World Heritage Committee Meeting in New Delhi this year. The event brings together delegates from across the globe to discuss and collaborate on preserving cultural, natural, and mixed heritage.
As of July 2024, there are 1,199 World Heritage Sites across 168 countries. These include 933 cultural sites, 227 natural sites, and 39 mixed properties. India proudly boasts 42 World Heritage Sites, comprising 34 cultural, 7 natural, and 1 mixed category. The first site listed as a World Heritage Site in India was Agra Fort in 1983.
Agra Fort: Near the gardens of the Taj Mahal stands the important 16th-century Mughal monument known as the Red Fort of Agra. This powerful fortress of red sandstone encompasses, within its 2.5-km-long enclosure walls, the imperial city of the Mughal rulers.
Ajanta Caves: The first Buddhist cave monuments at Ajanta date from the 2nd and 1st centuries B.C. The paintings and sculptures of Ajanta, considered masterpieces of Buddhist religious art, have had a considerable artistic influence.
Ellora Caves: Ellora, with its uninterrupted sequence of monuments dating from A.D. 600 to 1000, brings the civilization of ancient India to life.
Sun Temple, Konark: On the shores of the Bay of Bengal, bathed in the rays of the rising sun, the temple at Konark is a monumental representation of the sun god Surya’s chariot.
