Reference:

• India has officially nominated the 'Ancient Buddhist Site, Sarnath' for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List for the 2025–26 nomination cycle.

Key Points:

• Sarnath has been on UNESCO’s “Tentative List” since 1998.

Nomination Process and Timeline:

• Only One Nomination Allowed: As per the revised Operational Guidelines of UNESCO in 2024, each member country can send only one property for each nomination cycle.
• Timeline: The nomination process usually takes about 1.5 years, involving technical review, advisory body recommendations, and final approval by the World Heritage Committee.

Conservation and Preparations:

• Role of ASI: The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) maintains all protected monuments and undertakes conservation work based on budget availability and necessity. This includes use of digital technology and museum planning.
• Museums and Awareness: ASI currently manages 52 site museums and is adopting digital tools to enhance visitor experience. Outreach programs are also being conducted to raise cultural awareness among youth.

Sarnath general information

General Information – UNESCO

• Full Name: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
• Established: 1945
• Headquarters: Paris, France
• Main Objective: To promote peace and sustainable development through education, science, culture, and communication
• The World Heritage Convention is an international agreement established by UNESCO in 1972
• As of October 2024, there are 1,223 World Heritage Sites across 196 countries (952 Cultural, 231 Natural, 40 Mixed)
• India has 43 World Heritage Sites, with Agra Fort, Taj Mahal, and Ajanta and Ellora Caves being the first to be listed in 1983
• The latest addition is Moidams of Assam (Ahom dynasty’s burial mounds), inscribed in July 2024
• World Heritage Day is celebrated on 18 April every year (Theme for 2025: "Heritage at Risk from Disasters and Conflicts: Preparedness and Lessons from 60 Years of ICOMOS Action")

Government Initiatives to Promote India’s Rich Cultural Heritage

Recovery of Antiquities:

• The Archaeological Survey of India is committed to conserving cultural property.
• From 1976 to 2024, 655 antiquities have been recovered from foreign countries, of which 642 have been recovered since 2014.

Adopt a Heritage Scheme:

• The Adopt a Heritage program was launched in 2017 and restructured as Adopt a Heritage 2.0 in 2023.
• It allows private and public groups to help develop facilities at protected monuments using their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds.
• Under this scheme, ASI and various state-level partners have signed 21 MoUs so far.

46th Session of the World Heritage Committee:

• The ASI and Ministry of Culture successfully hosted the 46th session of the World Heritage Committee in Delhi from 21–31 July 2024.
• The session was inaugurated by the Prime Minister, and was attended by nearly 2,900 international and national delegates from over 140 countries.
• Delegates discussed and collaborated on cultural, natural, and mixed heritage protection — a major step in India’s global heritage leadership.

Monuments of National Importance:

• India has 3,697 ancient monuments and archaeological sites declared as monuments of national importance.

Digitization of India’s Cultural Heritage:

• The National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities (NMMA), established in 2007, is responsible for digitizing and documenting India’s heritage and antiquities.
• Till now, over 1.23 million antiquities and 11,406 heritage sites have been documented.
• For 2024–25, the mission has been allocated ₹20 lakh.

Classical Language Status:

• On 3 October 2024, the government granted classical language status to Assamese, Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, and Bengali, raising the total to 11 classical Indian languages.
• This step reflects the commitment to preserve India’s diverse and ancient linguistic heritage.

India’s First Archaeological Experiential Museum:

• Union Minister Amit Shah inaugurated the Archaeological Experiential Museum in Vadnagar on 16 January 2025.

World Heritage Site Museum at Humayun’s Tomb:

• On 29 July 2024, a state-of-the-art museum spread over 100,000 sq. ft. was inaugurated at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Humayun’s Tomb in Delhi.