South Asia Archives | World Heritage Sites

Kathmandu Valley

Seven religious monuments that represent the unique Nepalese culture, mixing Hinduism and Buddhism with animism and Tantrism.

A sitting Buddha statue, with a ruin of a round temple structure and more sitting Buddhas next to it.

Ancient City of Polonnaruwa

The 12-century capital of Sri Lanka built by the Chola rulers and containing the ruins of spectacular Buddhist monuments.

Western Ghats

A mountain range supporting incredible biodiversity and a range of ecosystems, great for hiking and other outdoor activities.

A large slanted wall with a curved white slab underneath it.

The Jantar Mantar, Jaipur

A remarkable astronomical observatory with 19 large masonry instruments dating to the 18th century.

Keoladeo National Park

A wetlands nature reserve that is an important stopover for migratory birds, excellent for birdwatching.

A hemispherical building with a brick roof and stone fence around it and an ornamental gateway.

Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi

A collection of stupas, temples and monasteries that make up the earliest Buddhist sanctuary in the world.

A temple covered in sculptures, with a tall stupa at the back and a dome in the middle.

Khajuraho Group of Monuments

Twenty-two 11th-century temples of the Chandela period, covered in exceptionally accomplished figurative stonework.

A decorative balcony divides two parts of the tower: below, alternating rounded and square fluting. Above, only rounded.

Qutb Minar and its Monuments, Delhi

Remnants of early Islamic India, including Northern India’s oldest mosque and a minaret that is the highest stone structure in India.

Red-colored walls and turrets of the entrance to the fort.

Red Fort Complex

An outstanding example of Mughal architecture on a grand scale, with later British colonial additions.

An intricately-carved temple with a tall pointy tower and a smaller tower in front of it.

Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram

Caves, temples and sculptures that represent a unique testimony to the 6th-9th-century Pallavas civilization.

Drawings of two elephants, one with a human rider on it.

Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka

Artworks spanning thousands of years and depicting animals, people, rituals etc. related to the culture of local indigenous groups.

A mosque with arched entryways, domes on the roof and two very tall minarets.

Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park

Twin sites with the remains of remarkable pre-Mughal architecture in Gujarat: mosques, tombs, stepwells and more.

Chitwan National Park

A beautiful subtropical nature reserve that is home to hundreds of species, including endangered animals like the Bengal tiger and the one-horned rhinoceros.

A large entryway, ornately decorated, symmetrical with a turret on each side.

Agra Fort

A stunning example of Mughal architecture in the form of a fortress containing palaces, audience halls and mosques.

An ornate bas-relief in stone with a variety of Buddha and god figures.

Ajanta Caves

Thirty ancient caves carved into a cliff wall, many of them filled with Buddhist paintings and sculpture.

A row of seated Buddha statues against a painted wall.

Rangiri Dambulla Cave Temple

Five cave temples decorated with Buddhist paintings and sculpture, a place of pilgrimage for 2000 years.

A plaza with ornate temples of stone around it.

Group of Monuments at Hampi

Hundreds of ruins of temples and other structures of the vanished Vijayanagara kingdom.

The main entrance facade of CST with arched entrances and towers framing the entrance.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus)

A busy 19th-century Gothic Revival train station in Mumbai that blends Victorian and Indian influences.

Taj Mahal

The most famous monument in India, a landmark of Mughal-era architecture and a symbol of eternal love.

The entranceway in the dille is arched and quite grand, with pillars inside it. The building extends out on both sides, lower than the central archway, with smaller arches along its length.

Historic City of Ahmedabad

A medieval walled city of unique gated communities and many architectural monuments in a mix of styles.

Ellora Caves

34 stunning stone-cut caves with carved and painted images from three different religions.

View of Humayun's tomb from an angle: the ground floor is much larger than the upper floors, which rise from the center, with a central dome.

Humayun’s Tomb, Delhi

A 16th-century tomb within a complex of tombs, the first garden tomb and the inspiration for the Taj Mahal.

A temple with a tall pyramid-shaped roof, covered in carvings.

Great Living Chola Temples

Three outstanding 11th-12th-century temples covered with carvings depicting elements of Hindu mythology.

Kaziranga National Park

A riverine wildlife refuge that is home to many rare and threatened species, including the one-horned rhinoceros.

The grand entranceway to a fort: very ornate detail on and around the arches.

Hill Forts of Rajasthan

Six ornate and unique forts, legacies of the Princely Rajput states.

A large gateway, arched, with decorative elements both around and under the arch.

Fatehpur Sikri

An ancient city that is a masterpiece of Mughal architecture.

A view along the water with some white colonial buildings in the distance and a lighthouse beyond them.

Old Town of Galle and its Fortifications

A charming and well-preserved colonial fortified city in Sri Lanka.

Persepolis

Ruins of what was a magnificent palace complex over 2000 years ago, capital of the Achaemenid Empire.

A hiker stands on a rocky trail in Sagarmantha National Park. She carries a backpack and leans on two walking sticks as she looks at the scenery: a view of a rocky, snow-capped mountain peak.

Sagarmatha National Park

Breathtakingly beautiful snow-capped mountains, including Mt Everest; endangered species; and a Nepali Sherpa population that practices Tibetan Buddhism.