Turning the Wheel of Heritage

The Ancient Buddhist Site of Sarnath in Uttar Pradesh has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List at the 48th Session of the World Heritage Committee in Busan, South Korea. This inscription brings India's total number of UNESCO World Heritage properties to 45, positioning the country sixth globally and second in the Asia Pacific region. Sarnath, where Gautama Buddha delivered his first sermon (Dharmachakra Pravartana) in the 6th century BCE, was nominated under criteria (iii) and (vi). The release also outlines key government initiatives for cultural heritage protection, including the retrieval of 669 repatriated antiquities, the Adopt a Heritage 2.0 programme, the Gyan Bharatam Mission for manuscript digitisation, and the National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities.