SARNATH ON UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE LIST

SARNATH ON UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE LIST

Why in News?

• At the 48th Session of the World Heritage Committee held in Busan, South Korea, the Ancient Buddhist Site of Sarnath was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
• It was India’s official nomination for the 2025–26 cycle.
• With this inscription, Sarnath became India’s 45th World Heritage Property.

ANCIENT BUDDHIST SITE OF SARNATH

About

• The inscribed property is a serial property comprising:
  • Chaukhandi Stupa.
  • Archaeological Remains of Sarnath, including:
    • Dhamekh Stupa.
    • Dharmarajika Stupa.
    • Mulagandhakuti Vihara.
    • Ashokan Pillar.
    • Other associated monuments.
• Located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
• The site is known in Buddhist tradition by different names:
  • Rishipatana.
  • Ishipatana.
  • Mrigadava.
• It is regarded as the place where Gautama Buddha delivered his first sermon (Dharmachakra Pravartana) in the 6th century BCE.
• The event marked:
  • The beginning of the Buddhist Sangha.
  • The establishment of the Noble Eightfold Path.

HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT

• Identified by the Buddha as one of the four principal Buddhist pilgrimage sites.
• Developed over centuries through:
  • Royal patronage.
  • Monastic patronage.
  • Lay patronage.
• Numerous stupas, temples and viharas were constructed around the site of the first sermon.
• Declined during the 12th century CE and subsequently suffered destruction.
• Rediscovered during the 18th century.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL IMPORTANCE

• Contains monuments dating from:
  • Pre-Mauryan period (5th–4th century BCE).
  • Up to the 12th century CE, with some later additions.
• One of the most extensively excavated sites by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
• Excavations reveal a continuous settlement spanning nearly 16 centuries.

UNESCO INSCRIPTION PROCESS

• Included in the UNESCO Tentative List in 1998.
• Nomination submitted to the World Heritage Committee in January 2025.
• Followed an 18-month evaluation process, including:
  • Technical meetings with UNESCO advisory bodies.
  • Site evaluation mission by ICOMOS.
• Final inscription approved at the 48th Session of the World Heritage Committee in Busan, South Korea.

HOW UNESCO CHOOSES SITES?

UNESCO names Cultural & Natural sites as UNESCO world heritage sites. There are certain sites which can be designated as mixed heritage site. (natural & cultural).

The Ministry of Culture proposes for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List. This recommendation is done considering the cultural values (in case of cultural sites) & Ecological significance (in case of natural sites).

UNESCO World Heritage Committee has its own Parameters of selecting the places based on cultural or Natural significance attached to them.

THE PARAMETERS

1. Human creative genius.
2. Interchange of values.
3. Testimony to cultural tradition.
4. Significance in human history.
5. Traditional human settlement.
6. Heritage associated with events of universal significance.
7. Natural phenomena or beauty.
8. Major stages of Earth’s history.
9. Significant ecological and biological processes.
10. The significant natural habitat for biodiversity.

HOW MANY UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN INDIA?

Now, with the recent addition of Shantiniketan & Sacred Ensembles of Hoysalas in 2023, India has 45 UNESCO heritage sites. (37 CULTURAL; 7 NATURAL & 1 MIXED).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_World_Heritage_Sites_in_India

Which Country has the highest no. of sites?

Italy>China>Germany> France> Spain> India.

CRITERIA FOR INSCRIPTION

Criterion (iii)

• Recognises Sarnath’s enduring spiritual significance as one of the four principal Buddhist pilgrimage destinations.
• Reflected through the large number of religious monuments constructed and reconstructed over centuries.

Criterion (vi)

• Recognises the site’s direct association with events in the life of the Buddha, namely:
  • His first sermon.
  • His meeting with the first disciples.
• The monuments at Sarnath embody the Buddha’s teachings and the concept of Triratna.

IMPORTANT DISCOVERIES AT SARNATH

• Mauryan Lion Pillar, later adopted as the National Emblem of India.
• Dharmachakrapravartan Buddha of the Classical Gupta period.
• These artefacts are displayed at India’s earliest site museum, established in 1904.

WORLD HERITAGE CONTEXT

• Following the inscription of Sarnath, three of the four most significant Buddhist pilgrimage sites are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List:
  • Lumbini (Nepal).
  • Mahabodhi Temple, Bodh Gaya (India).
  • Sarnath (India).
• Other important Buddhist World Heritage Sites mentioned include:
  • Sanchi.
  • Nalanda.
  • Ajanta.
  • Anuradhapura (Sri Lanka).
  • Paharpur (Bangladesh).
  • Taxila (Pakistan).
  • Takht-i-Bahi (Pakistan).

STATUS OF INDIA

Current Status

• India now has 45 World Heritage Sites.
• India ranks:
  • 6th globally.
  • 2nd in the Asia-Pacific Region in terms of the number of World Heritage Sites.
• 196 countries have ratified the World Heritage Convention, 1972.
• India has 69 sites on the Tentative List, which is a prerequisite for future nominations.
• Each State Party can nominate one site annually for inscription.

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