3 New Indian Sites Added to UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List 2026

India’s Permanent Delegation to UNESCO in Paris announced on 20 October that three more Indian sites have entered UNESCO’s Tentative List. Two of them are in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and one is in Chhattisgarh.

Which Three Indian Sites Have Been Added to UNESCO’s Tentative List 2026?

The newly added sites are the Baratang Karst-Mud-Volcano Complex, the Andaman Subduction Volcanoes, and the Sirpur Cultural and Archaeological Landscape.

Baratang Karst-Mud-Volcano Complex

• It lies on the Great Andaman main chain and covers about 299.57 sq km.
• It has limestone caves and active mud volcanoes.
• The proposed cave area is only 1 sq km. Locals call the mud volcanoes “Jalki”, and they are a good example of mud volcanism triggered by earthquakes.
• The Geological Survey of India named it a Geo-Heritage Site in 2025.

Andaman Subduction Volcanoes

• This site includes two volcanic islands: Barren Island and Narcondam Island.
• Barren Island is about 138 km from Sri Vijayapuram, and Narcondam is about 240 km away.
• Narcondam rises 710 m above sea level, and its name comes from “Naraka-Kundam”, meaning “pit of hell”.
• Both islands are protected areas, and entry needs permission from wildlife wardens.

Sirpur Cultural and Archaeological Landscape

• Sirpur is in the Mahasamund district of Chhattisgarh, on the banks of the Mahanadi, about 78 km from Raipur.
• It is already a nationally protected monument.
• Its structures date from the 5th to the 12th century CE and include Vishnu and Shiva temples, priests’ houses, the Rajmahal Complex, the Gandheshwar Temple and the Bateshwar group of monuments.

What Is the World Heritage Tentative List of UNESCO?

The Tentative List is a country’s list of cultural or natural properties it considers fit for nomination to the World Heritage List. Being on it is a compulsory first step, but it does not make a site a World Heritage Site.

Steps to Become a World Heritage Site

1. Tentative List: The country identifies sites with potential Outstanding Universal Value.
2. Nomination: The country submits a nomination dossier.
3. Evaluation: The nomination is reviewed.
4. Inscription: The World Heritage Committee decides whether to inscribe the site.

India has 45 World Heritage Sites (37 cultural, 7 natural and 1 mixed), and 81 properties are now on its Tentative List.