UNESCO Heritage Sites of Asia
India
Taj Mahal
Location: Uttar Pradesh, Agra
Date of Inscription: 1983
The Taj Mahal is located on the right bank of the Yamuna River, in a vast Mughal garden that encompasses nearly 17 hectares in Agra, Uttar Pradesh. It was built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal. Its construction began in 1632 AD and was completed in 1648 AD. The mosque, the guest house and the main gateway on the south, the outer courtyard and its cloisters were added subsequently and completed in 1653 AD. For its construction, masons, stone-cutters, inlayers, carvers, painters, calligraphers, dome builders and other artisans were requisitioned from the whole of the empire and also from the Central Asia and Iran. Ustad-Ahmad Lahori was the main architect of the Taj Mahal. The existence of several historical and Quranic inscriptions in Arabic script have facilitated the understanding of the arrangement of events in the history of Taj Mahal.
India
Western Ghats
Location: western coast of India
Date of Inscription: 2012
Older than the Himalaya mountains, the mountain chain that runs along the west coast of India has geomorphic features of immense importance andis home to unique biophysical and ecological processes. The site’s high-altitude montane forest ecosystems influence local weather patterns. Moderating the tropical climate of the region, the site presents one of the best examples of the monsoon system on the planet. It also has an exceptionally high level of biological diversity and endemism and is recognised as one of the world’s eight places with the highest biological diversity. The forests of the site are among the best non-equatorial tropical evergreen forests worldwide and are home to at least 325 globally threatened flora and fauna species.
India
Khangchendzonga National Park
Location: Northern India
Date of Inscription: 2016
Located at the heart of the Himalayan range in northern India, the Khangchendzonga National Park includes a unique diversity of plains, valleys, lakes, glaciers and spectacular, snow-capped mountains covered with ancient forests – including the world’s third highest
