India's ancient Buddhist site of Sarnath inscribed on UNESCO World Heritage List

India's ancient Buddhist site of Sarnath in Uttar Pradesh was on Saturday inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The decision was taken during the ongoing meeting of the UNESCO's World Heritage Committee's 48th session in Busan, South Korea.

"New inscription on the @UNESCO #WorldHeritage List: Ancient Buddhist Site of Sarnath, #India," the UNESCO posted on X.

This is India's 45th site to join the list of UNESCO World Heritage.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the inscription, stating that the site has a deep connection with Lord Buddha, whose timeless message of wisdom, compassion, and harmony inspires the world.

In August 2025, Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said that India had submitted a dossier titled ‘Ancient Buddhist Site, Sarnath’ to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre for the 2025-26 nomination cycle.

He said this in a written response to a query in Lok Sabha.

The World Heritage Committee is one of the two bodies governing the Convention for the Protection of the World's Cultural and Natural Heritage.