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Sarnath - India's 45th World Heritage Property
On 25 July 2026 the World Heritage Committee, meeting in Busan, added the ancient Buddhist site of Sarnath to the UNESCO World Heritage List, making it India's 45th inscribed property and putting the place where the Buddha preached his first sermon on the same register as Lumbini and Bodhgaya.
Last updated 26 July 20265 min read
Latest update
Sarnath is on the World Heritage List: the committee's 48th session in Busan inscribed it on 25 July 2026 as India's 45th property, under criteria (iii) and (vi), in a two-part serial listing covering the Chaukhandi Stupa and the excavated remains at Varanasi.
- Sarnath
- UNESCO World Heritage List
- World Heritage Committee
- Chaukhandi Stupa
- Dhamekh Stupa
- Archaeological Survey of India
- Buddhism
- Varanasi
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