Did you know April 18 is World Heritage Day?

It aims to raise public awareness about the diversity and vulnerability of the world’s built monuments and heritage sites and the efforts required to protect and conserve them. This has been traditionally called the World Heritage Day. Here are few facts about the same

The list of recorded sites on the World Heritage now stands at 981 which include both cultural and natural wonders. These include 759 cultural, 193 natural and 29 mixed properties in 137 state parties. 

India is an active member State on the World Heritage from 1977 and has been working in close co-operation with other International agencies like ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites), IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) and ICCROM (International Centre for the study of Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property).  

There are 32 World Heritage Sites in India that are recognised by the UNESCO. Out of these, 25 sites are of cultural importance and 7 are of natural importance. 

Tamil Nadu has three World Heritage sites. The great living Chola temples, Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram and the Nilgiri Mountain Railway. In July 2005, UNESCO added the Nilgiri Mountain Railway as an extension to the World Heritage Site of Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, the site then became known as Mountain Railways of India.