UPSC current magazine: post #21777 — TG.ME

🔆 Sarnath Inscribed on UNESCO World Heritage List 📍 Why in News? 🟢 The Ancient Buddhist Site of Sarnath has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List at the 48th Session of the World Heritage Committee in Busan, South Korea. 🟢 With this, India’s total UNESCO World Heritage properties have risen to 45. 📍 About Sarnath 🟢 Located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, Sarnath is one of the four principal Buddhist pilgrimage sites associated with the life of Gautama Buddha. 🟢 It is the place where Gautama Buddha delivered his first sermon in the 6th century BCE. 🟢 The sermon is known as Dharmachakra Pravartana or the “Turning of the Wheel of the Law”. 🟢 It marked the beginning of the Buddhist Sangha and establishment of the principles of the Noble Eightfold Path. 📍 Components of the UNESCO Site 🟢 Chaukhandi Stupa 🟢 Dhamek Stupa 🟢 Dharmarajika Stupa 🟢 Mulagandhakuti Vihara 🟢 Ashokan Pillar 🟢 Other archaeological remains of Sarnath. 📍 UNESCO Criteria 🟢 Criterion (iii): Recognises Sarnath’s enduring spiritual significance as one of the four principal Buddhist pilgrimage destinations. 🟢 Criterion (vi): Recognises its direct association with significant events in Buddha’s life, particularly his first sermon and meeting with his first disciples. 📍 Road to UNESCO Recognition 🟢 Added to India’s Tentative List in 1998. 🟢 Nomination submitted to the World Heritage Committee in January 2025. 🟢 Followed by an 18-month evaluation process, including technical meetings and an ICOMOS evaluation mission. 🟢 Inscribed in 2026 at the 48th World Heritage Committee session. 📍 India’s UNESCO Position 🟢 India now has 45 World Heritage properties — 37 cultural, 7 natural and 1 mixed. 🟢 India ranks 6th globally and 2nd in the Asia-Pacific region. 🟢 India’s Tentative List currently has 69 properties. 📍 Significance 🟢 Strengthens India’s identity as the birthplace of Buddhism. 🟢 Enhances cultural and civilisational ties with Buddhist countries. 🟢 Three of the four principal Buddhist pilgrimage sites are now UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Lumbini, Bodh Gaya and Sarnath. 🟢 Supports sustainable tourism while protecting the site’s authenticity and integrity. 📍 Heritage Conservation Initiatives 🟢 Adopt a Heritage 2.0: 30 MoUs signed as of March 2026; adopted monuments recorded 13.59 million visitors in FY 2024–25. 🟢 Gyan Bharatam Mission: Focuses on preservation and digitisation of India’s manuscript heritage. 🟢 National Manuscript Survey: Over 1.19 crore manuscripts reported. 🟢 National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities: Documented 1.84 lakh monuments and 17.20 lakh antiquities as of March 2026. 🎯 Mains Application: 🟢 Sarnath’s UNESCO recognition highlights how heritage conservation, cultural diplomacy and sustainable tourism can strengthen India’s civilisational soft power. #prelims #art_and_culture https://t.me/Studytoday1 https://t.me/upsc_art_and_culture