Consider the following properties included in the World Heritage List released by UNESCO:
- 1.Shantiniketan
- 2.Rani-ki-Vav
- 3.Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas
- 4.Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodhgaya
How many of the above properties were included in 2023?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (b) Only two
UNESCO's own records show two of the four were inscribed in 2023: Santiniketan and the Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas. Rani-ki-Vav joined the World Heritage List in 2014 and the Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya in 2002.
- ✓ 1. Santiniketan, the residential school and art centre set up by Rabindranath Tagore in rural West Bengal in 1901, was inscribed in 2023. UNESCO spells it Santiniketan.
- ✗ 2. Rani-ki-Vav (the Queen's Stepwell) at Patan, Gujarat, was inscribed in 2014.
- ✓ 3. This serial property of three Hoysala temple complexes in Karnataka (Belur, Halebidu and Somanathapura) was inscribed in 2023.
- ✗ 4. The Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya in Bihar was inscribed much earlier, in 2002.
Remember · India's 2023 World Heritage additions: Santiniketan and the Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas. Rani-ki-Vav is 2014; the Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya is 2002.
Sources
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Santiniketan ↗ “Date of Inscription: 2023 Criteria: (iv)(vi) Property : 36 ha Buffer zone: 537.73 ha”
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas ↗ “Date of Inscription: 2023 Criteria: (i)(ii)(iv) Property : 10.47 ha Buffer zone: 195.87 ha”
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Rani-ki-Vav (the Queen’s Stepwell) at Patan, Gujarat ↗ “Date of Inscription: 2014 Criteria: (i)(iv) Property : 4.68 ha Buffer zone: 125.44 ha”
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya ↗ “Date of Inscription: 2002 Criteria: (i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(vi) Property : 4.86 ha Dossier: 1056rev”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2024, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·