Which of the following pairs of sites was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1983, in India's first group of entries?
- A.Khajuraho and Hampi
- B.Taj Mahal and Agra Fort
- C.Sun Temple, Konark and Elephanta Caves
- D.Sanchi and Bhimbetka
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, Taj Mahal and Agra Fort. India's first four World Heritage Sites were inscribed together in 1983: the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort in Uttar Pradesh, and the Ajanta and Ellora caves in Maharashtra. The Taj Mahal was built by Shah Jahan in memory of Mumtaz Mahal on the bank of the Yamuna, and Agra Fort, raised in red sandstone by Akbar, stands a short distance upstream.
Option A is wrong because Khajuraho and Hampi were both inscribed in 1986. Option C mixes years, since the Sun Temple at Konark was inscribed in 1984 and the Elephanta Caves in 1987. Option D is later still, Sanchi in 1989 and the rock shelters of Bhimbetka in 2003. Only the 1983 group opens India's list, and Agra holds two of those four sites.
Read the full article: UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India: List and Facts
Practice Questions
View allIn which year was the UNESCO Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage adopted?
- A.1945
- B.1959
- C.1972
- D.1992
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The Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage was adopted by the General Conference of UNESCO in 1972 and came into force in 1975 once enough countries had ratified it.
Read the full explanation →Which is the only mixed World Heritage Site in India, inscribed for both cultural and natural value?
- A.Khangchendzonga National Park
- B.Great Himalayan National Park
- C.Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks
- D.Sundarbans National Park
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This park in Sikkim was inscribed in 2016 under both the natural and the cultural criteria, which makes it India's only mixed site.
Read the full explanation →Rani ki Vav, the stepwell inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 2014, is located in which state?
- A.Rajasthan
- B.Madhya Pradesh
- C.Gujarat
- D.Maharashtra
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Rani ki Vav stands at Patan on the bank of the Saraswati in Gujarat and was built in the eleventh century during the Solanki or Chaulukya period, by tradition as a memorial raised by Queen Udayamati.
Read the full explanation →The Kakatiya Rudreshwara temple, better known as the Ramappa temple and inscribed in 2021, is in which state?
- A.Karnataka
- B.Telangana
- C.Andhra Pradesh
- D.Tamil Nadu
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The Ramappa temple stands at Palampet in the Mulugu district of Telangana. It was built in the early thirteenth century under the Kakatiya rulers of Warangal by their general Recharla Rudra, and is named after its sculptor Ramappa, a rare case of a temple carrying its craftsman's name.
Read the full explanation →Which Indian city was declared the country's first World Heritage City in 2017?
- A.Jaipur
- B.Varanasi
- C.Ahmedabad
- D.Hyderabad
Show answer
The Historic City of Ahmedabad in Gujarat, founded by Sultan Ahmad Shah in the fifteenth century on the eastern bank of the Sabarmati, was inscribed in 2017 and became the first city in India to enter the World Heritage List as a whole city.
Read the full explanation →