Every year on 18 April, International Council on Monuments and Sites 
(ICOMOS) celebrates the “International Day for Monuments and Sites”, whose establishment was approved by the 22nd UNESCO General Conference in 1983. 

The aim of the International Day for Monuments and Sites is to encourage local communities and individuals throughout the world to consider the importance of cultural heritage to their lives, identities and communities, and to promote awareness of its diversity and vulnerability and the efforts required to protect and conserve it. 

World Heritage Sites in India

India’s first two sites inscribed on the list at the Seventh Session of the World Heritage held in 1983 were the Agra Fort and the Ajanta Caves. Over the years, 27 more sites have been inscribed, the latest site inscribed in 2012 being the Western Ghats. Of these 29 sites, 23 are cultural sites and the other six are natural sites. A tentative list of further sites/properties submitted by India for recognition includes 33 sites.

Western Ghats (Sahyadri Mountains)