Varkala Joins UNESCO Tentative List Among Seven Indian Sites

Varkala’s natural heritage, with its distinctive coastal cliffs and geological formations, has been added to UNESCO’s Tentative List. India’s newest potential World Heritage Site awaits its formal nomination.

The natural heritage of Varkala in Kerala has been listed alongside six other notable natural sites from across India. This inclusion underlines India’s ongoing commitment to preserving its rich and diverse natural and cultural legacy.

The announcement came from the Permanent Delegation of India to UNESCO, which confirmed that seven new properties have been added to the Tentative List in the Natural category. These are:

• Deccan Traps at Panchgani and Mahabaleshwar (Maharashtra)
• Geological Heritage of St Mary’s Island Cluster (Udupi, Karnataka)
• Meghalayan Age Caves (East Khasi Hills, Meghalaya)
• Naga Hill Ophiolite (Kiphire, Nagaland)
• Erra Matti Dibbalu (Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh)
• Tirumala Hills (Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh)
• Natural Heritage of Varkala (Kerala)

Among these, Varkala’s coastal cliffs and unique geological formations have been recognised for their ecological, scientific, and cultural significance. The site is not only famed for its natural beauty but also for its rare sedimentary structures that date back millions of years.

With these additions, India now has 69 properties on UNESCO’s Tentative List: comprising 49 cultural, 3 mixed, and 17 natural heritage sites.

Being on the Tentative List is a crucial step before a site can be nominated for the World Heritage List.