Why in the News
On 28 September 2026, India's Permanent Delegation to UNESCO submitted three new sites for the World Heritage Tentative List - two in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and one in Chhattisgarh. Being included in the Tentative List is not a final World Heritage declaration; it is the first step of the nomination process.
The Three Sites
- The Karst-Mud Volcano Complex of Baratang (Andaman and Nicobar): natural category, criteria (viii)(ix)(x). An island of 299.57 sq km about 100 km north of Sri Vijaya Puram. Limestone caves and four groups of mud volcanoes (local name 'Jalki'). These are not ordinary magma- or lava-based volcanoes - cold mud and water come out under the pressure of methane and hydrogen sulphide gases. After 20 years of inactivity, renewed activity was seen in them in 2025.
- The Andaman Subduction Volcanoes (Andaman and Nicobar): natural category, criteria (vii)(viii)(ix)(x). Part of the Burma-Andaman-Java subduction complex; the Ten Degree Channel separates the Andaman and Nicobar island groups.
- The Sirpur Cultural and Archaeological Landscape (Mahasamund, Chhattisgarh): cultural category, criteria (ii)(iv). A nationally protected monument; a witness of a multi-religious landscape and trading history.
Exam Utility
The difference between the Tentative List and the final list, criterion numbers, the natural/cultural category - askable in Prelims.
Prelims Style: Practice Questions
Question 1. Where is the Karst-Mud Volcano Complex of Baratang, recently submitted to UNESCO's Tentative List, located?
(a) Lakshadweep
(b) Andaman and Nicobar
(c) The Odisha coast
(d) Goa
View answer and explanation
Answer: (b) Andaman and Nicobar. About 100 km north of Sri Vijaya Puram.
Question 2. How are Baratang's mud volcanoes different from ordinary volcanoes?
(a) They are inside the ocean
(b) Cold mud comes out of them under gas pressure instead of magma/lava
(c) They become active only in the monsoon season
(d) They have been made artificially
View answer and explanation
Answer: (b) Cold mud comes out of them under gas pressure instead of magma/lava. The pressure of methane and hydrogen sulphide gases is the main factor.
Question 3. In which category and under which criteria has Sirpur been submitted?
(a) Natural - (viii)(ix)(x)
(b) Mixed - (i)(vii)
(c) Cultural - (ii)(iv)
(d) Cultural - (i)(iii)(vi)
View answer and explanation
Answer: (c) Cultural - (ii)(iv). A cultural site located in the Mahasamund district of Chhattisgarh.
Sources
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre - Baratang (submitted 28 September 2026): https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/7052/
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre - Andaman Subduction Volcanoes (submitted 28 September 2026): https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/7053/
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre - Sirpur (submitted 28 September 2026): https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/7054/