3 Sites Added To UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List. (Image: Canva) India has added three new sites to its Tentative List for UNESCO World Heritage status. Two are in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and one is in Chhattisgarh. The new entries are the Karst-mud-volcano Complex of Baratang, the Andaman Subduction Volcanoes, and the Sirpur Cultural and Archaeological Landscape. The Permanent Delegation of India to UNESCO announced the news on October 20 in a post on X. The post explained that a site must be on the Tentative List before it can be nominated for inscription on the World Heritage List. It also thanked the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) for preparing the documents behind the proposals. Here is a closer look at each site and what travellers can expect. Baratang is usually visited as a day trip from Sri Vijaya Puram (formerly Port Blair), around 100 km away. The road passes through the Jarawa reserve, where vehicles travel in convoys at fixed times. Stopping, taking photos or interacting with the Jarawa people is strictly not allowed. To reach the caves, visitors take a boat ride through mangrove creeks, followed by a short walk through the forest. Barren Island is India’s only confirmed active volcano. It has a caldera about two kilometres wide and was declared a Geoheritage site in 2025. Narcondam Island is a recognised Important Bird Area and Key Biodiversity Area. It is home to the Narcondam hornbill, a bird found nowhere else in the world. Only the landmasses of the two islands have been proposed for the list, not the waters around them. Travellers cannot land on Barren Island, but boat trips and dive charters from Havelock (Swaraj Dweep) let visitors see the volcano from the sea. Narcondam is remote and needs special permits, so very few people get to visit. Its most famous monument is the Lakshmana Temple, one of the earliest brick temples in India, known for its fine carved brickwork. The site also has Shaiva and Vaishnava shrines, along with Buddhist and Jain viharas. Together, they show that different faiths lived side by side here for centuries. Sirpur: An Ancient Capital on the Mahanadi. (Image: Canva) The buffer zone around Sirpur is home to Gond and Baiga communities. Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary also falls in this zone, so visitors can pair a heritage walk with a wildlife safari. Sirpur is about 80 km from Raipur, the nearest airport and railway hub. The best time to visit is between October and March, when the weather is pleasant. Travel News - Find latest news and tips based on Indian and World travel including top 10 travel destination, tourism information, how to reach visit and more at Times Now. Senior Copy Editor at Times Network, Akanksha Arora covers Lifestyle, Culture and everything that falls under its big umbrella. When not writing, she ... View More