It is! You could do it with a car+driver as well, against half the cost. But I chose it because it's a very long drive to Ramappa, so a guide at least makes the visit more in-depth (we spent 1.5 hours there). The two added temples are OK-ish. Lunch was good, driver good.

https://www.business-standard.com/india-news/maharashtra-govt-steps-up-efforts-to-get-unesco-tag-for-lonar-lake-124120900070_1.html

Lonar Lake (India)

Was in the news in January as well. But still not even on the T List.

This article gives insight into the 'queues' for Indian nominations: monuments of the Deccan Sultanate have been waiting since 2014 and have been overtaken each time by other sites. Maybe because it's an Islamic site? (my thoughts only, the article doesn't suggest it)
https://www.deccanherald.com/india/karnataka/world-heritage-tag-centre-sits-on-proposal-to-recommend-deccan-sultanate-monuments-3309059

I visited it last week, the review is upcoming!

elsslots
Monuments of the Deccan sultanate not getting nominations because recently hoysala ensambles of Karnataka received UNESCO tag from the same state. There are around 28 different states in India and the central government has to give equal opportunity for every state to enhance their tourism prospects. So they are following rotational policy to avoid bias towards a particular state.

The Deccan Sultanate nomination (in its incarnation of The Qutb Shahi Monuments of Hyderabad) was prepared as a full dossier and submitted much earlier (2014) than the Hoysala and Ramappa ones. It was postponed at the time due to a nomination from Gujarat (Rani-ki Vav), which got another one inscribed in 2017: Ahmedabad and another one Dholavira in 2021. So they may be trying to spread it around a bit, but some states are more equal than others.

See also this: https://www.worldheritagesite.org/forums/index.php?action=vthread&forum=10&topic=1542#msg3690 - a list of Indian WHS per State. I'll try to update it in the coming days.

Here's the updated list of WHS per Indian State (the list of States and Union Territories also has changed BTW):

STATES
Andhra Pradesh (49m)
WHS - 0
T List - 2 (Sri Veerabhadra Temple and Monolithic Bull, Saree Weaving)
Arunchal Pradesh (1m)
WHS - 0
T List - 3 (Namdapha NP, Apatani Cultural Landscape, Thembang)
Assam/Asom (26m)
WHS - 3 (Kaziranga, Manas, Moidams)
T List - 2 (Majuli Island, Saree Weaving)
Bihar (83m)
WHS - 2 (Mahabodi, Nalanda)
T List - 4 (Sasaram, Silk Rd, Grand Trunk Road sites, Sites of Saytagrah)
Chhatisgarh (21m)
Goa (1.5m)
WHS - 1 (Churches + Convents)
T List - 1 (Geoglyphs of Konkan Region)
Gujarat (51m)
WHS - 4 (Champaner, Ran-ki-Vav Patan, Dholavira, Ahmedabad)
T List - 5 (Wild Ass Sanct, Modhera Sun Temple, Vadnagar, Lothal, Sites of Saytagrah)
Haryana (21m)
WHS - 1 (Mountain Railways – Kalka to Shimla)
T List - 1 (Grand Trunk Road sites)
Himachal Pradesh (6m)
WHS - 2 (Mountain Railways – Kalka to Shimla, Great Himalayan NP)
T List - 2 (Mountain Railways - Kangra, Cold Desert)
Jharkand (27m)
T List - 1 (Grand Trunk Road sites)
Karnataka (53m)
WHS - 4 (Pattadakal, Hampi, W Ghats, Hoysalas)
T List - 4 (Hire Benkal, Aihole-Badami- Pattadakal, Srirangapatna, Deccan Sultanate)
Kerala (32m)
WHS - 1 (W Ghats)
T List - 3 (Mattanchery Palace, Padmanabhapuram Palace, Sites of Saytagrah)
Madya Pradesh (60m)
WHS - 3 (Khajuraho, Sanchi, Bhimbetka)
T List - 11 (Mandu, Gwalior Fort, Khooni Bhandara, Rock Art Sites of the Chambal Valley, The Bhojeshwar Mahadev Temple, The Gond monuments of Ramnagar, The historic ensemble of Dhamnar, Bhedaghat-Lametaghat, Satpura Tiger Reserve, Orchha, Saree Weaving)
Maharastra (97m)
WHS - 6 (Ajanta, Ellora, Elephanta, Chhatprati Shivaji Stn, W Ghats, Mumbai)
T List - 5 (Mountain Railways - Matheran, Coastal Fortifications along the Konkan Coast, Geoglyphs of Konkan Region, Maratha Military Architecture, Saree Weaving, Sites of Saytagrah)
Manipur (2.3m)
T List - 1 (Keibul Lamjao)
Meghalaya (2.3m)
T List - 2 (Living Root Bridges, Garo Hills)
Mizoram (.9m)
Nagaland (2m)
Orissa/Odisha (37m)
WHS - 1 (Konarak)
T List - 2 (Chilika Lake, Ekamra Kshetra)
Punjab (24m)
WHS - 0
T List - 3 (Amritsar Temple, Silk Rd, Grand Trunk Road sites)
Rajasthan (56m)
WHS - 4 (Keoladeo, Jantar Mantar, Hill Forts, Jaipur)
T List - 3 (Desert NP, Rock Art Sites of the Chambal Valley, Grand Trunk Road sites)
Sikkim (.5m)
WHS - 1 (Kangchendzonga NP)
T List - 0
Tamil Nadu (66m)
WHS - 4 (Mahabalipuram, Chola Temples, Mountain Railways - Niligri, W Ghats)
T List - 5 (Silk Rd, Temples of Kanchipuram, Chettinad, Sites of Saytagrah, Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple)
Telangana (35m)
WHS - 1 (Ramappa Temple)
T List - 2 (Qutb Monuments etc Hyderabad, Deccan Sultanate)
Tripura (3m)
T List - 1 (Rock-cut Sculptures and Reliefs of the Unakoti)
Uttar Pradesh (191m)
WHS - 3 (Taj Mahal, Fatepur Sikri, Agra Fort)
T List - 5 (Sarnath, Silk Rd, Varanasi, Grand Trunk Road sites, Saree Weaving, Sites of Saytagrah)
Uttarkhand (8m)
WHS - 1 (Nanda Devi)
T List - 1 (Grand Trunk Road sites)
W Bengal (80m)
WHS - 3 (Sundarbans, Mountain Railways - Darj, Santiniketan)
T List - 3 (Neora Valley NP, Grand Trunk Road sites, Sites of Saytagrah)

TERRITORIES
Andaman Islands (.3m)
T list - 2 (Cellular Jail, Narcondam Island)
Chandigharh (.9m)
WHS - 1 (Le Corbusier)
Dadra,Daman/Diu (.3m)
Lakshadweep (.03m)
Delhi (13m)
WHS - 3 (Humuyans Tomb, Qutb Minar, Red Fort)
T List - 5 (Silk Rd, Grand Trunk Road sites, Bahá'í House of Worship at New Delhi, Sites of Saytagrah, Delhi - A Heritage City)
Jammu + Kashmir (12m)
WHS - 0
T List - 2 (Mughal Gardens - Kashmir, Neolithic Settlement of Burzahom)
Ladakh (0.3m)
WHS - 0
T List - 1 (Cold Desert,)
Pondicherry (.9m)
WHS - 0
T List - 1 (Silk Rd)

Except Gujarat! From 2014 - 2024 got 3 sites within 10 years. Gujaratis abhar PM Modi :)

SUNDARBANS NP
Forum members may remember a disccussion (see start here) in late Nov 2024 about whether it was possible to visit the core area of the Indian Sundarbans. After some investigations and discovery of better detailed maps than those on UNESCO I concluded that it was not ....and that was accepted on this Web site!!

At the time I looked at various Web sites of local tour companies and e-mailed one with the question since its own information clearly and carefully stated "The Netidhopani Watchtower is one of the most important watchtowers situated close to the Core area" (my bold). I have just received a comprehensive reply which confirms our conclusions and provides interesting background. I copy the answer below finally to "close" this "question" with some more detail ...also, whilst I haven't used the tour company, it, IMO, "deserves" a mention here for its fine response to my question -

From: info@sundarbans.net Sat, 4 Jan at 06:13
Dear Sir,
Greetings from India Beacons Sojourn !!!
I find you have an interesting question and that you have zeroed on the correct interpretation regarding Netidhopani.
For the records, I would first like to state that in India, as per the statutes, Tourism is allowed only in the Buffer area and not in the Core Area. Sundarbans is also no exception and so going by that interpretation, Netidhopani should fall in the buffer area and not in the Core area.

Again, your map is absolutely correct as, as far as my knowledge goes, that was issued by the Sundarbans Forest authorities (I may be wrong). So it correctly depicts that Netidhopani actually exists on the fringe of the Core area, but actually in the buffer area.

People/Tour operators loosely refer and lure tourists by mentioning that Netidhopani lies in the Core area and that by visiting Netidhopani, you would actually be visiting the core area. Sir, I beg to differ.

I have been operating in Sundarbans since 2009. At that time, rules were not so strict and tourism was also not so controlled. During that time we were new in business and learnt and were told that Netidhopani was in the Core Area. We also did not differ in our views as our visits to Netidhopani were portrayed as being a visit to the Core area of Sundarbans.

There was a justification to that claim too as once the Supreme court of India (Somewhere in 2014 -15, if I correctly remember so) passed a ruling specifically stopping/banning Tourism from the Core Areas in all Tiger Reserves/Sanctuaries in India. The biggest to suffer were the tiger reserves of Jim Corbett, Ranthanbhore, Kanha and Panna etc as there were a lot of hotels/Resorts located within the Core areas of these Tiger Reserves. It was during that time all hotels/resorts were ordered to close down and a crackdown was imposed on tourism in the core area. It was during that time that Netidhopani was closed for tourists. Now this closure points to the fact that Netidhopani must be lying in the Core area or else why was it closed?

After meeting the stake holders and after a lot of discussions/meetings and legal appeals/representations, the court again passed a ruling, that tourism can be allowed in the areas around the core area in a controlled area.. Netidhopani was then opened to tourists albeit, in a controlled manner and the number of entries was restricted to only 13 boats. Also as a deterrent, the Tourist Entry fees/Guide Charges/Boat Entry Fees were Doubled for Netidhopani, to dissuade people from visiting Netidhopani. This again gives reason for one to speculate that Netidhopani lies in the Core Area, or very close to the Core Area

However, as far as my opinion goes, the map you have put forward interprets the correct position of Netidhopani as lying on the precincts of the Core Area of Sundarbans, but not in the Core Area.

Thank you so much sir, for pointing out/ showing your keenness to know about Sundarbans and I appreciate your time in writing to me/wanting to know about Sundarbans.

In case you want to know about Sundarbans/Plan a visit I would be glad to help you.
Thanks and regards
Sandeep Chourasia Whatsapp : +91 9903295920

I like the new tents of India:

- Kanger Valley National Park - It is in the junction of two Nomadmania regions, both of which do not have any tents or whs. This is a good one for people who are following both whs and Nomadmania.

- Ashokan Edict sites along the Mauryan Routes - The main one in the Bhubaneswar city is very close to temples (15 mins by car). There is another main component 1.5 hour drive away from Mumbai but on the other direction of other whs. The remaining main components are all in non-whs zones.

- Chausath Yogini Temples - Chausath Yogini Temple, Hirapur is also in Bhubaneswar city and another 15 mins by car from Ashokan Edict site. Additionally, Chausath Yogini Temple, Khajuraho is just located next door of Khajuraho Temple, which is a whs. If inscribed, this may be a near-miss for most people here. The rest is not on whs route.

- Gupta Temples in North India - the first temple in the list is in Sanchi. Easy tick. I have not checked the other 19 temples yet.

- The Palace-Fortresses of the Bundelas - Extension of Orchha Fort with additional forts. It makes a "tick" a little bit more easier for who does not want to go Orchha and have a short stopover in Jhansi by visiting just Jhansi fort.

Far from all main whs routes:
- Mudumal Megalithic Menhirs

It also includes the already inscribed temples in Nalanda and Bodh Gaya


Sanchi is also part of another one in this set, the Ashokan Edict sites (Sanchi Pillar edicts)

How long does it take to visit Nalanda? If I take a plane from Bhubaneswar and arrive in Patna at 1:35 PM, then take a car to Gaya passing by Nalanda, will a decent visit still posible?

I'd say no because it's very tight. You'll assume the flight actually arrives on time for one, and get out etc by 2pm? The drive from Patna airport to the site is at least 2h15/30 and the site closes at 5pm. Even if they still let you in it would be a very fast visit. The site isn't that big and one could do it in an hour but that's super rushed assuming you make it in time.

Vadnagar – A multi-layered Historic town

Vadnagar, PM Modi's hometown is submitted for PA.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/india-submits-nomination-for-pm-s-hometown-for-unesco-tag-101758446594239-amp.html?utm_campaign=fullarticle&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=inshorts