How India Is Celebrating World Heritage Day 2025: Exploring Indian Culture & Heritage

What if we told you there’s another meaningful festival on 18th April, apart from Easter? Yep, while bunnies and chocolate eggs are great, there’s a global celebration that speaks to the soul of our culture — World Heritage Day. Known officially as the International Day for Monuments and Sites, this meaningful day falls on Friday, 18 April 2025, and India, being a treasure trove of heritage, is buzzing with excitement.

Celebrated annually since 1983 and approved by UNESCO, World Heritage Day is now a global reminder to honour, protect, and pass on our heritage to future generations. In 2025, the event falls on a Friday, with a timely theme that hits hard, “Heritage under Threat from Disasters and Conflicts: Preparedness and Learning from 60 years of ICOMOS Actions”. Sounds heavy? Well, it is. But that doesn’t mean the celebration can’t be exciting too—especially in a country like India, where every monument has a kahani to tell.

The Story Behind World Heritage Day: Where It All Began

World Heritage Day isn't just a random date on the calendar. It was born out of a genuine need to protect and preserve our cultural and natural wonders. Inspired by global threats to ancient structures, the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) proposed the day in 1982. UNESCO quickly realised the potential and formalised it just a year later, in 1983. Since then, every year on April 18, people across the globe engage in activities like heritage walks, site clean-ups, exhibitions, and panel discussions. The purpose? Simple but vital, to raise awareness about the importance of monuments, sites, and cultural identity. With time, the celebration has evolved, bringing new themes each year to spotlight different aspects of heritage preservation:

• 2019 – Rural Landscapes

• 2020 – Shared Culture, Shared Heritage, Shared Responsibility

• 2022 – Heritage and Climate

• 2023 – Heritage Changes

• 2025 – Heritage under Threat from Disasters and Conflicts: Preparedness and Learning from 60 Years of ICOMOS Actions

This year’s theme is a wake-up call. Earthquakes, floods, fires, wars — these are not just headlines. They’re actual threats to timeless heritage sites across the globe. And yet, in all this chaos, there’s hope. This year’s theme reflects on the last 60 years of ICOMOS efforts and encourages global preparedness through awareness, collaboration, and lessons from past crises. It reminds us that heritage isn't just about architecture—it's about identity, belonging, and continuity. India, being home to 43 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, plays a pivotal role in this observance. From the intricately carved temples of Khajuraho to the biodiversity hotspot of the Sundarbans, the country is a living museum of heritage. 

The Legacy of World Heritage Day: From Its Roots to 2025

As India prepares to observe World Heritage Day 2025, the energy is palpable. Schools are organising heritage workshops, NGOs are rolling out awareness campaigns, and tourism departments are offering special heritage walks. But beyond the celebration, there’s a clear focus on preparedness — understanding how to safeguard our monuments from natural and man-made threats. And what better way to immerse oneself in this experience than visiting places that reflect the theme?

Let’s start with Hampi in Karnataka. Once the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire, Hampi today stands as a hauntingly beautiful ruin. It’s the kind of place where history whispers through boulders. And with monsoon floods in the region becoming increasingly severe, Hampi is a textbook example of heritage under threat. Next up is Kaziranga National Park in Assam. Home to the endangered one-horned rhinoceros, Kaziranga doesn’t just preserve wildlife; it represents a delicate ecosystem that's equally vulnerable to flooding and illegal encroachments. A visit here is a reminder that natural heritage needs protection just as much as built monuments.

Then there’s the Sun Temple in Konark, Odisha. A marvel of ancient engineering, this temple has already weathered centuries of storms, literally. With rising sea levels and cyclonic activity increasing in eastern India, the temple faces new challenges, making it an ideal stop to reflect on this year’s theme. Old Delhi’s Qutb Minar also deserves a spot on your itinerary. As crowds grow and urbanisation presses in, maintaining the structural integrity of such historic sites requires careful planning. Plus, the area offers a fascinating blend of Indo-Islamic architecture and heritage-rich street life — perfect for history lovers and foodies alike.

And finally, Dholavira in Gujarat, one of the most remarkable Harappan sites, offers a glimpse into a civilisation that thrived over 4,500 years ago. Its remote desert location and delicate archaeological remains make it highly susceptible to both climate shifts and neglect. Exploring Dholavira is like time-travelling — but also makes you wonder, what if we don’t preserve what’s left? Across India, activities will also include virtual conferences, storytelling sessions, cultural performances, and digital poster-making competitions. Even Instagram is getting in on the action — people are being encouraged to share their heritage photos using hashtags like #WorldHeritageDayIndia and #PreserveOurPast.

The larger message? That protecting our monuments isn't just the job of archaeologists or the government.

Let Heritage Speak—And You Listen

Heritage isn’t just something we visit on a weekend getaway—it’s the soul of our culture. And World Heritage Day gives us the perfect excuse to reconnect with it. Whether you’re a history buff or someone just looking to explore beyond the usual Insta spots, this day offers a lens into stories, struggles, and triumphs that have stood the test of time. So, plan a visit to your nearest monument, join a heritage walk, or simply post a throwback with #WorldHeritageDay2025. You don’t need to be a historian to care about history—just someone who values the beauty of where we’ve been. In a world changing rapidly due to climate shifts and conflicts, safeguarding heritage is no longer an option—it’s a necessity. This 18th April, let’s not just look at a monument and walk away. Let’s pause. Learn. And promise to preserve.

When: Friday, 18th April 2025

Theme: Heritage under Threat from Disasters and Conflicts: Preparedness and Learning from 60 years of ICOMOS Actions