The International Day for Monuments and Sites, also known as World Heritage Day, is an annual event held on April 18 to celebrate and bring attention to cultural landscapes and structures that play a key role in the life of individuals, communities and nations. India, home to 43 UNESCO World Heritage Sites with another 62 on the Tentative List, has a wealth of historical landmarks that showcase its rich cultural legacy.
A fresh theme is chosen for each year and 2025 is about “Disaster and Conflict Resilient Heritage: Preparations and Lessons from 60 Years of ICOMOS.” ICOMOS stands for The International Council on Monuments and Sites, a non-governmental organisation working to conserve and protect cultural heritage sites around the world. It is currently the only worldwide NGO dedicated to applying scientific techniques, theories and methodology to conserve both tangible and intangible elements of cultural heritage sites.
In 1982, ICOMOS established April 18 as the International Day for Monuments and Sites, followed by its adoption by UNESCO during its 22nd General Conference. The aim was to promote awareness about the diversity of humanity's cultural heritage, their vulnerability and the efforts required for their protection and conservation.
The organisation has an expansive definition of what constitutes a monument. There are monuments built especially to celebrate or reminisce an episode, moment or character in a country’s history. This involves the creation of architects, sculptors, artists and so on. Others are remnants of the past that have survived to the present day and are held in reverence by society as collective symbols.
Around the world different types of activities are held to commemorate the day, including visits to monuments and heritage sites, conferences, round tables and newspaper articles.
Following the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Venice Charter in 2024, ICOMOS will celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2025. The Second Congress of Architects and Specialists of Historic Buildings, held in Venice in 1964, adopted 13 resolutions—the first being the International Charter for the Conservation and Restoration of Monuments and Sites, better known as the Venice Charter; and the second, put forward by UNESCO, was the creation of ICOMOS in 1965.
The 2025 International Day for Monuments and Sites celebrations will, therefore, focus on the 60 years of ICOMOS actions related to safeguarding heritage under threat of disasters and conflicts and its future objectives in prevention, mitigation, preparation, emergency response and recovery that can be taken to safeguard heritage in times of crisis. The 2025 International Day for Monuments and Sites' activities and recognition of ICOMOS' work over the last 60 years will conclude with the Symposium of the ICOMOS Annual General Assembly in Nepal from October 13-19.
There are 43 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India. Of these, 35 are cultural, seven are natural, and Khangchendzonga National Park is a mixed site.
In 2024, the Charaideo Moidams from Assam became the latest Indian entry to be added to the World Heritage List. The burial mounds of the Ahom royals have vaulted chambers, often double-storied and accessed through arched passages. In the chamber, the deceased would be laid to rest in a centrally raised platform along with their belongings, including dresses and ornaments, weapons, furniture, and other items of day-to-day use. The construction of these mounds involved layers of bricks, earth and vegetation.
Though Moidams are found in all districts of upper Assam, Charaideo is the site where most of the burial mounds of the Ahom royals are concentrated since it was the first capital of their dynasty.
This story was originally published on April 17, 2024. It has been updated with new information on April 16, 2025.
