UNESCO has listed the Excavated Remains of Nalanda Mahavihara (Nalanda University) in Bihar, Khangchendzonga National Park in Sikkim and Capitol Complex in Chandigarh as World Heritage Sites during the 40th session of World Heritage Committee Meeting held in Istanbul from July 10-20, 2016.
The Nalanda Mahavihara, founded in 5th century CE, was an international centre for organized learning. It was a rare combination of outstanding achievements in institution-building, site-planning, art and architecture. It attracted scholars from Indian subcontinent and beyond and received patronage of local rulers and foreign kings for unbroken period of 800 years. The Khangchendzonga National Park includes a unique diversity of plains, valleys, lakes, glaciers and Mount Khangchendzonga, the world's third highest peak (8,586 metres). It is home to a significant number of endemic, rare and threatened plant and animal species. The Capitol Complex, designed by Architect Le Corbusier in the 1950s, comprises Legislative Assembly, Secretariat and High Court of the States of Punjab and Haryana.
