The UNESCO World Heritage Sites 'Mountain Railways of India' recognises which of the following?

Question

The UNESCO World Heritage Sites 'Mountain Railways of India' recognises which of the following?

1. A. Kalka-Shimla Railways
2. B. Nilgiri Mountain Railways
3. C. Darjeeling Himalayan Railways
4. D. All of the above (Correct answer)

Correct Answer

Option D — All of the above

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is All of the above.

Key Points

• The UNESCO World Heritage Site "Mountain Railways of India" is a serial inscription comprising three railways:
  • Darjeeling Himalayan Railway — inscribed 1999, the first to be listed. A 2 ft narrow-gauge line from Siliguri to Darjeeling in West Bengal, famous for its loops, Z-reverses and the Batasia Loop.
  • Nilgiri Mountain Railway — added 2005. Runs from Mettupalayam to Udagamandalam (Ooty) in Tamil Nadu, and is India's only rack railway, using the Abt rack-and-pinion system to climb its steepest gradients.
  • Kalka-Shimla Railway — added 2008. A 96 km narrow-gauge line in Himachal Pradesh with 102 tunnels and 864 bridges, including the multi-arched Arch Gallery at Kanoh.
• Since all three are recognised, the answer is All of the above.

Additional Information

• The Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Mumbai is a separate World Heritage Site, inscribed in 2004 — it is a railway *station*, not part of the Mountain Railways group. This distinction is frequently tested.
• The Matheran Hill Railway in Maharashtra is on India's tentative list but has not yet been inscribed.
• India has 44 UNESCO World Heritage Sites — 36 cultural, 7 natural and 1 mixed (Khangchendzonga National Park).
• Natural World Heritage Sites of India: Kaziranga, Manas and Keoladeo National Parks, Sundarbans National Park, Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks, the Western Ghats, and the Great Himalayan National Park.
• No World Heritage Site currently lies in Jammu & Kashmir, though Srinagar was designated a UNESCO Creative City of Crafts and Folk Art in 2021, and the Mughal Gardens of Kashmir are on the tentative list.