Archive · 14 Aug 2026
Centre Delists 18 Monuments From Protected Sites Since 2021
Imagine a special list of very old and important places that the country takes care of, like old buildings, cemeteries and even ancient trees.
The government of India keeps this list so these places stay safe and protected.
Recently, the government said that 18 places have been removed from this list.
That means the government will no longer look after them as specially protected spots.
One of these places is a very old cemetery in Delhi called Bara Khamba Cemetery.
Another is a grove of very old banyan trees where people have found traces of ancient buildings.
The government says these places were removed because they are no longer considered important for the whole nation.
The minister in charge of culture, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, told the parliament about this decision.
Looking after monuments and history is an important job, and this news tells us which places are still on the government's care list.
The central government has delisted 18 monuments from the list of protected monuments since 2021.
Bara Khamba Cemetery in Delhi and a banyan grove of 'great antiquity' with traces of ancient buildings are among the delisted sites.
The government said the sites were removed because they were found to have ceased to be of national importance under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958.
Union Minister of Culture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat shared the data in a written response to a query in the Rajya Sabha.
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) maintains 3,688 centrally protected monuments/sites, and 662 artefacts have been retrieved from the US, Australia, the UK and the Netherlands till June 2026.
- Who
- Union Minister of Culture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, on behalf of the central government and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
- What
- The central government delisted 18 monuments from the list of protected monuments.
- When
- Since 2021; the data was shared in Parliament on Thursday.
- Where
- India; the delisted sites include Bara Khamba Cemetery in Delhi.
- Why
- The sites were found to have ceased to be of national importance under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958.
- Delisted monuments
- 18 since 2021
- Legal basis
- Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958
- Reason for delisting
- Sites ceased to be of national importance
- Notable delisted sites
- Bara Khamba Cemetery (Delhi); banyan grove of 'great antiquity' with traces of ancient buildings
- Centrally protected monuments/sites under ASI
- 3,688
- Artefacts retrieved from abroad
- 662 till June 2026 (US 589, Australia 51, UK 21, Netherlands 1)
- Minister
- Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Minister of Culture
- Parliamentary body
- Rajya Sabha