VARANASI, July 27 -- Twenty-eight years after entering UNESCO's Tentative List, Sarnath in Uttar Pradesh has made it on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The site, where Gautama Buddha is believed to have delivered his first sermon after attaining enlightenment, has now become UP's fourth and India's 45th World Heritage site. Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to X to hail the designation. "A proud moment for every Indian! Delighted that Sarnath in Uttar Pradesh has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List," he said. "This recognition celebrates India's profound civilisational and spiritual heritage. It will also inspire more people across the world to come to Sarnath and connect with the ideals of Lord Buddha," added the PM. The move was announced during the 48th Session of the World Heritage Committee. UNESCO described the site as one of four principal Buddhist pilgrimage sites identified by the Buddha himself. "...After flourishing as a major Buddhist centre, Sarnath declined in the 12th century CE and fell into obscurity until its rediscovery in the 18th century," its website said. Union culture minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat also took to X on a jubilant note. "Sarnath reflects the profound spiritual and philosophical contributions of Indian civilisation to humanity." State culture minister Jaiveer Singh said the achievement reflected UP's effort to bring many strands of its civilisational heritage into national and international focus. Conservation architect Abha Narain Lambah, who prepared Sarnath's nomination, said it rested upon something larger than the significance of individual monuments. "Sarnath brings together the place of the First Sermon, the beginnings of the Buddhist Sangha, some of the earliest Buddhist architectural forms and a pilgrimage tradition spanning nearly 2,500 years," she said....