Context:
Deepavali (Diwali), India’s major festival of lights, has been added to UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This comes a year after Parsi New Year Navroz was added. Other Indian elements already on the list include Durga Puja, Garba, Kumbh Mela, Ramlila, Vedic chanting, etc.
UPSC Relevance:
UPSC PYQ:
Q. Which one of the following was the latest inclusion in the Intangible Cultural Heritage List of UNESCO?
[A] Chhau dance
[B] Durga puja.
[C] Garba dance
[D] Kumbh mela
About:
Decision at UNESCO Meeting:
- Decision taken during UNESCO’s ICH Committee session, being hosted by India for the first time, in Delhi’s Red Fort.
India’s Nomination Process:
- India submitted the Deepavali dossier in 2023 for 2024–25 cycle.
- For next year, India has nominated Bihar’s Chhath Puja for consideration.
Sangeet Natak Akademi (nodal agency for ICH in India) coordinated the nomination.
UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage:
- According to UNESCO’s 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, ICH is manifested into five broad domains:
- Oral traditions and expressions, including language as a vehicle of the intangible cultural heritage.
- Performing arts
- Social practices, rituals and festive events
- Knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe
- Traditional craftsmanship
ICH list India:
| S.No. | Intangible Cultural Heritage Element | Year of Inscription |
| 1. | Kutiyattam, Sanskrit Theater | 2008 |
| 2. | Tradition of Vedic Chanting | 2008 |
| 3. | Ramlila, the Traditional Performance of the Ramayana | 2008 |
| 4. | Ramman, Religious Festival and Ritual Theatre of the Garhwal Himalayas, India | 2009 |
| 5. | Chhau Dance | 2010 |
| 6. | Kalbelia Folk Songs and Dances of Rajasthan | 2010 |
| 7. | Mudiyettu, Ritual Theatre and Dance Drama of Kerala | 2010 |
| 8. | Buddhist Chanting of Ladakh: Recitation of Sacred Buddhist Texts in the Trans-Himalayan Ladakh region, Jammu and Kashmir, India | 2012 |
| 9. | Sankirtana, ritual singing, drumming and dancing of Manipur | 2013 |
| 10. | Traditional Brass and Copper Craft of Utensil Making among the Thatheras of Jandiala Guru, Punjab, India | 2014 |
| 11. | Nowruz | 2016 |
| 12. | Yoga | 2016 |
| 13. | Kumbh Mela | 2017 |
| 14. | Durga Puja in Kolkata | 2021 |
| 15. | Garba of Gujarat | 2023 |
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