Kolkata’s Durga Puja is the 14th event from India to get the UNESCO nod that represent the country’s tradition & culture in it.

It’s a matter of Great pride, Kolkata’s Durga Puja festival has become the latest event to be inscribed in the ‘Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity’ by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). With this, as many as 14 events that represent India’s tradition & culture have been inducted in the list.PM Modi also tweeted about this inclusion. For entire West Bengal & India –Durga Puja being added is something to celebrate before 2021 gets over.

This is the one of many additions from eastern India in the prestigious list, with Chhau dance being the latest after being inscribed in 2020. Originated in Odisha, the traditional dance form is also widely popular in West Bengal and Jharkhand.

“Durga Puja is seen as the best instance of the public performance of religion and art, and as thriving ground for collaborative artists and designers. The festival is characterised by large-scale installations and pavilions in urban areas, as well as traditional Bengali drumming and veneration of the goddess,” the official statement by UNESCO read.

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This is the one of many additions from eastern India in the prestigious list, with Chhau dance being the latest after being inscribed in 2020. Originated in Odisha, the traditional dance form is also widely popular in West Bengal and Jharkhand.

“Durga Puja is seen as the best instance of the public performance of religion and art, and as thriving ground for collaborative artists and designers. The festival is characterised by large-scale installations and pavilions in urban areas, as well as traditional Bengali drumming and veneration of the goddess,” the official statement by UNESCO read.

Here’s the list of all 14 events from India that have so far been inscribed in the UNESCO’s ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage’ list:

1. Durga Puja in Kolkata

2. Kutiyattam, Sanskrit theatre in Kerala

3. Tradition of Vedic chanting

4. Ramlila, the traditional performance of the Ramayana

5. Ramman, religious festival and ritual theatre of the Garhwal in Himalayas

6. Chhau dance

7. Kalbelia folk songs & dances of Rajasthan

8. Mudiyettu- ritual theatre & dance drama of Kerala

9. Recitation of sacred Buddhist texts in the trans-Himalayan Ladakh region, Jammu & Kashmir, India

10. Sankirtana, ritual singing, drumming and dancing of Manipur

11. Traditional brass and copper craft of utensil making among the Thatheras of Jandiala Guru in Punjab

12. Yoga,India

13. Kumbh Mela,India

14. Nawrouz-the Parsi New Year,India

What is UNESCO

It  is a specialised agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace & security through international cooperation in education, the arts, the sciences, and culture. It has 193 member states and 11 associate members, as well as partners in the non-governmental, intergovernmental, and private sector. Headquartered at the World Heritage Centre in Paris, France, UNESCO has 53 regional field offices and 199 national commissions that facilitate its global mandate.