UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritages in India

Subject – Art and Culture

Context – Durga Puja gets intangible cultural heritage tag

Concept –

This coveted list is made up of those intangible heritage elements that help demonstrate diversity of cultural heritage and raise awareness about its importance.
The list was established in 2008 when the Convention for Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage came into effect.
This list also encompasses living expressions and traditions. Intangible cultural heritage means the skills, knowledge, expressions, representations, practices – as well as the artifacts, objects, instruments, and cultural spaces associated with them that various groups, communities and in certain cases individuals recognize as a part of their cultural heritage.
This list is published by the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Its members are elected by State parties meeting in the United Nations General Assembly.

UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritages in India

India, known for its heritage and cultural diversity, has 13 cultural heritages in UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage list.

About Durga Puja –

Durga Puja, also known as Durgotsava or Sharodotsava, is an annual Hindu festival originating in the Indian subcontinent which reveres and pays homage to the Hindu goddess Durga and is also celebrated because of Durga’s victory over Mahishasur.
Durga Puja is a five-day festival which begins on the fifth night of the nine-day Navratri festival and ends on the tenth day, which is Dashami. During this time, people collectively worship and invoke Goddess Durga, who is regarded as the feminine energy of the cosmos, also known as ‘Shakti’.
Though originating in West Bengal, which has the largest Bengali community in the country, the festival is celebrated in many other parts of India, and also the world.
The festival is observed in the Indian calendar month of Ashwin, which corresponds to September–October in the Gregorian calendar.
It is a classic fusion of religion and culture.
Durga puja is an important festival in the Shaktism tradition of Hinduism.