List of UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Sites in India

UNESCO established its Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage with the aim of ensuring better protection of important intangible cultural heritages worldwide and the awareness of their significance. The list was established in 2008 when the 2003 convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage took effect.

‘Intangible Cultural Heritage’ refers to the traditions or living expressions inherited from our ancestors and passed on to our descendants, such as oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, rituals, festive events, knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe or the knowledge and skills to produce traditional crafts. India, known for its heritage and cultural diversity, has 14 cultural heritages in UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage list.

Elements on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage

1. Ramlila

(Inscribed in 2008)

Ramlila, literally “Rama’s play”, is a performance of Ramayana epic in a series of scenes that include song, narration, recital and dialogue. Based on Tulsidas’ Ramacharitmanas, it is performed across northern Indian during the festival of Dussehra. The most representative Ramlilas are those of Ayodhya, Ramnagar and Benares (Varanasi), Vrindavan, Almora, Sattna and Madhubani. Ramlilas usually last 10-12 days, but some, such as Ramnaga’s may last an entire month.

2. Koodiyattam, Sanskrit Theatre

(Inscribed in 2008)

Koodiyattam, Sanskrit theatre, which is practiced in the province of Kerala, is one of India’s oldest living theatrical traditions. Originating more than 2,000 years ago, Koodiyattam represents a synthesis of Sanskrit Classicism and reflects the local traditions of Kerala. In its stylized and codifined theatrical language, netra abhinaya (eye expression) and hasta abhinaya (the language of gestures) are prominent. They focus on the thoughts and feeling of the main character. Actors undergo ten to fifteen years of rigorous training to become fully-fledged performers with sophisticated breathing control and subtle muscle shifts of the face and body.

3. Tradition of Vedic Chanting

(Inscribed in 2008)

Regarded by Hindus as the primary source of knowledge and the sacred foundation of their religion, the Vedas embody one of the world’s oldest surviving cultural traditions.

There are four Vedas:

The Rig Veda (an anthology of sacred hymns);

The Sama Veda (features musical arrangement of hymns from the Rig Veda and other sources);

The Yajur Veda (abounds in prayers and sacrificial formulae used by priests);

The Atharva Veda (include incantations and spells).

Although the Vedas continue to play an important role in contemporary Indian life, only 13 of the over 1,000 Vedic recitation branches have survived.

4. Ramman, Religious Festival and Ritual Theatre of the Garhwal Himalayas

(Inscribed in 2009)

Comprising highly complex rituals including the recitation of the Ramayana and various lagends, and the performance of songs and masked dances – Ramman, a multiform cultural event, is held every year in April in the twin villages of Saloor-Dungra (Uttarakhand). Held in honour of the tutelary god, Bhumiyal Devta, a local divinity, the festival is organised by villagers, and each caste and occupational group has a distinct role.

5. Chhau dance

(Inscribed in 2010)

Chhau dance is a tradition from eastern Indian that enacts episodes from epics including the Mahabharata and Ramayana, local folklore and abstract themes. Tracing its origin to indigenous forms of dance and martial practices, Chhau has three distinct styles: Seraikella, Purulia and Mayurbhanj, the first two using masks. Traditionally restricted to male dancers, Chhau is performed at night in an open space to folk melodies, played on the mohuri (reed pipes) and shehnai.

6. Kalbelia Folk Songs and Dances of Rajasthan

(Inscribed in 2010)

Songs and dances are an expression of the Kalbelia community’s traditional snake handlers, Kalbelia today evoke their former occupation in music and dance that is evolving in new and creative ways. Today, women in flowing black skirts dance and swirl, replicating the movements of a serpent, while men accompany them on the khanjari percussion instrument and the poongi, a woodwinds instrument traditionally played to capture snakes. The dancers wear traditional tattoo designs, jewellery and garments richly embroidered with small mirrors and silver thread.

7. Mudiyettu, Ritual Theatre and Dance Drama of Kerala

(Inscribed in 2010)

Mudiyettu is a ritual dance drama from Kerala based on the mythological tale of a battle between the goddess Kali and the demon darika. It is a community ritual in which the entire village participates. After the summer crops have been harvested, the villagers reach the temple in the early morning on an appointed day. Mudiyettu performers purify themselves through fasting and prayer, then draw a huge image of goddess Kali, calles as Kalam, on the temple floor with coloured powders, wherein the spirit of the goddess is invoked.

8. Buddhist Chanting of Ladakh: Recitation of Sacred Buddhist Texts in the Trans-Himalayan Ladakh Region

(Inscribed in 2012)

In the monasteries and villages of the Ladakh region, Buddhist lamas (priests) chant sacred texts representing the spirit, philosophy and teachings of the Buddha. Two forms of Buddhism are practiced in Ladakh – Mahayana and Vajrayana - and there are four major sects, namely Nyngma, Kagyud, Shakya and Geluk. Each sect has several forms of chanting, practised during life-cycle rituals and on important days in the Buddhist and agrarian calendars. Chanting is undertaken for the spiritual and moral well-being of the people, for purification and peace of mind, to appease the wrath of evil spirits or to invoke the blessing or various Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, deities and rinpoches. The chanting in performed in groups, either sitting indoors or accompanied by dance in monastery courtyards or private houses.

9. Sankirtana, Ritual Singing, Drumming and Sancing of Manipur (Inscribed in 2013)

Sankirtana encompasses and array of arts performed to mark religious occasions and various stages in the life of the Vaishnava people of the Manipur plains. Sankirtana practices centre on the temple, where performers narrate the lives and deeds of Krishna through song and dance. In a typical performance, two drummers and about ten singer-dancers perform in a hall or domestic courtyard encircled by seated devotees. The dignity and flow of aesthetic and religious energy is unparalleled, moving audience members to tears and frequently to prostrate themselves before the performers. It has two main social functions: bring people together on festive occasions throughout the year; and reinforce relationships between the individual and the community through life-cycle ceremonies. It is thus regarded as the visible manifestation of God.

10. Traditional Brass and Copper Craft of Utensil Making Among the Thatheras of Jandiala Guru

(Inscribed in 2014)

The craft of the Thatheras of Jandiala Guru constitutes the traditional technique of manufacturing brass and copper utensils in Punjab. The metals used – copper, brass and certain alloys – are believed to be beneficial for health. The process begins with procuring cooled cakes of metal that are flattened into thin plates and then hammered into curved shapes creating the required small bowls, rimmed plates, to larger pots for water and milk, huge cooking vessels and other artifacts. The process of manufacturing is transmitted orally from father to son.

11. Navruz

(Inscribed in 2016)

March 21 marks the start of the Parsi new year in several parts of the world including India. It is referred to as Nauryz, Navruz, Nawrous, Nevruz, Nooruz, Novruz, Nowrouz or Nowruz meaning ‘new day’ when a variety of rituals, ceremonies and other cultural events take place for a period of about two weeks. An important tradition practiced during this time is the gathering around ‘the Table’, decorated with objects that symbolize purity, brightness, livelihood and wealth, to enjoy a special meal with loved ones. Ne clothes are worn and visits made to relatives, particularly the elderly and neighbours. Gifts are exchanged, especially for children, featuring objects made by artisans.

12. Yoga

(Inscribed in 2016)

Based on unifying the mind with the body and soul to allow for greater mental, spiritual and physical well-being, Yoga is an ancient Indian practice. Yoga consists of a series of poses, meditation, controlled breathing, word chanting and other techniques designed to help individuals build self-realization, ease any suffering they many be experiencing and allow for a state of liberation. Traditionally, Yoga was transmitted using the Guru-Shishya (master-pupil) custodians of associated knowledge and skills.

13. Kumbh Mela

(Inscribed in 2017)

Kumbh Mela (the festival of the sacred pitcher) is the largest peaceful congregation of pilgrims on earth, during which participants bathe or take a dip in a sacred river. Devotees believe that by bathing in the Ganga, one is freed from their sins, which is turn liberates them from the cycle of birth and death. The festival is held at Allahabad, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nasik every four years by rotation and is attended by million of people irrespective of caste, creed or gender.

14. Durga Puja in Kolkata

(Inscribed in 2021)

Durga Puja is an annual festival celebrated in September or October, most notably in West Bengal, but also in other parts of India and amongst the Bengali diaspora. It marks the ten-day worship of the Hindu mother-goddess Durga. In the months preceding the festival, small artisanal workshops sculpt image of Durga and her family using unfired clay pulled from the Ganga River. The worship of the goddess then begins on the inaugural day of Mahalaya, when eyes are painted onto the clay images to bring the goddess to life. It ends on the tenth day, when the images are immersed in the river from where the clay came.