Heritage of India: India’s 16 Most Valuable Intangible Cultural Heritage Recognized by UNESCO

The Garba dance of Gujarat was just included in the list of “intangible cultural heritage” by UNESCO. Having said that, this isn’t the only cultural art form from India to get such recognition. The list now includes fifteen more heritages that have been added throughout the years.

1. Garba

The UNESCO representative list of ‘intangible cultural heritage’ includes garba dance. For nine days during Navaratri, Gujarat and India enjoy Garba, a devotional dance. Garba dancing expresses feminine energy culturally, performatively, and visually.

2. Kutiyattam Sanskrit Theatre

Kerala’s Sanskrit Kutiyattam is one of India’s oldest theatrical traditions. Kutiyattam originated over 2,000 years ago and combines Sanskrit classicism with Keralan customs. UNESCO declared it a Masterpiece of Human Oral and Intangible Heritage.

3. Ramlila

Ramlila is a Ramayana epic performance including song, storytelling, recital, and dialogue. It is practised throughout northern India during Dussehra, an October religious event. UNESCO included it in its Intangible Cultural Heritage List in 2008.

4. Vedic Chant

Vedic chant was named a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO on November 7, 2008. The Vedas are chanted in Vedic societies and during holy rites in Sanskrit-derived Vedic language. The vast oral literature is an excellent method of preserving the scriptures over hundreds of years making this tradition valuable.

5. Ramman

The twin villages of Saloor-Dungra in Uttarakhand celebrate Ramman, a religious festival honouring Bhumiyal Devta, a local deity whose temple hosts most of the activities. It was included on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List in 2009.

6. Nawrouz

UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity included Nowruz in 2009. A historic tradition, Nowruz is celebrated on March 21 in several Silk Road nations. This heralds in a Parsi new year, and the natural world’s revival.

7. Kalbelia Folk Songs

During the Holi celebration, traditional dances are done, and legendary information is disseminated via Kalbelia songs. As of 2010, it was officially recognised as part of the world’s intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO.

8. Chhau Dance

The Chhau dance was included in the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list by UNESCO in 2010. The eastern Indian art form of Chhau dance reenacts scenes from mythology (such as the Mahabharata and the Ramayana), folklore, and intellectual ideas.

9. Mudiyettu

In 2010, Mudiyettu became Kerala’s second art form on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity after Koodiyattam. Kerala’s traditional dance performance Mudiyettu depicts Kali and Darika’s combat.

10. Buddhist Chanting of Ladakh

In 2012, it was included in the list of the World’s Intangible Cultural Heritage. Buddhist lamas recite holy scriptures that embody the essence, tenets, and teachings of the Buddha in the villages and monasteries of the Ladakh area.

11. Sankirtana

In December 2013, the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity Representative List included Sankirtana. Sankirtana, the Manipur Vaishnava ritual of singing, drumming, and dance, marks religious festivals and life phases.

12. Thathera craft

The only Indian craft style to be included on the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage is this one. Traditional Punjabi methods of making brass and copper crafts are embodied in the work of the Thatheras of Jandiala Guru.

13. Yoga

A new intangible cultural asset that has been added to the list by UNESCO is Yoga. Every facet of Indian culture, from the medical and educational systems to the arts and entertainment, has been touched by the underlying idea of yoga, an ancient Indian practice.

14. Kumbh Mela

In 2017, it was included in the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO. The Kumbh Mela is the biggest gathering of peaceful pilgrims in the world, and it is at this event that many take a dip or bath in a holy river.

15. Durga Puja

In 2021, Durga Puja was added to the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. It is the biggest celebration of Kolkata that represents the destruction of evil and the welcome of the positive force.

16. Santiniketan

In 2023, UNESCO included Birbhum’s Santiniketan on its World Heritage List. Founded in 1901 by poet and philosopher Rabindranath Tagore in rural West Bengal, Santiniketan is a residential school and art centre founded on old Indian traditions and a vision of human oneness beyond religion and culture.