Durga Puja of Kolkata gets UNESCO Heritage Tag

Durga Puja is a ten-day festival that is celebrated annually in September or October, most notably in Kolkata, West Bengal, and also in other parts of India. In the festival, mother-goddess Durga is worshipped. 

On December 15, 2021, Durga Puja in Kolkata received important international recognition from UNESCO including it in the list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The UNESCO Office in New Delhi tweeted "Durga Puja in #Kolkata has just been inscribed on the #IntangibleHeritage list! Inscriptions to Representative List are one of the several ways by which #UNESCO advocates the promotion and safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage."

Congratulations🇮🇳 #DurgaPuja is now inscribed on the #UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity!
14 ICH elements from #India have been inscribed on this list by the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage pic.twitter.com/TQMqejgxBS

— UNESCO New Delhi (@unesconewdelhi) December 15, 2021

The announcement was welcomed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Minister of Culture G. Kishan Reddy, and the West Bengal government. 

Narendra Modi said "A matter of great pride and joy for every Indian! Durga Puja highlights the best of our traditions and ethos. And, Kolkata’s Durga Puja is an experience everyone must have."

A matter of great pride and joy for every Indian!

Durga Puja highlights the best of our traditions and ethos. And, Kolkata’s Durga Puja is an experience everyone must have. https://t.co/DdRBcTGGs9

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 15, 2021

Now, the number of elements in the list of intangible Cultural Heritage from India has increased to 14 with the inclusion of Durga Puja. In the list, the latest inclusion prior to the Durga Puja is the Kumbh Mela which was inscribed in 2017, and in 2016, Yoga was included.

READ| UNESCO Intangible Heritage List 2021: All Inclusions From India

About UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage

The content of the term 'Cultural Heritage' has been changed in recent decades, partially owing to instruments developed by UNESCO. It not only includes monuments and collections of objects but also traditions or living expressions inherited from our ancestors and passed on to our descendants. Examples are oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, rituals, festival events, knowledge and practices related to nature and the universe, or the knowledge and skills to produce traditional crafts. 

With growing globalisation and maintaining cultural diversity, fragile and intangible cultural heritage is an important factor. It helps in understanding intercultural dialogue and encourages mutual respect for other ways of life.

The significance of intangible cultural heritage is not the cultural manifestation itself but also the wealth of knowledge and skills that is transmitted through one generation to another.

The social and economic value of this transmission of knowledge is important for minority groups and for social groups within State. It is also important for developing States and also for developed ones.

Interesting facts about Durga Puja

Durga Puja is a ten-day festival celebrated in the month of Ashvina (September or October), the seventh month of the Hindu Calendar.

The festival celebrates the victory of the goddess Durga over the demon king Mahishasura.

It is mainly celebrated in Bengal, Assam, and other parts of India as well as among the Bengali diaspora.

A few months before the start of the festival, small artisanal workshops make sculptures of Goddess Durga and her family using clay pulled from the Ganga River. 

The worship of Goddess Durga begins on the inaugural day of Mahalaya i.e. the first day of Durga Puja is Mahalaya. Eyes are painted onto the clay images to bring the goddess to life. 

During the celebration days, the goddess is worshipped in several forms such as Durga, Lakshmi, and Saraswati. The festival ends on the tenth day (Vijayadashami) when the images are immersed in the river from where the clay came. 

The festival signifies 'home-coming' or a seasonal return to one's roots. It is seen as the best instance of public performance of religion and art. It also acts as a thriving ground for collaborative artists and designers. 

Durga Puja festival is characterised by large-scale installations and pavilions in urban areas and also by traditional Bengali drumming and veneration of the goddess.

_{Source: unesco.org}

READ| List of All UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India