UNESCO has added Durga Puja in Kolkata to its list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The decision was taken during the ongoing sixteenth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.
In a note published announcing the decision, UNESCO said that the “Durga Puja is seen as the best instance of the public performance of religion and art, and as a thriving ground for collaborative artists and designers”. It said that the festival also signifies ‘home-coming’ or a seasonal return to one’s roots, because the idols of Durga and other Gods and Goddesses are made using clay from the Ganga River, and the idols are immersed at the end of the puja in the same river.
“During the event, the divides of class, religion and ethnicities collapse as crowds of spectators walk around to admire the installations,” the statement further added.
Reacting to the inclusion of Durga Puja in the list, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called it 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,” the PM added in a tweet.
The list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity includes practice, representation, expression, knowledge, or skill which is considered by UNESCO as a part of the cultural heritage of a place. As intangible heritage, it does not include buildings, monuments, artifacts etc. It includes non-physical intellectual wealth, 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. The Intergovernmental Committee of the UNESCO examines requests submitted by states for the inscription of intangible heritage on the lists as well as proposals for programmes and projects. Kolkata’s Durga Puja was India’s submission for the list this year.