What is Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH)?
- The ICH is representation, practice, knowledge, expression of skills. It involves non-physical intellectual property such as beliefs, folklore, traditions, customs and language.
- UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage
- The list was established in 2008 when Convention for Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage came into effect.
- It includes important intangible cultural heritages worldwide.
- It has two parts viz. Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity and List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of urgent Safeguarding.
- For inclusion of an element in the UNESCO’s Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage, the state parties are required to submit nomination dossier on the relevant element for evaluation and examination of the UNESCO Committee.
- The Ministry of Culture has appointed the Sangeet Natak Akademi, an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Culture, as nodal office for matters relating to the intangible cultural heritage including for preparation of the nomination dossiers for the Representative List of UNESCO.
Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
India now has 15 intangible cultural heritage elements on the UNESCO list.
| ICH Element | Year of Inscription |
| Tradition of Vedic chanting | 2008 |
| Ramlila, the traditional performance of the Ramayana | 2008 |
| Kutiyattam, Sanskrit theatre | 2008 |
| Ramman, religious festival and ritual theatre of the Garhwal Himalayas, India | 2009 |
| Mudiyettu, ritual theatre and dance drama of Kerala | 2010 |
| Kalbelia folk songs and dances of Rajasthan | 2010 |
| Chhau dance | 2010 |
| Buddhist chanting of Ladakh: recitation of sacred Buddhist texts in the trans-Himalayan Ladakh region, Jammu and Kashmir, India | 2012 |
| Sankirtana, ritual singing, drumming and dancing of Manipur | 2013 |
| Traditional brass and copper craft of utensil making among the Thatheras of Jandiala Guru, Punjab, India | 2014 |
| Yoga | 2016 |
| Nawrouz, Navroz | 2016 |
| Kumbh Mela | 2017 |
| Durga Puja in Kolkata | 2021 |
| Garba | 2023 |
UNESCO
- UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. It seeks to build peace through international cooperation in Education, the Sciences and Culture.
- UNESCO’s programmes contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals defined in Agenda 2030, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2015.
- It has 193 Members and 11 Associate Members.
- India joined UNESCO in 1946.
- It is headquartered in Paris, France.
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