Kumbh Mela recognized as India’s cultural heritage by UNESCO

UNESCO has recognized India’s Kumbh Mela as an “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity” , reported in an official tweet posted by the international organization. The meeting, which opened on December 4, will end on December 9 of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage under the United Nation body, engrave the Indian Kumbh Mela on the “Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity”. Its 12th session has been conducted in Jeju, South Korea.

The world’s largest mass of religious pilgrims, Indian Kumbh Mela now joins new elements from Botswana, Colombia, Venezuela, Mongolia, Morocco, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates on the list. In an official tweet, UNESCO congratulate India and wrote, “Kumbh Mela just inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Congratulations, #India #IntangibleHeritage #12COM”. Indian Kumbh Mela inscription is the third in two years after the inscriptions of Yoga and Nouroz.

The Kumbh Mela is held in four places of India; Haridwar, Allahabad, Ujjain, and Nashik which represent the ritual of worship. The Committee also took note of the fact of knowledge and skills related to KumbhMela, which convey through the Guru-Shishyaparampara, which is known as a relationship between teacher and student as the saints and sadhus teaching their disciples about traditional rituals and chants to everyone.

In 2013 the 55-day Maha Kumbh Mela was celebrated in Allahabad. The Kumbh Mela occurs every 12 years and attended by millions of the people. Last year in Allahabad 100 million people struggled for space to take a dip in the holy waters of Ganga River. 12,000 police officers were posted over there, while the setup of 35,000 toilets, 14 medical centres, 22,000 street lights, 150 kilometers of temporary roads, 18 bridges, and new sewage facilities was organised during the time of Kumbh Mela for the convenience of devotees. The art of Neapolitan pizza making, Iran’s horse-riding game, and Dutch wind mills also joined UNESCO’s culture list.