Indian Arts in the UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

The following art forms find mention in UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity:

1. 2008: Ramlila, the traditional performance of the Ramayana

• The Traditional performance of Ramayana was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2008.
• Ramlila, literally means “Rama’s play”, is a performance based on Ramayana epic. Ramlila recalls the battle between Rama and Ravana and consists of a series of scenes that include song, narration, recital and dialogue.
• Ramlila is performed during the festival of Dussehra every year across northern India. Out of them the most representative Ramlilas are performed in Ayodhya, Vrindavan, Almora, Sattna, Madhubani, Ramnagar and Benares.
• Staging of Ramlila is based on the Ramacharitmanas. Ramlilas recount episodes from the Ramacharitmanas through a series of performances. Ramacharitmanas are sacred texts devoted to the glory of Rama. It was composed in the Awadhi dialect of Hindi by Tulsidas in the 16^th century with an objective of making the Sanskrit epic available to all.
• The performance of Ramlila lasts for ten to twelve days, but Ramlilas performed in some places like Ramnagar may last for an entire month. The Ramlila holds the distinction of bringing the whole population together, without distinction of caste, religion or age.
• However, in the recent past owing to the development of mass media the play has experienced reduction in the audience thereby losing its principal role of bringing people and communities together.

2. 2008: Tradition of Vedic chanting

• The Vedas are considered as one of the world’s oldest surviving cultural traditions which have been transmitted orally.
• Verses of Vedas are expressed in the Vedic language (derived from classical Sanskrit) and were chanted traditionally at the time of sacred rituals and recited daily in Vedic communities.
• The importance of this tradition lies not only in the rich content of its oral literature but also from the ingenious methods employed by the Brahmin priests to preserve the texts intact over thousands of years.
• The practitioners were taught from the childhood. Complex recitation techniques based on tonal accents, unique ways of pronouncing each letter and specific speech combinations are taught by the priests to ensure the sound of each word remains unaltered.
• As of now only 13 out of over 1000 Vedic recitation branches have survived. Among them four noted schools are under imminent threat: Maharashtra (central India), Kerala and Karnataka (southern India) and Orissa (eastern India).
• The Vedas which are regarded by Hindus as the primary source of knowledge was developed and composed over 3,500 years ago. It consists of a vast collection of Sanskrit poetry, philosophical dialogue, myth, and ritual incantations.
• The Vedas also provide necessary insights into the history of Hinduism and development of various artistic, scientific and philosophical concepts like the concept of zero.
• The Rig Veda is a collection of sacred hymns; the Sama Veda includes musical arrangements of hymns from the sources like Rig Veda; the Yajur Veda features prayers and sacrificial formulae used by priests; the Atharva Veda is a collection of incantations and spells.

3. 2008: Kutiyattam, Sanskrit theatre

• It was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2008.
• It is one of India’s oldest living theatrical traditions. It originated more than 2,000 years ago in Kerala.
• It represents a synthesis of Sanskrit classicism.
• It is recognized as an oral heritage and reflects the local traditions of Kerala.
• Kutiyattam is traditionally performed in theatres called Kuttampalams, which are located in Hindu temples.
• Neta abhinaya (eye expression) and hasta abhinaya (the language of gestures) are prominent among its codified theatrical language.
• The main focus of the theatre lies on the thoughts and feelings of the main character. The actor’s art mainly lies in detailed elaboration of a situation or episode with sophisticated breathing control and subtle muscle shifts of the face and body.
• To become full-fledged performers, the actors undergo rigorous training for about 10 to 15 years.
• The patronage received by the art form collapsed in the nineteenth century along with the feudal order. Although the art form got revived in the early 20^th century, it now again faces crises due to lack of funds and support.

4. 2009: Ramman, religious festival and ritual theatre of the Garhwal Himalayas, India

• It was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009.
• Ramman is a religious festival conducted annually in late April in the twin villages of Saloor-Dungra (Uttarakhand) in honour of the tutelary god, Bhumiyal Devta, a local divinity.
• Ramman is a multiform cultural event which combines theatre, music, traditional oral and written tales. The event contributes in reflecting environmental, spiritual and cultural concepts of the community and also helps in strengthening its sense of self-worth.
• The festival comprises of highly complex rituals such as the recitation of a version of the epic of Rama and various legends, performance of songs and masked dances.
• The festival is organized by villagers and the family that hosts Bhumiyal Devta during the year follows a strict daily routine. Each caste and occupational group is earmarked to play a distinct role. For instance, youth and the elders perform, the Brahmans perform prayers and the rituals, and the Bhandaris (Kshatriya caste) are alone entitled to wear one of the most sacred masks portraying Narasimha, a Hindu deity.

5. 2010: Mudiyettu, ritual theatre and dance drama of Kerala

• It was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010.
• Mudiyettu is a ritual dance based on the mythological tale of a battle between the goddess Kali and the demon Darika.
• Mudiyettu is a community ritual which entails the participation of entire village and performed every year in ‘Bhagavati Kavus’, the temples of the goddess, in the villages along the rivers Chalakkudy Puzha, Periyar and Moovattupuzha. It is organized after the harvest of summer crops.
• Mudiyettu performers after purifying themselves through fasting and prayer draws a huge image of goddess Kali, called as ”kalam”, on the temple floor using coloured powders and the spirit of the goddess is invoked.
• Mudiyettu serves as an important cultural event for strengthening mutual cooperation and collective participation and transmission of traditional values, ethics, moral codes and aesthetic norms of the community to the next generation.

6. 2010: Kalbelia folk songs and dances of Rajasthan

• It was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010.
• Kalbelias are traditional snake catchers. Songs and dances are a matter of pride and portray the traditional way of life of the Kalbelia community. Kalbelia songs disseminate mythological knowledge through stories. The songs are also the testimonials to the poetic acumen of the Kalbelia, who are known to compose lyrics spontaneously during performances.
• Special traditional Kalbelia dances are performed during Holi, the festival of colours.
• The songs and dances were transmitted from generation to generation and form a part of an oral tradition without any training manuals or texts.
• Women performers wear flowing black skirts to replicate the movements of a serpent by dancing and swirling and the men accompany them plays different instruments such as ”khanjari”, a percussion instrument and the ”poongi,” a woodwind instrument traditionally played to capture snakes.
• The performers wear traditional jewellery, tattoo designs and embroidered garments with small mirrors and silver thread.

7. 2010: Chhau dance

• It was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010.
• Chhau dance enacts episodes from epics like Mahabharata and Ramayana and has its origin traceable to indigenous forms of dance and martial practices from eastern India.
• Chhau dance is connected with the regional festivals such as spring festival Chaitra Parva.
• The three distinct styles of the dance form are from the regions of Seraikella, Purulia and Mayurbhanj. Out of the three styles, Seraikella and Purulia make use of masks.
• The dance is perfomed at night in an open space to the reverberating drumbeats, and folk melodies which are played on the reed pipes ”mohuri” and ”shehnai.”. The dance form includes movements modeled on mock combat techniques, stylized gaits of birds and animals and chores of village housewives.
• Chhau dance plays a main role in bringing together people with diverse social practices, beliefs, professions and languages from different social strata and ethnic background.
• However in recent times owing to industrialization, economic pressures and mass media, participation among the communities have decreased.

8. 2012: Buddhist chanting of Ladakh: recitation of sacred Buddhist texts in the trans-Himalayan Ladakh region, Jammu and Kashmir

• It was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2012.
• Sacred texts representing the spirit, philosophy and teachings of the Buddha are recited by the Buddhist lamas in various monasteries and villages of the Ladakh region.
• In the Ladakh region two forms of Buddhism (Mahayana and Vajrayana) is practiced. Their four sects (Nyngma, Kagyud, Shakya and Geluk) has various forms of chanting which are practiced during life-cycle rituals and on important days in the Buddhist and agrarian calendars. The recitation of sacred texts are done for the spiritual and moral well-being, purification and peace of mind, appeasement of evil spirits or for invoking the blessing of various Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, deities and rinpoches.
• The chanting is also done in the monastic assembly hall as a prayer to the deities for world peace, and for the personal growth of the practitioners.
• The chanting is performed in groups and the monks wear special costumes and make mudras (hand gestures) representing the divine Buddha. Various instruments such as bells, drums, cymbals and trumpets are played to lend musical rhythm to the chanting.

9. 2013: Sankirtana, ritual singing, drumming and dancing of Manipur

• It was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2013.
• Sankirtana is an art form conceived in the 18th century by the famous Manipur king Bhagyachandra Singh.
• Sankirtana is performed in the plains of Manipur to mark religious occasions and various stages in the life of the Vaishnava people.
• Sankirtana performance is practiced at the centre of a temple. Two drummers and about ten singer dancers narrate the lives and deeds of Krishna through singing and dancing.
• Sankirtana has two main social functions. Firstly, it brings together people during festive occasions and secondly it acts as a cohesive force within Manipur’s Vaishnava community.
• The Sankirtana is a vibrant practice promoting relationships between the individual and the community through life-cycle ceremonies and is regarded as the visible manifestation of God.
• The art form is transmitted from generation to generation from mentors to disciples through formal and traditional education.

10. 2014: Traditional brass and copper craft of utensil making among the Thatheras of Jandiala Guru, Punjab, India

• It was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2014.
• The process of manufacturing is transmitted orally from father to son and the utensils may be manufactured for ritual or utilitarian purposes. The manufactured utensils are used on special occasions such as weddings or at temples.
• For Thatheras, metal work defines their family and kinship structure work ethic and status within the social hierarchy of the town.
• The metals used for making utensils are copper, brass and certain alloys. These are chosen as they are believed to be beneficial for health.
• The process of manufacturing begins with cooled cakes of metal that are flattened into thin plates and then hammered into curved shapes as per the requirement of the artefact. The process requires careful temperature control, which is achieved by using tiny wood-fired stoves and hand-held bellows. Finally, utensils are polished manually with traditional materials such as sand and tamarind juice.

11. Yoga

• In December 2016, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has formally inscribed Yoga in its representative list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. With this, Yoga has become the 11th intangible cultural heritage that has been listed from India so far with UNESCO.

Apart from the above 11 arts specific to India, UNESCO has also included Navruz festival {with its various names across various countries} in 2009 and then again {with some more names of the festival included in 2016}. It is celebrated on 21 March every year to mark the New Year and the beginning of spring across a vast geographical area covering the countries like India, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Iran, Pakistan, Turkey and Uzbekistan. The festival is associated with several local traditions including numerous tales and legends such as the evocation of Jamshid, a mythological king of Iran. It promotes the value of peace and solidarity as well as friendship, reconciliation and neighbourliness among peoples and various communities. Women play an important role in organizing Novruz and passing on its traditions. The rites that accompany the festival includes leaping over fires and streams (Iran), tightrope walking, traditional games such as horse racing, wrestling (Kyrgyzstan), singing and dancing, leaving lit candles at house doors and public meals.