UNESCO Lists Seven Indian Locations Provisionally as Chhath Festival Aims for Intangible Recognition
The Indian Ministry of Culture has officially applied for the traditional festival of Chhath Mahaparva, a significant cultural practice from India and Nepal, to be included in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list. This application was made in July 2025.
The Sangeet Natak Akademi, the nodal agency responsible for such matters, has been instructed to examine the proposal and take the process forward. The Bihar state government, in its effort to safeguard and celebrate India's heritage, has appointed the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) as a knowledge partner to prepare the nomination dossier for Chhath Mahaparva.
Chhath is a four-day festival that predates organized temple worship and is dedicated to the Sun God (Surya) and Chhathi Maiya. The festival involves fasting, ritual baths, communal gatherings, and offerings made to the setting and rising sun. Folk songs, oral traditions, sculptures, photographs, and writings are being collected to ensure the festival's intangible practices are dexterously represented.
The nomination of Chhath Mahaparva aims to safeguard and highlight its living traditions. An international seminar is scheduled to be held in Patna on October 11 to discuss the significance of Chhath. The nomination is being prepared by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, with support from INTACH in Bihar and the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts.
UNESCO recognition enhances global visibility, ensures preservation through proper safeguarding plans, and underscores the outstanding universal value of both natural sites and cultural practices. The successful nomination of Chhath Mahaparva would further strengthen India's standing within UNESCO.
In a separate development, seven new natural sites have been added to India's Tentative World Heritage List on September 12, 2025. These include Deccan Traps at Panchgani and Mahabaleshwar in Maharashtra, St. Mary's Island cluster in Udupi, Karnataka, Meghalayan Age caves in the East Khasi Hills of Meghalaya, Naga Hill Ophiolite in Nagaland, Erra Matti Dibbalu near Visakhapatnam, Tirumala Hills in Tirupati, and coastal cliffs at Varkala in Kerala.
With this addition, there are now 69 tentative sites in India, including 17 natural, 49 cultural, and three mixed listings. India's approach to heritage includes consideration of cultures, landscapes, and architecture.
The nomination of Chhath Mahaparva is part of a larger effort to safeguard and celebrate India's heritage. The Chhathi Maiya Foundation submitted a proposal for the inclusion of Chhath Mahaparva in the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage on July 7, 2025. The Ministry of Culture is pushing for the recognition of Chhath Mahaparva, a major festival rooted in the Mithila region of Bihar and Nepal, as well as in parts of eastern Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand, in UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
