New Delhi/Bhubaneswar: Sangeet Natak Akademi has listed Odisha’s Rath Yatra and Bali Jatra in its “National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage”.
Chief Administration of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration Arabinda Padhee shared the list on his x handle on Monday and wrote: “Very excited to learn that the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India’s apex cultural body under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India has listed Ratha Jatra and Bali Jatra from Odisha in its “National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage”.
He further informed that the SJTA had recently submitted the nomination dossier to the Union Ministry of Culture for UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity recognition for Rath Yatra.
According to the Ministry of Culture’s website, the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) is an attempt to recognise the diversity of Indian culture embedded in its intangible heritage. It aims to raise awareness about the various intangible cultural heritage elements from different states of India at national and international level and ensure their protection.
The world famous Rath Yatra of Shree Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s Puri marks the annual sojourn of Lord Jagannath and his siblings from the 12th-century shrine to Shree Gundicha Temple, 2.5 km away, where they stay put for a week before returning to their abode.
Bali Jatra, on the other hand, commemorates the past association of the people of Odisha with Bali and the glorious maritime tradition of transoceanic voyages they undertook to South Eeast Asian countries. The week-long event begins on Kartika Purnima on the banks of the Mahanadi in Cuttack, and attracts million of visitors
