Puri Rath Yatra To Be Listed As UNESCO ‘Intangible Heritage’

Puri: The world-famous Puri Rath Yatra is currently being considered for listing on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity maintained by UNESCO by the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA).

After receiving a letter from the Odia Language, Literature & Culture department asking it to form an advisory committee, the SJTA sprang into action.

According to a member of the SJTA, the administration has already convened a meeting and begun the necessary procedures in response to the letter.

A detailed and thorough nomination is slated to be filled this year. An advisory committee will be constituted to frame the nomination. It was initially established during the SJTA meeting that the planned advisory committee would consist of five people—three from the SJTA and two seers from nearby mutts.

As per reports, the draft nomination will feature information regarding the rites performed throughout the Rath Yatra, beginning with Akshay Tritiya and ending with Niladree Bije, as well as video recordings of those rituals.

It should be noted that the Puri district government wrote to UNESCO via the Culture department last year to request the badge.

It’s pertinent to say that prominent events like the Kumbh Mela and Kolkata Durga Puja have been added to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.