From Maha Kumbh to UNESCO Honours, 2025 Marks a Landmark Year for India’s Cultural Heritage – Obnews

India’s cultural calendar in 2025 unfolded as one of the most expansive and celebratory in recent memory, with traditions, heritage sites, and living practices taking centre stage across the country and on the global platform. From the spiritual grandeur of the Maha Kumbh to international recognition from UNESCO, the year highlighted the depth and diversity of India’s civilisational legacy.

The year began with the Maha Kumbh at Prayagraj, where India’s cultural heritage was showcased through Kalagram, a large experiential cultural village within the tent city. Spread across more than ten acres, Kalagram brought together crafts, performing arts, culinary traditions, and storytelling, offering visitors a multi sensory journey into India’s tangible and intangible heritage. To mark the occasion, the Maha Kumbh logo was also projected on several centrally protected monuments across the country.

In November, the Ministry of Culture launched year long celebrations marking one hundred and fifty years of the national song Vande Mataramreaffirming its enduring role in India’s freedom movement and cultural identity. The year also saw nationwide commemorations of the three hundredth birth anniversary of Ahilyabai Holkar and the one hundred and fiftieth birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patelwith events held across multiple states.

The second half of the year proved especially significant on the international stage. In July, the Maratha Military Landscapes of India were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List during the World Heritage Committee session in Paris. The inscription covered twelve historic forts, including Salher, Shivneri, Raigad, Rajgad, Pratapgad, Sindhudurg, and Gingee Fort in Tamil Nadu, highlighting the strategic brilliance and architectural legacy of the Maratha period.

In December, Deepavali received global recognition when it was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. With this addition, Deepavali became the sixteenth Indian element on the list, joining traditions such as the Kumbh Mela, Durga Puja of Kolkata, Garba of Gujarat, yoga, Vedic chanting, and Ramlila. Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said the recognition honours humanity’s timeless pursuit of renewal, peace, and the triumph of good, while also placing responsibility on future generations to keep the tradition alive.

India also hosted the twentieth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage at Red Fortmarking the first time the country held this key UNESCO meeting. Despite being held weeks after a deadly blast near the monument, the session underscored India’s commitment to global cultural cooperation and heritage preservation.

Beyond recognitions and festivals, 2025 was notable for forward looking initiatives. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Gyan Bharatam in September, a national programme aimed at preserving, digitising, and sharing India’s vast manuscript heritage. The initiative concluded with the Delhi Declaration, aligning cultural preservation with the long term vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.

Looking ahead, the Ministry of Culture announced plans to host an exposition of holy relics of Lord Buddha in Sri Lanka, continuing India’s cultural diplomacy through shared spiritual heritage. With festivals, heritage sites, manuscripts, and living traditions all receiving renewed focus, 2025 stood out as a defining year in celebrating and safeguarding India’s cultural soul.