Intangible Heritage Aspects of Sacred Groves and Deities in North Western Ghats of Maharashtra

The Project aims at documenting the intangible heritage of the sacred groves, its customs, beliefs, folklore, rituals and the changes it has faced. Its major focus is in and around Pune in Maharashtra. Pune city originated as a tiny agricultural settlement called “Punnaka” or “Punnyavishay”, in the 8th century AD. In the mid-18th century Pune became the seat of the Peshwas and grew as a flourishing town. Later in British rule, when the Pune Municipality was formed it started growing... Read More

ICH Compendium: Directory on the People’s Museums and other cultural spaces

The ICH Division has initiated a project on creating a Directory on the People's Museums and other cultural spaces, which are intensively involved in safeguarding the living intangible cultural traditions, and reviving the traditional arts and crafts of varied ethnic communities residing in remote areas of North-East India. In this regard multiple visits have been made to Sikkim, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.This project is... Read More

Cultural Mapping and Audio-Visual Documentation of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Varanasi

Varanasi, one of the most ancient cities of the world, is a repository of cultural heritage resulting from the continuous historical events of invasions and inhabitations, secular and spiritual influences, each carrying with it a plethora of both intangible and tangible properties, social contracts and related norms of knowledge, traditions and customs. Kashi, Banaras or Varanasi assumes a complex identity that has resulted from the collective memory of generations of communities settled... Read More

ICH Documentary : ‘LIFE IN A FISTFUL OF RICE’

The ICH Division undertook a project on Documentation of Rice culture in Northeast region of India. For this, three states namely; Assam, Meghalaya and Nagaland were chosen for the research and documentation.  The imagination, cultivation, economy, and consumption of rice is constitutive to the cultural identity of communities across India. The ICH Division undertook an audio-video documentation of the intangible, cultural and material aspects of rice cultivation and its significance in... Read More

Lifestyle of Sedentarised Nomadic Gujjars of Jammu Plains

  The Project was initiated by the Jammu Chapter to document the Lifestyles of Gujjar Community with the aim to assess and understand the lifestyle, socio-economic status of Dodhi Gujjars of Jammu plains.   The Gujjars are originally a nomadic pastoral tribe. The dodhi Gujjars or Banhara Gujjars mainly rear buffaloes and migrate shorter distances of about 50 kms from their base. Their animals are bulky, requiring good quantity and quality of fodder and sufficient water. A few of... Read More