Cultural Mapping of Dadra & Nagar Haveli

On a commissioning by the Government of Daman, Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli, a documentation project on the Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Union territories of Daman, Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli was taken up. The project incorporates the knowledge, skills and practices in which local communities of the region are involved.

With an area of 491 sq. Km, the Union Territory of Dadra & Nagar Haveli is located on the western coast of India, surrounded by Gujarat and Maharashtra. The region has a hilly terrain to the North-East and East, surrounded by the ranges of the Western Ghats, and is intersected by the Daman Ganga River and its three tributaries. This region has lush green forests, undulating hills and winding rivers, and the climate of the region is generally warm and humid year round, although the humidity varies greatly over the span of a year.

The history of Dadra & Nagar Haveli can be traced to the rule of Koli chiefs who established the settlements in the region and were later defeated by the Rajputs.

Modernisation and Industrialisation has taken a stronghold within the region in the last few years. With all its advantages that modernisation, industrialisation and better education facilities brings, the downside of this movement has been that the youth has started to feel separated from their traditional lifestyle and language . The culture that was once considered to be the identity of the region has started to erode away, which makes it necessary to document this culture before it is forgotten entirely.

This documentation was published in 2014.