Odisha’s Rath Yatra, Bali Yatra find place in Centre’s intangible cultural heritage list

Devotees gather around the chariots of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra during the second day of annual ‘Rath Yatra’ , at Maushima temple in Puri. File photo
| Photo Credit: PTI

The annual Lord Jagannath’sRath Yatra in Puru and Bali Yatra – two major festivals of Odisha which are famous worldwide – have been listed in the national inventory of intangible cultural heritage list of Sangeet Natak Akademi under the Centre’s Ministry of Culture, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has said.

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The Sangeet Natak Akademi is India’s apex cultural body.

“Delighted that Ratha Jatra & Bali Jatra, symbols of Odisha’s rich cultural heritage, have been listed in the National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage by @sangeetnatak. This is a proud moment for every Odia, and we look forward to their well-deserved recognition on @UNESCO’s global stage,” the Chief Minister posted on X on Monday (March 31, 2025)..

This is the first step in the process to get reorganisation from UNESCO, he said.The chief administrator of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), Arabinda Kumar Padhee, in a couple of posts on X, said, “Very excited to learn that the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India’s apex cultural body under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India has listed Rath Jatra and Bali Jatra from Odisha in its National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage..

The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (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 of Shree Jagannath in Puri, he said.

The Sangeet Natak Akademi has listed Odisha’s Bali Yatra at number 45 and Rath Yatra, Puri, at number 54 in the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of India on its website.

The famous Rath Yatra in Puri is the annual sojourn of Lord Jagannath and his siblings from the 12th-century shrine to the Shree Gundicha Temple.

Every year lakhs of devotees from across the globe throng Puri to witness the festival.

Bali Yatra, a historic festival celebrated in Cuttack, commemorates the state’s rich maritime heritage and its ancient trade connections with Bali and other Southeast Asian regions.

The week-long festival, which begins on the day ‘Kartika Purnima’ as per the Odia calendar attracts millions of visitors to the banks of the Mahanadi River.