Durga Puja included in UNESCO's Intangible Heritage List

On 16^th December, 2021, the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage inscribed ‘Durga Puja in Kolkata’ on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity during its 16th session.

About Durga Puja

• Also known as Durgotsava or Sharodotsava, it is popular and traditionally celebrated in states like West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, Tripura, Assam, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Haryana, Uttarakhand as well as in Bangladesh.
• Durga Puja is observed in Indian calendar month of Ashwin. It corresponds to September–October in the Gregorian calendar.
• In West Bengal, Odisha, Assam, and Tripura, Durga puja is also called Akalbodhan (untimely awakening of Durga).