Some women doing Garba.
New Delhi: Garba, the famous traditional dance of Gujarat, has been declared an intangible heritage by UNESCO. In a post on social media platform X on Wednesday, UNESCO wrote, ‘New inscription on the Intangible Heritage List: Garba of Gujarat, India. Congratulations!’ The decision was made during the 18th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage ongoing at the Cresta Mowana Resort in Kasane, Botswana. According to UNESCO, this session, which started from December 4, is going to continue till December 9.
Gujarat CM posted on
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Wednesday said that Gujarat’s Garba dance is the 15th intangible cultural heritage of India to be included in this list. “This achievement underlines the important role of Garba as a unifying force promoting social and gender inclusivity,” he said in a release. Garba as a dance form is deeply rooted in tradition and reverence, involving people from all walks of life and is growing into a vibrant tradition uniting communities.’ Union Culture Minister G. Kishan Reddy has also expressed happiness on this occasion.
What is Garba dance?
In many parts of the country and the world including Gujarat, nine days of Garba is organized every year on the occasion of Navratri. The name Garba comes from Sanskrit Garbhadeep. In the beginning, a raw earthen pot is decorated with flowers. There are many small holes in this pitcher and Mother Shakti is invoked by lighting a lamp inside it. This lamp is called Garbhadeep. Men and women dance in a circle around Garba i.e. Garbhdeep to please Goddess Durga. Gradually this dance went beyond the limits of Gujarat and spread across the country and the world.
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