- UNESCO established its Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage with the aim of ensuring better protection of important intangible cultural heritages worldwide and the awareness of their significance.
- This list is published by the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage and its members are elected by State parties meeting in UN General Assembly.
- Through a compendium of the different oral and intangible treasures of humankind worldwide, the program aims to draw attention to the importance of safeguarding intangible heritage, which UNESCO has identified as an essential component and as a repository of cultural diversity and of creative expression.
- The list was established in 2008 when the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage took effect.
- The Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage is a UNESCO treaty adopted by the UNESCO General Conference on 17 October 2003. The convention entered into force in 2006, after thirtieth instruments of ratification by UNESCO Member States. As of February 2018, 176 states have ratified, approved or accepted the convention.
India’s list:
- Koodiyattam, Sanskrit Theatre, Kerala
- Mudiyett: a ritual theatre of Kerala
- The Tradition of Vedic Chanting
- Ramlila – the Traditional Performance of the Ramayana
- Ramman: religious festival and ritual theatre of the Garhwal Himalayas
- Kalbelia: folk songs and dances of Rajasthan
- Chhau dance: a tradition from eastern India
- Buddhist chanting of Ladakh: recitation of sacred Buddhist texts in the trans-Himalayan Ladakh region, Jammu and Kashmir, India
- Sankirtana, ritual singing, drumming and dancing of Manipur
- Traditional brass and copper craft of utensil making among the Thatheras of Jandiala Guru, Punjab
- Yoga
- Kumbh Mela