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The Kumbh Mela which is held every 12 years coinciding with the planet Jupiter’s completing a round of Sun, has been on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity of UNESCO since 2017. However, the ongoing Mahakumbh mela is held every 144 years to commemorate 12 rounds of Jupiter’s circling the Sun. The festival has its roots in mythology as much as the profound knowledge of cosmos and planetary movements and its impact on human life ancient Indias. It's considered the largest ‘peaceful congregation of pilgrims on earth.” According to UNESCO, “Devotees take a dip in a sacred river believing that by bathing in the Ganges one is freed from sins liberating her/him from the cycle of birth and death.” Millions of people reach the place without any invitation. The congregation includes ascetics, saints, sadhus, aspirants –kalpavasis - and visitors. The festival is held at Allahabad, Haridwar, Ujjain, and Nasik every four years by rotation and is attended by millions of people irrespective of caste, creed, or gender. Its primary bearers, however, belong to akhadas and ashrams, religious organizations, or individuals living on alms. Kumbh Mela plays a central spiritual role in the country, exerting a mesmeric influence on ordinary Indians. The event encapsulates the science of astronomy, astrology, spirituality, ritualistic traditions, and social and cultural customs and practices, making it extremely rich in knowledge. As it is held in four different cities in India – Haridwar (Ganges), Ujjain (Shipra), Nashik (Godavari), and Prayagraj (Ganges-Yamuna-Saraswati) and, it involves different social and cultural activities, making this a culturally diverse festival. Knowledge and skills related to the tradition are transmitted through ancient religious manuscripts, oral traditions, historical travelogues, and texts produced by eminent historians.’ UNESCO also speaks of the festival celebrating the teacher-student relationship of the sadhus in the ashrams and akhadas as “the most important method of imparting and safeguarding knowledge and skills relating to Kumbh Mela.” The Kumbh Mela is guided by scientific principles like astronomy, astrology, and geomagnetism. The festival's timing and location are based on celestial alignments and the positions of the Sun, Moon, and Jupiter. The festival is held when the Sun, Moon, and Jupiter align, which is considered to be the holiest time in Hinduism. The festival is held at locations believed to have strong geomagnetic energy fields, which are thought to be conducive to spiritual growth. Research suggests that planetary alignments can affect the Earth's electromagnetic fields, which may influence the human body. The festival's location is determined by the positions of the Sun, Moon, and Jupiter. For example, the Kumbh Mela is held in Haridwar when Jupiter is in Aquarius, and in Prayagraj when Jupiter is in Taurus. The Prayagraj Mahakumbh officially began with the successful completion of the ‘Paush Purnima’ bathing festival. All preparations are now in place for the ‘Amrit Snan’, which will take place on Makar Sankranti, on January 14. This year, the Maha Snan or Shahi Snan is being referred to as Amrit Snan. The Mahakumbh Mela administration has meticulously organised the sequence of the sacred bath for the 13 Akharas of Sanatan Dharma, ensuring that each Akhara follows traditional customs and set timings. Mahant Acharya Devendra Singh Shastri, Secretary of Shri Panchayati Akhara Nirmal, confirmed that the dates, sequence, and timings for all Akharas have been communicated, ensuring a smooth and reverent ceremony. The Amrit Snan for Mahakumbh 2025 will begin on Makar Sankranti, January 14. Shri Panchayati Akhara Mahanirvani, along with Shri Shambhu Panchayati Atal Akhara, will take the first Amrit Snan. Around 16 million people took the holy dip on the ghats of Sangam, on 'Paush Purnima,' the first day of Maha Kumbh.
Devotees and visitors who managed to reach Prayagraj to witness the first day of the world's largest religious congregation praised all the facilities provided by the Uttar Pradesh government for the 45-day-long event. People from all over the country and the world thronged to the Kumbh Mela. To maintain security in the area, National Security Guard (NSG) commands were deployed, tightening security. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath hailed the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj as the "Mahakumbh of Unity." This message resonated widely on social media, with #Ekta_Ka_Mahakumbh trending during the Paush Purnima Snan Parv. CM Yogi Adityanath also joined the conversation, and his use of the hashtag triggered a surge of responses, quickly propelling the hashtag to the top of the trending charts. By afternoon, the hashtag topped trending charts, showcasing widespread public participation and the collective spirit of unity symbolized by this historic gathering. UP CM also greeted people assembled at Maon the auspicious 'Paush Purnima' at Sangam. Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya also that the first 'snaan' of Maha Kumbh was held with safety and cleanliness and noted that other 'snaans' will be held in the same grand manner. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami extended his greetings to devotees, pilgrims and seers at the Kumbh. "The Mahakumbh has begun. I congratulate all devotees, pilgrims, and the saints. Everyone should take part in the holy 'snaan' during the Mahakumbh and get rid of all sins," CM Dhami told ANI. Reliance Consumer products also partnered with Maha Kumbh to service pilgrims with 'seva' and care.
Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma, on January 11, visited Siej village in the Shella Bholaganj Block as part of the Cabinet Retreat at Sohra to discuss the Vision 2032 for Meghalaya at 60. CM Sangma, accompanied by Cabinet ministers and other government officials, took a 10-minute walk to the Umkar Living Root Bridge. He reiterated the government's commitment to securing UNESCO World Heritage status for the bridges. Addressing community members and project leaders, the chief minister highlighted the significance of the Living Root Bridge, which has been an essential part of the local culture for over 300 years. "The wisdom of our ancestors led to the creation of this beautiful and functional bridge," he said while adding, "It’s remarkable how the community has come together to preserve this tradition, ensuring that the younger generation learns to carry it forward." The chief minister met the headman, Hali War, who spoke about the legacy of weaving passed down to younger generations. Hali War began weaving the 50-year-old living root bridge at the age of 10. The bridge was created to help villagers cross the stream during the monsoon season. Speaking on his lifelong commitment to maintaining the structure, War said, "At around 10 years old, I saw the difficulty people faced while crossing the river. It became clear to me that something lasting and sustainable had to be done. The idea came from my grandparents, who shared stories about the strength of living roots." Chief Minister Sangma lauded the ongoing efforts to maintain the bridge and acknowledged the challenges faced by the community in sustaining this age old art of weaving bridges. "This project shows the patience and dedication required to create something sustainable. It’s a testament to the wisdom passed down through generations," the chief minister added. During the visit, the chief minister also announced new infrastructure projects to improve connectivity in the region, including the construction of new roads and the upgrading of school buildings. "The government is committed to addressing the needs of rural communities," he said. "We have decided to sanction a new road to improve access for farmers and residents, and we are working on building new school facilities to ensure that future generations have better educational opportunities." He also addressed the potential for tourism development in the region. Local informed that close to 10,000 tourists visiting the Living Root Bridge at Seij annually. "We recognise the importance of tourism for economic growth in the region," the chief minister added. “The tourism department will be tasked with developing necessary facilities while ensuring that the natural and cultural heritage of the area is preserved." "The villagers are weaving another layer of the bridge, which will serve as a living root skywalk overlooking the stream," the Chief Minister's Office stated on X. The Meghalaya chief minister also interacted with the villagers, informing that the government has documented all existing Living Root Bridges and is pursuing UNESCO for their World Heritage status. During the officials' visit to Siej, the villagers engaged with the chief minister and sought amenities to promote tourism in the area, and sanctions to improve the road leading to the village.
Festival of colours, sweets, and kites – Sankranti has arrived a week in advance at Hindu College of Pharmacy, where dozens of students from different colleges in the district participated in the festivities. The Indian National Trust for Arts, Culture, and Heritage (INTACH) organised the event. Competitions in painting Rangavallis, kite flying, elocution, and drawing were conducted throughout the day on the sprawling campus of the college. The female students, sporting traditional glittering half-sarees, made the event even more colourful. Addressing the students, INTACH state convenor SVS Lakshminarayana said that festivals are part of the rich heritage and culture of the nation. He explained that each festival carries its own message, encouraging people to protect the environment and ecology. "Festivals do not merely mean making sweets and preparing various dishes to savour. Their real meaning is to protect plants, animals, birds, and every living creature on Earth. We must conserve such rich heritage to protect future generations," said Lakshminarayana.
A documentation project by INTACH on Ahom architecture cited that the garbhagriha of the famous Ahom era temple Siva Doul in Sivasagar had been built in accordance to the Islamic tradition. The INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art & Cultural Heritage), New Delhi, in a documentation project on Ahom architecture, made a glaring mistake by citing that the garbhagriha of the famous Ahom era temple Siva Doul in Sivasagar had been built in accordance to the Islamic tradition. The factually incorrect statements evoked protests from several Ahom organisations, Tai Pundits, and researchers. The ATASU central committee (Basanta Gogoi faction) cautioned the central institution not to distort Assam's history and culture nationally and internationally. He claimed that the project was done without doing any research on Ahom architecture. In a protest letter to the chairman and the governing council of INTACH, former INTACH convener and life member Jayanta Sarma said that since Bakhtiyar Khilji's time, outside powers failed to occupy Assam despite invading the province 14 times, and Assam was never a part of India till the Treaty of Yandaboo in 1826. Hence, there could be no synergy in culture and architecture with the enemy culture of the invading armies. Further, Sarma added that there is no marble floor in the garbhagriha of the Siva Doul as mentioned in the INTACH article. The marble floor, laid decades ago by the Doul Committee, was removed by the ASI. Noted Tai Ahom scholar Dr. Pushpa Gogoi said that there was no admixture of Ahom and Islamic architectural style anywhere in Assam; rather, it was a blend of indigenous Tai Ahom, Hindu, and Buddhist architecture. The temples were made with locally available materials such as hardened earth, wood, stone, and brick and decorated with murals of creepers, flowers, animals, leaves, and Hindu gods and goddesses. Prabin Sarma, assistant professor of History at Sibsagar College, also criticised such incorrect projection of architectural remains of the Ahom dynasty that ruled the state for 600 years. He told this correspondent that the temples (Douls) built by the Ahoms are of Nagara style with five ridges (strips) on the outer surface walls of the domes, including the Siva Ddoul. Meanwhile, the INTACH Director of Chapters Division, Capt. Arbind Sukla (Retd.), in a release, recently clarified that the documentation project titled 'The Architecture of the Ahoms, Sivasagar, Assam' was part of an online documentation archive submitted by the undergraduate students of the School of Environment and Architecture, Mumbai, in 2015. These projects, he said, "...reflect individual findings and views of the authors and do not reflect the views and positions of the INTACH."
The district administration had asked the Rajkot Chapter of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) to begin a heritage education campaign among students of select schools in the district. The aim is to foster awareness and appreciation of cultural heritage among school students. The programme began on Tuesday. The organization was invited by the Rajkot district administration to curate the programme for this campaign. The initiative emphasizes regional heritage, focusing on the rich cultural and historical legacy of Rajkot and the Saurashtra and Gujarat regions. The 18 PM Shree schools identified in Rajkot district for this programme are sponsored by the Union govt. Students of Classes 6 to 8 at these schools are included in this programme. According to INTACH, the campaign features visits to prominent heritage sites such as Watson Museum, Lang Library, Mahatma Gandhi Museum and KaBa Gandhi no Delo, allowing students to experience the region's history and culture first-hand. Rajkot district collector Prabhav Joshi said: "This programme will highlight the importance of our regional heritage, ensuring that young minds develop a deep appreciation for it. Introducing such initiatives at schools will have a positive impact on heritage awareness and its maintenance for future generations." The campaign is also part of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which emphasizes holistic student development by integrating cultural education into the curriculum. Riddhi Shah, convener of the Rajkot chapter of INTACH, stated that this campaign includes heritage walks and site visits to iconic sites, which will help students connect with the historical and cultural richness of Saurashtra. Workshops and interactive sessions, creative competitions and capacity building for educators are also part of the campaign.
Rows of fresh red-leafed poinsettias lined the red carpet at Mumbai's oldest museum whose teakwood doors reopen to the public after four years on Thursday. "A city's richness is not assessed through its tall buildings, fancy roads, or wealthy residents but through its museums," said chief minister Devendra Fadnavis during the inauguration of the newly renovated Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum in Byculla (East) on Wednesday. Highlighting the 154-year-old institution as the state's oldest and India's third oldest museum, Fadnavis emphasized that the revamped space—with freshly painted green walls and white columns—will boost Mumbai's tourism. "Museums offer a window into a city's cultural history and heritage," he said. "They help future generations understand how a society was built and how its progress unfolded." Established in 1855 as the Victoria and Albert Museum, the museum opened to the public in 1857 at Town Barracks. Built in the grand Renaissance Revival style, its Palladian architecture with high Victorian interiors make it stand out. "No other building in the country is quite the same," said Tasneem Mehta, managing trustee and honorary director of Dr Bhau Daji Lad museum, adding that the museum boasted 3,000 visitors a day in the early 20th century, serving as a cultural gateway to the evolution of Mumbai's modern ethos and the emergence of an Early Modern aesthetic movement that would redefine Indian art and architecture. Initially named ‘The Victoria and Albert Museum, Bombay', it was renamed after scholar Dr Ramachandra Vitthal Lad--popularly known as Dr Bhau Daji Lad--in 1975. "Dr Bhau Daji Lad was not only a doctor but also a dedicated social worker who spent his life preserving historical relics. His efforts in collecting and donating valuable items laid the foundation for this museum, which has carried his name for the last 50 years," said Fadnavis in his speech. For many years post-Independence, the museum fell into disrepair as it was considered a colonial relic. In 1997, while searching for a location to establish a conservation laboratory, INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage) convenor Tasneem Mehta visited the museum and found that the external façade as well as the interior walls were highly damaged. Algae were visible in most places of the exterior façade, plant growth had penetrated deep into the building's core and poor lighting created a gloomy atmosphere. So, in 2003, INTACH Mumbai approached the MCGM (Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai) to revitalize the museum. The Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation agreed to donate half the funds and MCGM contributed the rest. A tripartite agreement was signed for 15 years for the complete restoration. This landmark public-private partnership earned the museum a UNESCO cultural heritage conservation award in 2005. At the reopening on Wednesday, BMC Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani reminisced about a visit to the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg with Fadnavis in 2017. On seeing the Hermitage, the world's second largest after The Louvre in France, "the CM had wondered why Maharashtra could not have a museum of that scale," said Gagrani, adding that the walls of the museum in Byculla are painted celadon green, the same shade as the Hermitage. "Celadon green is the colour of contemplation," said Mehta. The recent renovation addressed structural deterioration caused by harsh weather. "The paint was peeling, slabs were weakening, and plasters were leaking," said Sudarshan Shirsat of BMC's heritage cell. Restorers worked carefully to avoid damaging artefacts, especially during repairs to the tympanum, a semi-circular decorative feature. "We wanted to keep the 24-karat gold gilding on the ceiling and columns intact," said Shirsat. New stencil work complements the existing gilding, reviving the museum's historic splendour. A key moment was when Fadnavis pointed to the Indus Valley civilization as one of the oldest in the world. "Our country has a rich history that is over 10,000 years old. Wherever you go, you will find remnants of our rich civilization. Our misfortune is not all of it was preserved. It's our duty to conserve the path to progress for future generations," said Fadnavis.
A study by the Tamil Nadu archaeology department has revealed that more than 90% of the ancient graffiti marks found at 140 archaeological sites in the state, including Keeladi, have parallels or similarities with those of the Indus Valley civilisation that existed from around 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE. Researchers analyzed 15,184 graffiti signs inscribed on potsherds unearthed from these sites, discovering that some signs had exact parallels while others had near similarities. "The exact shapes and their variants found in south India and Indus scripts indicate that they were not accidental," said archaeologist K Rajan, one of the report's authors. He said the Indus script or signs likely evolved over time rather than disappearing without a trace. The study highlighted several common symbols between southern India and Indus Valley (also known as the Harappan civilisation), including upward-facing arrows with triangle or flower-shaped heads, fish signs in both stylish and exact forms, U- shaped signs, plain circles, ladder symbols, square boxes (plain and divided), X-shaped signs, and swastika-like signs in both clockwise and anti-clockwise forms. Other common marks included flower signs, inverted Y-like signs, Z-like signs, A-like signs, and star signs. "The recent radiocarbon dates indicate that when the Indus Valley experienced the Copper Age, south India was in the Iron Age. In this sense, the Iron Age of south India and the Copper Age of the Indus were contemporary. If they are contemporary, there is a possibility of cultural exchanges either through direct or intermediate zones," Rajan said. Excavations at sites like Sivagalai, Adhichanallur, and other locations in Tamiraparani river basin have provided recent iron dating that may push back the timeline of the Iron Age in southern India by several centuries. Rajan highlighted the importance of documenting the graffiti inscribed potsherds, saying this documentation would be made available to researchers for further deciphering. Archaeology department joint director R Sivanantham, who is a co-author of the report, said: "The occurrence of a large number of carnelian and agate beads, as well as high-tin bronze objects, particularly from Iron Age graves, gives a clue about the contacts as carnelian, agate, copper, and tin have to come from the north."
HECS, INTACH in collaboration with INTACH Rajkot Chapter conducted a Teacher Training workshop on 6th January 2025. The workshop was held online on Google Meet and was attended by 36 participants from 18 institutions, along with INTACH HECS Team, Rajkot Chapter Team, and volunteers.
Ms. Riddhi Shah, Convenor, INTACH Rajkot Chapter opened the workshop by introducing HECS and providing an overview of the session. She emphasised that this workshop is the first of many upcoming programs, including heritage walks, scheduled over the next two years.
Ms. Purnima Dutt, Principal Director, HECS, expressed appreciation for the efforts of the Rajkot Chapter, district collectors, and the involvement of PM Shree schools in organising the workshop. The INTACH Film was then screened in Hindi.
The first session on What is Heritage was held by Ms. Purnima Datt where she explained in detail the different facets of heritage (natural, built, material and living) and provided many examples of each. Ms. Dutt ended her session by mentioning the efforts made by the INTACH Ahmedabad convener in getting the Garba Dance recognised by UNESCO, and said there are many examples of similar heritage in Rajkot that need to be protected.
Ms. Riddhi Shah summarised the key points from Ms. Dutt’s talk in Gujarati to ensure clarity among all participants. This was followed by the screening of two FILMIT films made by school students.
Ms. Riddhi Shah then began the second session on INTACH as well as the heritage of Rajkot. She provided an in-depth look at the natural heritage, local crafts, performing arts, literature, and architectural heritage of Rajkot. She concluded her presentation by urging teachers to spread heritage awareness in their communities and schools.
The next part of the workshop was led by Mrs. Purnima Dutt, where she introduced the concept of Dharohar Shiksha or Heritage Education. She discussed the primary objectives of INTACH, highlighting the importance of heritage education in schools. The HECS Team then introduced the resources of HECS and the various educational initiatives conducted by it.The workshop was concluded by Ms. Purnima Dutt and Ms. Riddhi Shah who once again emphasised the importance of heritage education and the crucial role of teachers in spreading among students. A group photograph was taken to mark the successful completion of the workshop.
This project is an ongoing one where the INTACH Rajkot Chapter will organise heritage walks, screening of documentaries, hold interactive sessions and hold poster-making and essay-writing competitions in the selected PM Shree schools of Rajkot and its surrounding region. All arrangements for this project have been done by Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan Office of Rajkot District.
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