From Maha Kumbh To UNESCO Tags: India’s Cultural Highlights Of 2025 | In PICS

From the Maha Kumbh in January-February to the launch of year-long celebrations of 150 years of "Vande Mataram" in November - it was a packed calendar for the Ministry of Culture in 2025. The year ended with Deepavali earning the UNESCO tag.

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Maha Kumbh 2025

From the Maha Kumbh in January-February to the launch of year-long celebrations of 150 years of "Vande Mataram" in November - it was a packed calendar for the Ministry of Culture in 2025.

India's cultural heritage was showcased at the Maha Kumbh through 'Kalagram' in the tent city at Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.

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Maha Kumbh

Set up in a sprawling 10.24-acre area, 'Kalagram' was designed as a sensory odyssey that brought together tangible and intangible aspects of India's cultural heritage.

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Recognitions from UNESCO

The second half of 2025 saw the country earning two recognitions from UNESCO.

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'Maratha Military Landscapes of India'

The first was for 'Maratha Military Landscapes of India', which was added to the World Heritage List during the 47th Session of the World Heritage Committee held in July in Paris.

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'Maratha Military Landscapes in India'

The 12 components of the 'Maratha Military Landscapes in India' are Salher Fort, Shivneri Fort, Lohgad, Khanderi Fort, Raigad, Rajgad, Pratapgad, Suvarnadurg, Panhala Fort, Vijay Durg, and Sindhudurg in Maharashtra; and Gingee Fort in Tamil Nadu.

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Deepavali earns UNESCO tag

The second was Deepavali, the festival of lights, being inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity on December 10. 

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This was the 16th element from India to be inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The 15 other elements include Kumbh Mela, Durga Puja of Kolkata, Garba dance of Gujarat, yoga, tradition of Vedic chanting and Ramlila.

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'Gyan Bharatam'

For the ministry, 2025 was also a key year as 'Gyan Bharatam', a landmark national initiative to preserve, digitise and disseminate India's manuscript heritage, was launched in September. On September 12, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Gyan Bharatam portal. The conference concluded with the Delhi Declaration, reaffirming India's commitment to safeguarding and revitalising its manuscript heritage in the spirit of Viksit Bharat 2047.

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150th advent of Gaudiya Mission founder Srila Prabhupad

Another highlight of the year was the closing ceremony of the commemoration of the 150th advent of Gaudiya Mission founder Srila Prabhupad.

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Life of Srila Prabhupad

Held at Science City in Kolkata in February, the event showcased the life of Srila Prabhupad, including objects and artefacts connected to his life.

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150 years of Vande Mataram

In the year gone by, the Ministry of Culture kicked off year-long celebrations to mark 150 years of the national song, "Vande Mataram", in November, celebrated the 300th birth anniversary of Ahilyabai Holkar with a grand function in Bhopal, and the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel across the country.

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Red Fort

In December, the 20th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage was held at Delhi's Red Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage site. This was the first time India hosted this key session.

The meeting took place nearly a month after the November 10 Red Fort blast that killed 15 people and injured more than two dozen.