Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday announced that comprehensive development of Vishnupad Temple corridor at Gaya and Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya in Bihar will be supported by the government to transform them into world-class pilgrim and tourist destinations. These corridors will be modelled on the successful Kashi Vishwanath Temple Corridor, she said. Vishnupad Temple is one of the most ancient Hindu shrines located next to the Falgu river, while the Mahabodhi Temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
With 196 of its languages listed as endangered, India, a nation with great linguistic diversity, tops the UNESCO's list of countries having maximum number of dialects on the verge of extinction. India is closely followed by the US which stands to lose 192 languages and Indonesia, where 147 are in peril.
The Maha Kumbh, a massive religious gathering in Prayagraj, India, is preparing for the culmination of its events with the Mahashivratri 'snan' (sacred bath) on Wednesday. Authorities have declared the entire mela area a 'no vehicle zone' and are urging devotees to take a dip at the ghat nearest to them to avoid crowding at the Sangam. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is monitoring the arrangements and has issued an advisory for devotees, outlining specific ghats for different arrival routes. The Maha Kumbh has seen a record number of pilgrims, exceeding 64 crore. Security arrangements are robust with over 37,000 police personnel and 14,000 home guards deployed. The fair has also been hailed for its cleanliness and safety measures. The event is expected to conclude with the Mahashivratri puja.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Assam and participated in a grand Jhumoir dance performance, celebrating 200 years of the state's tea industry and the rich cultural heritage of the tea tribe community. He played a traditional drum of the tea tribe community, highlighting the government's efforts to support the tea industry and uplift the tea tribe community. The event, attended by dignitaries and ambassadors from around 60 countries, showcased Assam's vibrant traditions to a global audience.
While the craft of Kutch can be found in many cities, there is nothing quite like wandering into the very homes where it originates and watch it all being created in real time.
'Decline of the UN did not start with the Trump administration. It has been happening over the last two decades or more.'
On October 15, 2009, Irina Bokova of Bulgaria was elected as the tenth director-general of UNESCO.During her recent visit to India, Bokova spoke to Claude Arpi about her vision and aspirations for UNESCO in a changing world.
Through history, the Mela has held different meanings for ascetics, the colonised, colonisers, and tourists, but all have been moved by its grandeur points out Atanu Biswas.
Ananya Agarwal, who led the Indian delegation to the UNESCO General Conference being held in Paris, told the panel that Pak is home to all shades of darkness; from extremist ideologies and darker powers of radicalisation to the darkest manifestations of terrorism.
The church, which sits on a site that is identified by Christian tradition as the birthplace of Jesus, and the pilgrimage route on the site is suffering from damages due to water leaks, UNESCO said.
There's clearly no limit to how dramatic a wedding can be.
Standing at the edge of Dholavira is witnessing history textbooks crammed in school coming to life. One is suddenly standing face to face with a 4,000-year-old civilisational site that is now but a ruin.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday inaugurated the new campus of Nalanda University at Rajgir in Bihar.
In a diplomatic triumph for India, an intergovernmental committee of the United Nations has inscribed yoga in UNESCO's Representative List as the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
One of the world's oldest seats of learning, the ruins of Nalanda University are a true wonder!
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation chief has pleaded to the United States to "find a way forward" to continue its support to the world body as it will be "impossible" for the organisation to maintain its activities following the US decision to snap funding on Palestine's membership issue.
Jinki Re Jinki!, a Marathi film depicting a emotional bonding between a boy and his teacher, cultivating in him liking for schooling, has been selected by UNESCO for their Teachers Training Initiative.
The United States announced to stop financial contribution to United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation after the UN body voted to admit Palestine as its full member, which the Obama administration termed as regrettable and premature.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation has added Navruz, the Parsi new year, and Ramman, a religious festival and ritual theatre of Uttarakhand, to its illustrious list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Bhimbetka is one of 24 sites from around the world that have been added to the UNESCO's prestigious list of world heritage sites.
PM Modi addressed a crowded UNESCO gathering, speaking of the importance of culture.
Families in India have to spend a considerable amount on the primary school education of their children, making the fundamental right to basic education a distant dream, according to a recent UNESCO report. In contrast, university education remains subsidised and costs just half of the primary school spending. Households pay for more than one-quarter, 28 per cent, of the costs to send their children to primary and secondary school.
Ma Durga might be the city's most celebrated annual visitor, but Kali is the resident Goddess, notes Sandip Roy.
The award jury appreciated Das for the very fine weaving and detailed patterns of the 'Kula' basket, traditionally used during marriages," the statement said.
Beyond colossal loss of human lives, if there is anything perhaps equally overwhelming in Nepal's earthquake tragedy, it is the monumental damage the country's iconic heritage has suffered due to the calamity.
Uzbekistan lives comfortably in several centuries but is also a forward-looking nation, Deepa Gahlot discovers on a visit to this Central Asian country.
Making significant progress, India has reduced its "out of school" children by over 90 per cent and has achieved "universal primary education", said a UNESCO global education report released on Thursday.
'They were ahead of their times. We don't expect this from a civilisation of the first century AD.'
A sojourn in Seoul, one of Asia's largest metropolises, where the ultra-modern coexists with the ancient -- temples and palaces with futuristic skyscrapers climbing to the stratosphere, K-pop with Buddhism, a village within city limits.
Pawar also said it is the moral responsibility of the major Opposition parties in Maharashtra to protect in the state assembly polls the interests of smaller allies, which were part of the coalition in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The central government's Great Nicobar development project, proposed around an unprecedented transhipment port, will be executed to keep environmental impact minimal, and is essential as it is of national importance, the government has said amid calls to abort the controversial project due to ecological concerns, the Centre said in an official statement.
West Bengal is home to 43,000 Durga Pujas, and the business around it is a major economic driver.
The largest Hindu temple in United States, BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham, is scheduled to be inaugurated at Robbinsville, New Jersey, on October 8, 2023.
The meeting had resumed for a day on Sunday, after being suspended a day earlier due to a failed coup bid in Turkey which claimed over 260 lives.
Modi, on his maiden visit to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, first took the elephant safari in Mihimukh area of the Central Kohora Range of the park followed by the jeep safari inside the same range.
'It was specifically mentioned in the Gadgil Committee report that this particular area where the colossal landside happened now should be in the Environmentally Sensitive Area under Zone 1.' 'Zone 1 is the most important and ecologically sensitive area, and that it has to be protected entirely.' 'At least 90% of the Wayanad disaster is man-made.'
From the 13th century Konark temple of Odisha to the ancient Nalanda University in Bihar, the G20 Summit venue in New Delhi has put a spotlight on the rich architectural heritage of India.
Local television showed images of a fallen mosque minaret with rubble lying on smashed cars.
Tokyo -- the songs Japan, Love In Tokyo and Sayonara from the 1966 Hindi film automatically pop up in the mind -- is buzzing and crowded like any other metropolis, discovers Deepa Gahlot. The modern apartment blocks are built cheek by jowl, so close together that one can open the window and borrow sugar from the neighbour in the next building. One of the fears of the Indian traveller is the unavailability of vegetarian food. Every city and town in Japan has an array of Indian restaurants that serve every variety of cuisine, right from Gujarati to Punjabi to Andhra and Kerala meals.
