- NET Web Desk
In an attempt to honour the significant contribution of Manipur’s Sankirtana tradition across the international arena of cultural heritages, the state Government has declared December 4 as the ‘Sankirtana Day’ – informed an order issued by the state’s Art & Culture Department.
Signed by the Art and Culture Department Commissioner M Joy, Sankirtana is practiced primarily by the Vaishnava community residing across the plains of Manipur.
It’s worth noting that the ritual dance and music form was inscribed on the Representative List of the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2013.
“Sankirtana practices centre on the temple, where performers narrate the lives and deeds of Krishna through song and dance. In a typical performance, two drummers and about ten singer-dancers perform in a hall or domestic courtyard encircled by seated devotees. The dignity and flow of aesthetic and religious energy is unparalleled, moving audience members to tears and frequently to prostrate themselves before the performers.” – asserted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) official website.
Sankirtana of Manipur is also included in the National Inventory prepared by India’s Sangeet Natak Akademi.
