Dikhyaa Mohanty 
The Sangeet Natak Akademi has added the famous Rath Yatra and Bali Jatra of Odisha to its “National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage.” Dr. Arabinda Padhee, the Chief Administrator of the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), posted the details on his “x” account. The National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH), according to the Ministry of Culture, is an effort to honor and preserve India’s many cultural traditions. The list promotes national and worldwide recognition by highlighting noteworthy historic assets from various states.
One of the most well-known religious processions in the world, the Rath Yatra of Puri, commemorates the yearly pilgrimage of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra from the 12th-century Shree Jagannath Temple to the 2.5-kilometer-distant Shree Gundicha Temple. The gods spend a week at the Gundicha Temple before making their way back to their home in a magnificent procession.
In the meantime, Cuttack celebrates the famous Bali Jatra festival, which honors Odisha’s rich nautical history and its longstanding trading ties with Bali and other Southeast Asian countries. Millions of people go to the banks of the Mahanadi River for the week-long celebration, which starts on Kartika Purnima.
