Background
The UT administration records that the Marathas signed a treaty with the Portuguese in 1779 allowing them to collect revenue from Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and that the Portuguese occupied the territory between 1783 and 1785 and ruled it until its liberation. About 170 years of Portuguese rule in Dadra and Nagar Haveli was ended on 2nd August 1954 by volunteers of Goa parties acting in close cooperation with the local inhabitants. The Varistha Panchayat then passed a resolution for integration with the Indian Union in June 1961, and the territory was integrated by the Dadra and Nagar Haveli Act, 1961, which is Act 35 of 1961 and is deemed to have come into force on the 11th day of August, 1961. Daman was obtained by the Portuguese in 1559 by means of a treaty with the Shah of Gujarat, and remained under Portuguese rule until its liberation in 1961. Diu was liberated on 19th December 1961 under Operation Vijay and was then made part of the union territory of Goa, Daman and Diu. After statehood of Goa on 30th May 1987, Daman and Diu became a separate union territory. The administration's own introduction page gives two different starting years for the continuous Portuguese hold on Diu: it says Diu was conquered by the Portuguese in 1546, and also that Diu remained in the possession of the Portuguese from 1535 until 1961.
Liberation of Dadra and Nagar Haveli:
2nd August 1954
Act that integrated Dadra and Nagar Haveli:
Act 35 of 1961
Date the Act is deemed to have come into force:
11th day of August, 1961
Liberation of Diu:
19th December 1961
Operation under which Diu was liberated:
Operation Vijay
Statehood of Goa:
30th May 1987
Why it matters for exams: The three parts of this union territory left Portuguese rule at different times and by different instruments, and the order of liberation, Act and statehood is the detail most often got wrong.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Varistha Panchayat Varistha Panchayat of Dadra and Nagar Haveli — The body of local representatives set up after the 1954 liberation, which asked for the territory's integration with India and later advised the Administrator.
Operation Vijay Operation Vijay — The Indian military operation of 1961 in which Goa, Daman and Diu were taken from Portuguese control.
Background
Peru ratified the UNESCO Convention on the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage on 23 September 2005. UNESCO's record for Peru shows 15 elements inscribed. Scissors dance and Huaconada, ritual dance of Mito were both inscribed in 2010. Knowledge, skills and rituals related to the annual renewal of the Q’eswachaka bridge was inscribed in 2013. Esuwa, Harakbut sung prayers of Peru’s Wachiperi people, inscribed in 2011, is Peru's one element on the Urgent Safeguarding List. Taquile and its textile art was inscribed in 2008, and Festivity of Virgen de la Candelaria of Puno in 2014. Wititi dance of the Colca Valley followed in 2015, and Practices and meanings associated with the preparation and consumption of ceviche, an expression of Peruvian traditional cuisine, in 2023. Peru has sat on the Convention's Committee for three terms.
Elements inscribed:
15 elements inscribed
Convention ratified:
23 September 2005
Element inscribed in 2010:
Scissors dance
Ritual dance of Mito:
Huaconada, ritual dance of Mito
Bridge renewal element:
Knowledge, skills and rituals related to the annual renewal of the Q’eswachaka bridge
Element on the Urgent Safeguarding List:
Esuwa, Harakbut sung prayers of Peru’s Wachiperi people
Textile art element:
Taquile and its textile art
Why it matters for exams: The intangible heritage list is asked as often as the World Heritage List, and the bridge renewal and Scissors dance are the Peruvian entries that recur.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Q’eswachaka Q’eswachaka bridge — The Peruvian rope bridge whose annual renewal is inscribed as an element of intangible cultural heritage.
Urgent Safeguarding List List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding — The UNESCO list for living heritage whose survival is at risk, kept separate from the main representative list.
Background
Peru ratified the World Heritage Convention on Wednesday, 24 February 1982. UNESCO's record for Peru carries 13 properties on the World Heritage List: 9 cultural, 2 natural and 2 mixed. Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu is one of the two mixed properties, inscribed for cultural and natural value together, and Río Abiseo National Park is the other. Lines and Geoglyphs of Nasca and Palpa, Chan Chan Archaeological Zone, Sacred City of Caral-Supe and Chankillo Archaeoastronomical Complex are among the cultural properties. City of Cuzco, Historic Centre of Lima and Historical Centre of the City of Arequipa are further cultural properties. Qhapaq Ñan, Andean Road System is inscribed as a cultural property, and Chavin (Archaeological Site) completes the nine. Huascarán National Park and Manú National Park are the two natural properties.
Properties on the World Heritage List:
13
World Heritage Convention ratified:
Wednesday, 24 February 1982
Mixed property:
Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu
Cultural property:
Sacred City of Caral-Supe
Cultural property:
Lines and Geoglyphs of Nasca and Palpa
Andean road network property:
Qhapaq Ñan, Andean Road System
Natural property:
Huascarán National Park
Why it matters for exams: Peru's inscribed sites are a standing source of questions on Latin American heritage, and the mixed-property status of Machu Picchu is the detail most often tested.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Qhapaq Ñan Andean Road System — The Andean road network inscribed on the World Heritage List as a cultural property.
Mixed property Mixed World Heritage property — A site inscribed on the World Heritage List for cultural and natural value together.
Background
UNESCO's State Party record for Colombia lists 9 properties inscribed on the World Heritage List — 6 cultural, 2 natural and 1 mixed.
The cultural properties are the Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia, the Historic Centre of Santa Cruz de Mompox, the National Archeological Park of Tierradentro, Port, Fortresses and Group of Monuments, Cartagena, Qhapaq Ñan, Andean Road System and San Agustín Archaeological Park.
The two natural properties are Los Katíos National Park and Malpelo Fauna and Flora Sanctuary.
The single mixed property, inscribed for both cultural and natural value, is Chiribiquete National Park.
Port, Fortresses and Group of Monuments, Cartagena is recorded with the year 1984 and the Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia with 2011.
Colombia's acceptance of the World Heritage Convention is recorded as 24 May 1983, and the country's Tentative List carries 13 sites, among them the Seaflower Marine Protected Area and the Tayrona and Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta National Parks.
Properties inscribed on the World Heritage List:
9
Acceptance of the Convention:
24 May 1983
The mixed property:
Chiribiquete National Park
Marine natural property:
Malpelo Fauna and Flora Sanctuary
The walled port city:
Port, Fortresses and Group of Monuments, Cartagena
The coffee-growing landscape:
Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia
Why it matters for exams: World Heritage counts and the names of inscribed properties are asked directly, and the mixed category is a common point of confusion.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Mixed property mixed World Heritage property — A property inscribed on the World Heritage List for both cultural and natural value.
Tentative List Tentative List — An inventory of the properties a State Party intends to consider for nomination to the World Heritage List.
Background
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre records 7 properties inscribed from Chile, and all 7 are in the cultural category, with no natural or mixed inscription. They are the Churches of Chiloé, the Historic Quarter of the Seaport City of Valparaíso, the Humberstone and Santa Laura Saltpeter Works, Qhapaq Ñan, Andean Road System, Rapa Nui National Park, the Settlement and Artificial Mummification of the Chinchorro Culture in the Arica and Parinacota Region, and the Sewell Mining Town. Rapa Nui National Park is the inscription that covers Easter Island, and it is the earliest of the seven. Chile ratified the World Heritage Convention on 20 February 1980. The country keeps 19 sites on its Tentative List, among them the Juan Fernández Archipelago National Park and Torres del Paine and Bernardo O'Higgins National Parks in the Region of Magallanes. The World Heritage Centre also records 43 State of Conservation reports for Chile and 12 approved requests for international assistance.
Properties inscribed:
7
Ratification of the Convention:
20 February 1980
Sites on the Tentative List:
19
The Easter Island inscription:
Rapa Nui National Park
The saltpeter inscription:
Humberstone and Santa Laura Saltpeter Works
The Valparaíso inscription:
Historic Quarter of the Seaport City of Valparaíso
Why it matters for exams: A country's World Heritage count and the names on its list are standing one-mark questions, and Chile is unusual in having no natural property at all.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Qhapaq Ñan Andean Road System — The Inca road network inscribed as a single property shared by several South American countries, Chile among them.
Background
The World Heritage Centre's country page for Argentina records 12 properties inscribed on the World Heritage List, 7 of them cultural and 5 natural, with none in the mixed category.
Argentina accepted the World Heritage Convention on Wednesday, 23 August 1978.
Los Glaciares National Park, inscribed in 1981, is the oldest of the Argentine properties, and Iguazu National Park followed in 1984.
Cueva de las Manos, Río Pinturas and Península Valdés were both inscribed in 1999, Quebrada de Humahuaca in 2003, Qhapaq Ñan, Andean Road System in 2014 and Los Alerces National Park in 2017.
The Jesuit Missions of the Guaranis are inscribed together with the Ruins of Sao Miguel das Missoes in Brazil, and the page also lists 8 sites on Argentina's Tentative List.
Tango was inscribed in 2009 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and the inscription is held by Argentina and Uruguay together.
UNESCO describes it as the Argentinian and Uruguayan tradition of the Tango, developed by the urban lower classes in Buenos Aires and Montevideo in the Rio de la Plata basin.
The intangible heritage page for Argentina shows 4 elements inscribed in all, and records that Argentina ratified the intangible heritage convention on 8 August 2006.
World Heritage properties:
12
Cultural properties:
7
Natural properties:
5
World Heritage Convention accepted:
23 August 1978
Tango inscribed:
2009
Intangible heritage elements:
4
Why it matters for exams: World Heritage counts and the country that shares an inscription are standard one-mark questions, and tango is the most frequently asked intangible heritage element from South America.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Representative List Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity — The main UNESCO list of living traditions kept under the convention on intangible cultural heritage.
Tentative List Lista indicativa — A state party's own inventory of the properties it intends to consider for future nomination.
Background
The Archaeological Survey of India places the Sun Temple, Konarak in Odisha in its list of Cultural World Heritage in India, against the year 1984.
Built in the thirteenth century, it was conceived as a gigantic solar chariot with twelve pairs of exquisitely-ornamented wheels dragged by seven rearing horses.
The temple comprised a sanctum with a lofty sikhara, presumably over 68 m. high, a jagamohana and a detached nata-mandira, the hall of dance, in the same axis, besides numerous subsidiary shrines.
The sanctum and the nata-mandira have lost their roof.
The roof of the jagamohana is made of horizontal tiers grouped in three stages, with life-size female sculptures adorning each stage and two crowning members above.
The sanctum and the jagamohana together stand on a common platform studded with decorative ornaments and sculptures.
To the west of the main temple are the remains of the temple of Mayadevi, stylistically assignable to circa late eleventh century AD, that is, earlier than the main Sun temple.
A small brick temple in the south-west corner of the compound was discovered in 1956 during the sand clearance, and images of Balarama, Varaha and Trivikrama unearthed there proved its Vaishnava affiliation.
State:
Odisha
Century of construction:
thirteenth century
Pairs of wheels:
twelve pairs
Horses:
seven rearing horses
Hall of dance:
nata-mandira
Year against the ASI World Heritage entry:
1984
Why it matters for exams: Konarak's chariot form, its wheel and horse count and its component structures are the details asked whenever Odisha temple architecture comes up.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
jagamohana jagamohana — The assembly hall that stands in front of the sanctum in an Odishan temple.
nata-mandira nata-mandira — The hall of dance, built detached from the rest of the temple on the same axis.
sikhara sikhara — The tower rising above the sanctum of a temple.
Background
Hook: Thrissur, venue of the State School Games swimming meet in the news, has a name with a long history.
Thrissur is the abbreviated anglicised form of the Malayalam word Thrissivaperur, which means the town of the Sacred Siva.
In ancient days it was also known as Vrishabhadripuram and Ten Kailasam.
The town is built on elevated ground.
At the apex stands the famous Vadakkumnathan Temple.
Name origin:
Thrissivaperur, town of the Sacred Siva
Old names:
Vrishabhadripuram and Ten Kailasam
Landmark:
Vadakkumnathan Temple
Why it matters for exams: Place-name origins and old names of districts are recurring Kerala PSC questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
3 October 2026
The three-day Ladakh Festival 2026 was held in Leh from 26 to 28 September 2026. It showcased traditional music, folk dances and cultural expressions, with performers from the North Zone and village cultural groups across Ladakh. Ten individuals from tourism and hospitality, including hotel proprietors, adventure tour operators and filmmakers, were honoured. The UT's Secretary and Director of Tourism were among those present. The festival is presented as a platform for cultural dialogue and community participation.
Dates:
26-28 September 2026
Venue:
Leh
Honourees:
10 individuals
Why it matters for exams: State festivals and cultural tourism are regular art-and-culture items.
Kerala PSCUPSC
3 October 2026
The Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, has approved five Centres of Excellence for studies in Classical Assamese, Classical Bengali, Classical Marathi, Classical Pali and Classical Prakrit. They will be set up at Tezpur University (Assam), Visva-Bharati University (West Bengal), Deccan College Post-Graduate and Research Institute, Pune (Maharashtra), Central University of Odisha and Central University of Gujarat. The Centres will focus on research, preservation and digitisation of literary heritage, wider dissemination of knowledge and strengthening regional academic ecosystems.
Centres approved:
5
States covered:
Assam, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Odisha, Gujarat
Why it matters for exams: Classical Languages status and institutions backing it are recurring questions in culture and education papers.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Centre of Excellence Centre of Excellence (CoE) — A dedicated institutional platform for advanced research in one field.
Background
Article 9 of Serbia's Constitution says the capital city of the Republic of Serbia is Belgrade.
Article 10 says the Serbian language and Cyrillic script are in official use.
The official use of other languages and scripts is regulated by law based on the Constitution.
Article 11 declares Serbia a secular state: churches and religious communities are separated from the state.
No religion may be established as a state or mandatory religion.
Capital:
Belgrade (Article 9)
Official language and script:
Serbian, Cyrillic (Article 10)
State character:
Secular (Article 11)
Why it matters for exams: Capital, official language and script are staple basic-fact questions for any country in the country-focus section.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSCBank
In plain words
Cyrillic Cyrillic script — The alphabet Serbia's Constitution names for official use alongside the Serbian language.
Background
This matters now because on Tuesday, 29 September the Kerala High Court appointed former judge Justice V G Arun as observer for the selection of Melsanthies (head priests) of the Sabarimala and Malikappuram temples.
A Division Bench of Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V and Justice K V Jayakumar acted in a suo motu case arising from the Sabarimala Special Commissioner's report.
The Travancore Devaswom Board received 78 applications, 48 for Sabarimala and 30 for Malikappuram; after a vigilance enquiry five candidates were recommended for Sabarimala and three for Malikappuram.
Interviews are set for October 5 at the Board's headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram, and the observer is to be present at Sabarimala for the draw of lots.
The Court ordered marks to be entered with a ball point pen, mark sheets countersigned by the observer and the whole proceedings videographed.
Applications received:
78 (48 Sabarimala, 30 Malikappuram)
Candidates recommended for interview:
5 Sabarimala, 3 Malikappuram
Observer:
Justice V G Arun
Interview venue:
Travancore Devaswom Board headquarters, Thiruvananthapuram
Why it matters for exams: The Travancore Devaswom Board, Sabarimala customs and the High Court's supervisory role are frequent Kerala PSC topics.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
Melsanthi — The head priest of a temple such as Sabarimala, chosen by a draw of lots from a shortlist.
Suo motu — Action taken by a court on its own, without a petition.
Background
India established a legal framework for protecting products linked to specific regions through the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999, with the Rules notified in 2002; the framework became operational in 2003.
Darjeeling Tea from West Bengal was the first product in India to receive a GI tag, with protection extended to both the product and its logo.
Other early registrations included Aranmula Kannadi, a traditional handicraft from Kerala, and Pochampalli Ikat, a renowned textile craft from Telangana.
Any association of producers, organisation, or authority established under law can apply for GI registration, and the applicant must be a legal entity and represent the interests of the producers of the concerned product.
The GI Registry is located at Geographical Indications Registry, Chennai, which has all-India Jurisdiction.
The registration of a GI is valid for ten years, but may be renewed from time to time.
Revocation, cancellation or variation is governed by Section 27 of the Act, and a registration may be cancelled if it was obtained through fraud or misrepresentation, or if it has fallen into disuse.
India is home to over 800 registered GI products, and 445 handicraft products and 27 product logos have been registered under the Act; a GI that misleads consumers about geographical origin cannot be registered at all.
Act under which GIs are registered in India:
Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999
Kerala handicraft among India's early GI registrations:
Aranmula Kannadi
Where the Registry sits and its reach:
Geographical Indications Registry, Chennai, which has all-India Jurisdiction
Validity of a GI registration:
registration of a GI is valid for ten years
Provision governing revocation and cancellation:
Section 27 of the Act
Registered GI products in India:
over 800 registered GI products
Why it matters for exams: GI filings and the fee changes around them are a steady news item, and an examiner is far more likely to ask where the Registry sits or how long a tag lasts than to ask for a list of tagged products.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
GI Geographical Indication — A sign used on goods whose quality or reputation comes from a particular place of origin.
Authorised user Authorised user of a GI — A producer registered to use a GI tag, as distinct from the body that owns the registration.
Aranmula Kannadi Aranmula metal mirror — A front-surface mirror made at Aranmula in Kerala from a polished metal alloy rather than glass.
Background
Several Mexican archaeological properties on the UNESCO World Heritage List describe the Mesoamerican civilisations in UNESCO's own words. Of Palenque, the World Heritage Centre writes that it is a prime example of a Mayan sanctuary of the classical period, at its height between AD 500 and 700, when its influence extended throughout the basin of the Usumacinta River. Of Uxmal in Yucatan it writes that the Mayan town was founded c. A.D. 700 and had some 25,000 inhabitants, and that the layout of the buildings, which date from between 700 and 1000, reveals a knowledge of astronomy. Monte Alban, inscribed with the historic centre of Oaxaca, was inhabited over a period of 1,500 years by a succession of peoples - Olmecs, Zapotecs and Mixtecs - whose terraces, dams, canals, pyramids and artificial mounds were literally carved out of the mountain. El Tajin, in the state of Veracruz, was at its height from the early 9th to the early 13th century, and its culture is attributed to the huastecos and totonacos, the latter being the indigenous people that are currently living in the area. For the Aztec record, the Historic Centre of Mexico City and Xochimilco was built in the 16th century by the Spanish on the ruins of Tenochtitlan, the old Aztec capital. Read together, these inscriptions put the Maya and the Aztec in different centuries and different regions, and the evidence cited is physical - site layouts, terraces and ruins - rather than written chronicle.
Population of Uxmal as UNESCO writes it:
some 25,000 inhabitants
Period of Palenque's height:
between AD 500 and 700
Period over which Monte Alban was inhabited:
1,500 years
Peoples named as successive inhabitants of Monte Alban:
Olmecs, Zapotecs and Mixtecs
Period of El Tajin's height:
from the early 9th to the early 13th century
What the Historic Centre of Mexico City was built on:
the ruins of Tenochtitlan, the old Aztec capital
Why it matters for exams: Questions on Mesoamerica usually turn on placing the Maya and the Aztec correctly in time and place, and the UNESCO property descriptions give those anchors in a form that can be quoted.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Mesoamerica Mesoamerica — The cultural region running from central Mexico into northern Central America where the Maya, Zapotec and Aztec civilisations arose.
Tenochtitlan Tenochtitlan — The Aztec capital over whose ruins the Spanish built Mexico City.
Usumacinta Usumacinta River — The river whose basin Palenque's influence covered at its height.
Background
Mexico has 36 Properties inscribed on the World Heritage List. Of these, 28 are cultural, 6 are natural and 2 are mixed. The UNESCO World Heritage Centre records Mexico's acceptance of the Convention as Thursday, 23 February 1984. The Mexican properties include the Pre-Hispanic City of Chichen-Itza (1988), the Pre-Hispanic City of Teotihuacan (1987), El Tajin, Pre-Hispanic City (1992), the Earliest 16th-Century Monasteries on the Slopes of Popocatepetl, and the Agave Landscape and Ancient Industrial Facilities of Tequila (2006). Chichen-Itza is inscribed under criteria (i)(ii)(iii). The town was established during the Classic period close to two natural cavities (cenotes or chenes), which gave the town its name 'At the edge of the well of the Itzaes'; the cenotes facilitated tapping the underground waters of the area. The sector known as Chichen Viejo already boasted monuments including the Nunnery, the Church, Akab Dzib, Chichan Chob, the Temple of the Panels and the Temple of the Deer.
Properties inscribed on the World Heritage List:
36
Cultural properties:
28
Natural properties:
6
Mixed properties:
2
Acceptance of the World Heritage Convention:
23 February 1984
Year Chichen-Itza was inscribed:
1988
Why it matters for exams: Country-wise World Heritage counts and the names of the best-known properties are standard objective questions, and the cenote-fed site of Chichen-Itza is the usual example used to link Mesoamerican civilisation to the limestone geography it grew on.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Cenote Cenote (chen) — A natural cavity in limestone that exposes groundwater, common across the Mexican karst country.
Mixed property Mixed World Heritage property — A site inscribed for cultural and natural values at the same time.
Background
Stari Ras and Sopoćani was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1979. On the outskirts of Stari Ras, the first capital of Serbia, there is an impressive group of medieval monuments consisting of fortresses, churches and monasteries, while the monastery at Sopoćani is a reminder of the contacts between Western civilization and the Byzantine world. Studenica Monastery was inscribed in 1986; it was established in the late 12th century by Stevan Nemanja, founder of the medieval Serb state, shortly after his abdication. Gamzigrad-Romuliana, Palace of Galerius was inscribed in 2007. This Late Roman fortified palace compound and memorial complex in the east of Serbia was commissioned by Emperor Caius Valerius Galerius Maximianus and was known as Felix Romuliana, named after the emperor's mother. Stećci Medieval Tombstone Graveyards was inscribed in 2016 as a serial property combining 28 sites located in Bosnia and Herzegovina, western Serbia, western Montenegro and central and southern Croatia. The cemeteries date from the 12th to 16th centuries CE and are laid out in rows.
Stari Ras and Sopoćani, date of inscription:
1979
Studenica Monastery, date of inscription:
1986
Gamzigrad-Romuliana, date of inscription:
2007
Stećci Medieval Tombstone Graveyards, date of inscription:
2016
Component sites in the Stećci serial property:
28 sites
Why it matters for exams: World Heritage lists are a standing source of one-mark questions, and the Stećci property is a rare example of a serial site shared by four States Parties.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Serial property Serial World Heritage property — A single World Heritage inscription made up of several separate component sites.
Stećci Stećci medieval tombstones — Regionally distinctive carved medieval tombstones found across the western Balkans.
Background
UNESCO lists the element under the title "Indigenous festivity dedicated to the dead", submitted by Mexico, on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. As practised by the indigenous communities of Mexico, el Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) commemorates the transitory return to Earth of deceased relatives and loved ones. The festivities take place each year at the end of October to the beginning of November. This period also marks the completion of the annual cycle of cultivation of maize, the country's predominant food crop. Families facilitate the return of the souls to Earth by laying flower petals, candles and offerings along the path leading from the cemetery to their homes, and the deceased's favourite dishes are prepared and placed around the home shrine and the tomb alongside flowers and typical handicrafts, such as paper cut-outs. UNESCO describes the celebration as a fusion of pre-Hispanic religious rites and Catholic feasts that brings together two universes. The listing is not a World Heritage inscription. UNESCO's own explanation is that cultural heritage does not end at monuments and collections of objects: it also includes traditions or living expressions inherited from our ancestors and passed on to our descendants, such as oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, rituals, festive events, knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe or the knowledge and skills to produce traditional crafts. So a World Heritage inscription protects a place, while the Representative List recognises a living practice carried by a community.
Title under which UNESCO lists the element:
Indigenous festivity dedicated to the dead
List it is inscribed on:
Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
When the festivities take place:
each year at the end of October to the beginning of November
Agricultural cycle the same period marks:
the annual cycle of cultivation of maize
What UNESCO says cultural heritage is not limited to:
monuments and collections of objects
Why it matters for exams: It is the standard example used to separate intangible cultural heritage from World Heritage, a distinction that is asked directly and also tested through Indian entries on the same Representative List.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
intangible cultural heritage intangible cultural heritage (ICH) — Living traditions and expressions passed from one generation to the next, as distinct from monuments and objects.
Representative List Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity — The main UNESCO list of living practices recognised for their value to the communities that keep them.
pre-Hispanic pre-Hispanic — Belonging to the period before Spanish arrival in the Americas.
Background
UNESCO's country record for Serbia lists six elements on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. They are Slava, celebration of family saint patron’s day (2014); Kolo, traditional folk dance (2017); Singing to the accompaniment of the Gusle (2018); Zlakusa pottery making, hand-wheel pottery making in the village of Zlakusa (2020); Social practices and knowledge related to the preparation and use of the traditional plum spirit – šljivovica (2022); and Naïve painting practices of Kovačica (2024). Every one of the six is on the Representative List. Separately, Novi Sad belongs to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network as a Creative City of Media Arts, a member since 2023. UNESCO's page for the city also records that it was designated European Youth Capital in 2019 and European Capital of Culture in 2022, and that it allocates 6% of its budget to supporting the creative sector.
List that carries Serbia's inscribed elements:
Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
Serbia's inscribed traditional chain dance:
Kolo, traditional folk dance
The family patron saint's day inscription:
Slava, celebration of family saint patron’s day
The pottery inscription:
Zlakusa pottery making, hand-wheel pottery making in the village of Zlakusa
The single-stringed instrument inscription:
Singing to the accompaniment of the Gusle
The most recent of the six inscriptions:
Naïve painting practices of Kovačica
Why it matters for exams: Candidates routinely confuse the Representative List of intangible heritage with the World Heritage List, and a named dance or craft is the easiest way for an examiner to test the difference.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Intangible cultural heritage Living heritage under the 2003 UNESCO Convention — Practices, performances, knowledge and skills that communities keep alive, as opposed to monuments and sites.
Gusle Single-stringed bowed instrument — A bowed instrument used to accompany epic singing in the Western Balkans.
Creative Cities Network UNESCO Creative Cities Network — A UNESCO network of cities that place creative industries at the centre of urban development.
Background
The First Summit Meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) was held in Belgrade, Yugoslavia. UNESCO's Memory of the World record states that it was initiated by Ghana, India, Indonesia, United Arab Republic, and Yugoslavia. The gathering is also known as the First Conference of Heads of State or Government of Non-Aligned Countries. Its stated purpose was exchanging ideas on international problems with a view to contributing more effectively to world peace, security and peaceful cooperation among peoples, freedom, equality and social justice, and narrowing the blocs' antagonism. The archives of that summit consist of 76 files of textual archives, 242 photographs, 1 audio archive, and 15 films, and were submitted to the Memory of the World International Register by Algeria, Egypt, India, Indonesia and Serbia. The Press Information Bureau records that India and Serbia have historic and special relations as co-founders of the Non-Aligned Movement. The Embassy of India in Belgrade likewise describes the two countries as co-founders of the Movement.
Countries that initiated the first summit:
Ghana, India, Indonesia, United Arab Republic, and Yugoslavia
Files of textual archives in the collection:
76
Photographs in the collection:
242
Films in the collection:
15
Memory of the World registration year:
2023
Why it matters for exams: The first Non-Aligned summit is the single most examined link between India and Serbia, and the host city and the initiating countries are standard one-mark answers.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
NAM Non-Aligned Movement — A grouping of states that chose not to align with either of the two Cold War blocs.
Memory of the World UNESCO Memory of the World Programme — A UNESCO programme that registers documentary heritage of world significance.
Background
Chandigarh is described by the Ministry of Tourism as "India's first planned city. A captivating union territory". It was "Envisioned by the renowned Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier", and the city "offers a unique grid-like design" of "wide, tree-lined avenues and well-defined sectors", set against "the breathtaking backdrop of the Shivalik mountain range". Its civic centre is the Capitol Complex, which "spreads over 100 acres and comprises three significant buildings: the seat of the Legislative Assembly, the Secretariat Building, and the High Court". The Ministry calls the Complex the "civic citadel anchoring Chandigarh's urban nucleus" and the city's "pulsing civic heart", and records that it "was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site". Four artistic monuments stand within it: the Open Hand Monument, Geometric Hill, Tower of Shadows and the Martyrs Monument. The Open Hand is an "85-foot-high" sculpture, "a colossal metallic palm that rotates gently with the winds, embodying Chandigarh's spirit of openness", and the Ministry describes it as "a powerful symbol of peace and unity".
The three buildings of the Capitol Complex:
the seat of the Legislative Assembly, the Secretariat Building, and the High Court
Extent of the Capitol Complex:
spreads over 100 acres
Height of the Open Hand sculpture:
85-foot-high
Artistic monuments inside the Complex:
the Open Hand Monument, Geometric Hill, Tower of Shadows, and the Martyrs Monument
What the Ministry of Tourism calls the Capitol Complex:
civic citadel anchoring Chandigarh's urban nucleus
How the Ministry of Tourism describes the Open Hand Monument:
a powerful symbol of peace and unity
How the Ministry of Tourism describes Chandigarh:
India's first planned city. A captivating union territory
Why it matters for exams: Examiners test whether a candidate knows that a single planned complex at Chandigarh holds the legislature, the executive secretariat and the High Court together, and that the Open Hand that turns with the wind is one of the four artistic monuments standing inside that same complex.
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In plain words
Sector planning sector — In Chandigarh's plan a sector is one of the well-defined blocks into which the city's grid-like layout is divided, set along wide, tree-lined avenues.