Panvel Citizens Urged To Document Ganeshotsav Traditions For Maharashtra's UNESCO Heritage Bid

Residents of Panvel, along with housing societies and public Ganesh mandals, have been urged to actively engage in the Maharashtra government's campaign aimed at securing UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage status for the state's Ganeshotsav traditions. The Panvel Municipal Corporation made this announcement on Monday, with Mayor Nitin Patil and Municipal Commissioner Mangesh Chitale calling on citizens to document the various aspects of their Ganesh celebrations.

The campaign's primary objective is to gather comprehensive information on the cultural, social, and historical elements of Maharashtra's Ganeshotsav for its potential recognition on the global cultural heritage platform. The municipal body is encouraging citizen participation to capture the diverse celebrations taking place across the state.

Residents can contribute to the documentation exercise by uploading information about their family and community traditions, rituals, historical stories, artistic decorations, traditional food practices, photographs, and videos. Three channels have been provided for participating in the campaign: scanning the QR code on official campaign banners, visiting the official portal Bappa.org, or sending a WhatsApp message to 9136172681.

In addition to the documentation, the state government will issue a 'Digital Cultural Preserver Certificate' to those who actively participate in the exercise. The PMC has appealed to social organizations, housing societies, public Ganesh mandals, and individual residents to participate extensively and help document Panvel's contribution to Maharashtra's Ganeshotsav tradition.

This initiative comes as the state seeks to position Ganeshotsav not only as a religious festival but also as a rich cultural tradition encompassing community participation, art, food, music, social activities, and generations-old customs.