Living Heritage Festival of Jharkhand 2026

The Living Heritage Festival of Jharkhand 2026 will take place from 30 October to 1 November 2026 in Ketunga, Seraikela-Kharsawan, as part of celebrations supporting the International Day of the Intangible Cultural Heritage 2026. The festival is organised by Contact Base.

The festival highlights the rich living heritage of Jharkhand and surrounding eastern Indian traditions. Its programme brings together Chhau dance, Baul music, Chadar Badar puppetry and natural-fibre basketry, creating opportunities to experience these traditions through performances, films and participatory workshops.

Key Highlights

• Performances featuring different forms of Chhau dance

• Baul music and traditional songs

• Chadar Badar puppetry of the Santhal community

• Kashi grass and bamboo craft workshops

• Natural-fibre basketry

• Films on Chhau and Chadar Badar puppetry

• Launch of an illustrated book on the Living Heritage of Seraikela-Kharsawan

• Opportunities to engage directly with traditional practitioners and craftspeople

Programme Timings

• 10:00 AM–1:00 PM: Craft Workshops

• 3:30 PM–6:30 PM: Song, Dance and Puppetry Performances

The festival also highlights Seraikela-Kharsawan’s importance as a centre of Chhau, a tradition inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010.