NEW DELHI: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has hailed the inclusion of Rajouri’s historic Bhairav Yatra in the National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage of India, describing it as a proud moment for the district and a significant milestone in preserving J&K’s rich cultural heritage. On July 15, LG Sinha in a post on X, congratulated the Rajouri district administration and the Jammu and Kashmir Department of Culture for securing the prestigious recognition.
“Congratulations to the Rajouri district administration and the J&K Department of Culture for turning this dream into a reality. This prestigious recognition will go a long way in documenting, preserving, and celebrating the area’s deep spiritual and cultural roots,” he said. The national recognition honours generations of devotees who kept the centuries-old tradition alive and strengthens Rajouri’s unique cultural identity on the national stage, Sinha added.
The inclusion of Bhairav Yatra in the National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage would open new avenues for research, cultural exchange and sustainable heritage tourism. It will also help preserve the region’s spiritual and cultural legacy for future generations, the LG stressed.
Abhishek Sharma, Deputy Commissioner of Rajouri, giving background of this inclusion, said: It was last year (in 2025) that I attended this ancient ritual in the district and was fascinated by it. In Kishtwar district, where I come from, this tradition of Bhairav worship is not there. Nor is it prevalent in any other district of the Union Territory (UT) of Jammu & Kashmir. Days after attending the yatra last year, I realised that this tradition was unique to this border district.’’
It was then that Sharma decided to read more about it, go to some places associated with the yatra, talked to elders who knew more about the Bhairav worship. “At that time, Suresh Kumar Gupta was the Culture Secretary of J&K and I discussed the issue with him. Officially, we started corresponding with officials in the Central government around March 2025. Initially, I discussed it with some people in Sangeet Natak Akademi. Later, these yatra’s details were shared with officials in the Union Culture Ministry headed by Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhwat.’’
For some months, nothing happened even as more documentation and details were provided to the ministry. “The present Culture Secretary, BM Sharma, helped a lot in coordination with the officials as formal proposal regarding the yatra had to be streamlined, additional information provided and loose ends tied up,’’ the DC explained.
The local head of Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts (IGNCA), Ms Shruti Awasthi, showed interest in the yatra and its intricacies, he added. “These collective efforts have now led to this significant recognition coming Rajouri’s way,’’ he added.
Recognition and inclusion of the Bhairav yatra in Rajouri in the National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage of India is likely to boost footfalls and attract more people in the coming years. The yatra lasts for seven days, starting some days before Holi (usually falls in March every year), and is taken through different localities of the town.
Incidentally, there is a consensus on Tuesday being a no yatra day as that day is considered reserved for worship of Shri Hanuman. In the past, there have been communal riots, with a section of local citizens opposing it. On such occasions, curfew had to be imposed in Rajouri as also nearby areas to quell clashes between Hindus and radical Islamists who opposed the yatra. However, there has been no untoward incident during the past few years after the abrogation of Article 35-A and J&K being made a UT, a local said.
