Maha Kumbh expression of richness of our civilisational heritage: President Murmu

New Delhi, Jan 25 (PTI) The ongoing Maha Kumbh can be seen as an expression of the richness of the country's civilisational heritage, President Droupadi Murmu said on Saturday.

Addressing the nation on the eve of the 76th Republic Day, she noted that an exciting array of initiatives is underway in the domain of culture to preserve and revitalise the country's traditions and customs.

"The ongoing Maha Kumbh can be seen as an expression of the richness of that heritage," she said.

Maha Kumbh, a mega religious event organised every 12 years, is being held in Prayagraj from January 13-February 26. More than 10 crore pilgrims have so far taken holy dip at the Sangam, the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers.

In her televised speech, the president also said India is a hub of great linguistic diversity.

"In order to conserve as well as celebrate this richness, the government has recognised Assamese, Bengali, Marathi, Pali and Prakrit as classical languages. This category already includes Tamil, Sanskrit, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Odia. The government is proactively promoting research in 11 classical languages now," she said. Murmu said she is looking forward to the completion of India's first Archaeological Experiential Museum in Gujarat Vadnagar which is being developed next to an excavation site that shows evidence of human settlement from around 800 BCE.

"The museum will bring together in one place a wide range of arts, crafts and cultural elements from different eras," she said. PTI SKL TIR TIR