India's iconic Durga Puja festival was added to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity' by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Wednesday.
UNESCO said in a statement that Durga Puja is seen as the best example of a public performance of religion and art.
"The festival is characterised by large-scale installations and pavilions in urban areas, as well as by traditional Bengali drumming and veneration of the goddess Durga," the UNESCO statement reads.
Calling it "a matter of great pride and joy for every Indian", Prime Minister Narendra Modi rejoiced over the move and added that Kolkata city’s Durga Puja highlights the best of India's traditions and beliefs which everyone must experience.
Several politicians and netizens took to social media to share pictures of the goddess Durga's statues.
Although some said it's a socio-cultural celebration of the best of Bengal, in which people of all walks of life participate, another commented that it's also a thriving industry on which people's livelihood depends, generating business worth millions year after year.