Kashmir's Sufiyana Music Nominated for UNESCO Heritage

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Context

The Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir recently sent a formal proposal to the Union Ministry of Culture.
This proposal aims to nominate Kashmir’s Sufiyana Music for inclusion in the prestigious UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

This musical tradition is also known as Sufiyana Mausiki or Sufiyana Kalam.
It is a distinct style of classical choral music that features a structured and mystical art form.
The art form blends devotional poetry with classical melody and philosophy.
It acts as a special bridge connecting Persian, Central Asian, and Indian classical musical systems.

This musical tradition is completely indigenous and exclusive to the Kashmir Valley in Jammu and Kashmir.
Traditional musical lineages known as gharanas preserve and carry forward this art form.
These surviving lineages are mainly located in Budgam, Srinagar, and Anantnag.

The art form took shape between the 14th and 15th centuries as a continuation of older musical traditions in the region.
It represents a rare cultural synthesis of Persian, Islamic, and Shaivite philosophical thought rather than replacing local systems.
Sufi saints, scholars, and musicians coming from regions like Iran, Bukhara, and Samarkand introduced new structural ideas that shaped this music.

A group of five to seven musicians perform together while acting as both singers and instrumentalists.
Performances usually begin with an instrumental prelude followed by a short poem sung without rhythm.
Main lyrics called Bathe appear as couplets that strictly follow a designated maqam and tala.
Performances follow a mathematical sequence where the longest talas gradually move to shorter ones.
Musicians use traditional instruments like the ney, harmonium, rabab, tabla, and sitar.
The Sufiana santoor serves as the central instrument with 100 strings spread over a triangular three-legged stand.
Families pass down this complex system entirely through oral transmission from one generation to the next without written texts.