Sangeet Natak Akademi Organizes ‘Shakti – A Festival of Music and Dance’ in Shaktipeeths

The Sangeet Natak Akademi (SNA) is organizing the festival ‘Shakti – A Festival of Music and Dance’ from April 9 to 17, 2024. The festival is celebrated in seven different Shaktipeeths (sacred sites) across the country. The event is being organized under the Kala Pravah series to revive the temple traditions in the country during the auspicious Navratri period.

Inauguration and Venue

• The Shakti Utsav was inaugurated on April 9, 2024, from the Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati, Assam.
• After the inauguration, the festival will be organized in the following seven Shaktipeeths:
  1. Kamakhya Temple, Guwahati (Assam)
  2. Mahalakshmi Temple, Kolhapur (Maharashtra)
  3. Jwalamukhi Temple, Kangada (Himachal Pradesh)
  4. Tripura Sundari Temple, Udaipur (Tripura)
  5. Ambaji Temple, Banaskantha (Gujarat)
  6. Jai Durga Shaktipeeth, Deoghar (Jharkhand)
  7. Shaktipeeth Maa Harsiddhi Temple, Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh)
• The festival will conclude on April 17, 2024, at the Shaktipeeth Maa Harsiddhi Temple in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh.

About Sangeet Natak Akademi (SNA)

• SNA is India’s largest national-level academy of music and drama, established by the Government of India.
• The academy was established in 1953 through a parliamentary resolution and was later reorganized in 1961.
• SNA is the apex body in India dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the rich intangible heritage expressed through music, dance, and drama.
• The headquarters of SNA is located in New Delhi, and it functions as an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Culture.
• SNA is managed by its General Council, with the Chairman appointed by the President of India for a term of five years.
• The academy plays a vital role in promoting and preserving the cultural heritage of India.
• SNA presents the prestigious Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar to artists under the age of 40 who have excelled in dance, music, and theatre.
• The current President of SNA is Dr. Sandhya Purecha.

This festival organized by the Sangeet Natak Akademi showcases its commitment to reviving and preserving the rich cultural traditions of India, particularly the temple traditions associated with the Shaktipeeths.