Dipanjan Mondal
New Delhi, 20 June, 2025:
To mark the 11th International Day of Yoga (IDY) on June 21, the Ministry of Culture will organize yoga sessions at 100 iconic tourist destinations and 50 cultural sites across India. This initiative aims to integrate the country’s vibrant cultural legacy with its time-honoured wellness practices.
These events, scheduled for June 21, will complement the main celebrations being organized by the Ministry of Ayush in Vishakhapatnam, which will be attended by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Shri Nara Chandrababu Naidu, and Deputy Chief Minister Shri Pawan Kalya,n among other dignitaries.
Minister of Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat will join the celebrations at Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, one of the many historic venues selected for the nationwide programme.
Yoga sessions will be held at several UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including Charaideo Maidam (Assam), Rani Ki Vav and Dholavira (Gujarat), Hampi and Pattadakal (Karnataka), Khajuraho and Sanchi (Madhya Pradesh), the Sun Temple in Konark (Odisha), Elephanta Caves (Maharashtra), and the Brihadisvara Temple in Thanjavur (Tamil Nadu).
Apart from these, prominent cultural and historical landmarks such as Golconda Fort and Salarjung Museum (Hyderabad), Humayun’s Tomb, Purana Qila and Safdarjung Tomb (Delhi), Jallianwala Bagh (Amritsar), Chittorgarh and Kumbhalgarh Forts (Rajasthan), Leh Palace (Ladakh), Pari Mahal (Srinagar), Bekal Fort (Kerala), and Hazarduari and Cooch Behar Palaces (West Bengal) will also host yoga demonstrations.
The attached offices, subordinate bodies, and autonomous institutions under the Ministry of Culture are playing a vital role in executing this pan-India initiative, reinforcing the Ministry’s commitment to linking India’s cultural legacy with the wellness traditions of yoga.
Since it was first observed in 2015, the International Day of Yoga has seen steadily increasing participation across India and globally, aiming to promote the holistic benefits of yoga for the body, mind, and spirit.
