The Cultural Zones of India are seven overlapping zones defined by the Ministry of Culture of the Government of India to promote and preserve the cultural heritage of various regions of India. Each of these zones has been provided with a zonal centre. Most zonal centres were announced by the then-Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi, in 1985 and formally began functioning in the 1986–87 period. Their stated goal is "to strengthen the ancient roots of Indian culture and evolve and enrich composite national culture".
The city of Kolkata, formerly the capital of British India and West Bengal, is also known as the "Cultural Capital of India."
The zones
Each zone has a zonal headquarters where a zonal cultural center has been established. Several states have membership in multiple zones, but no state subdivisions are utilized in the zonal divisions. In addition to promoting the culture of the zones they are responsible for, each zonal center also works to cross-promote and create exposure to other cultural zones of India by organizing functions and inviting artistes from other zones.
Zone Zonal Centre ExtentNorth Culture ZoneNorth Zone Cultural Centre, Patiala, Punjab Chandigarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Punjab, Rajasthan, UttarakhandNorth Central Culture ZoneNorth-Central Zone Cultural Centre, Prayagraj, Uttar PradeshBihar, Delhi, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, UttarakhandEast Culture ZoneEast Zone Cultural Centre, Kolkata, West BengalAndaman and Nicobar Islands, Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Manipur, Odisha, Sikkim, Tripura, West BengalNorth East Culture ZoneNorth East Zone Cultural Centre, Chümoukedima, NagalandArunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, TripuraSouth Culture ZoneSouth Zone Cultural Centre, Thanjavur, Tamil NaduAndaman and Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, TelanganaSouth Central Culture ZoneSouth-Central Zone Cultural Centre, Nagpur, MaharashtraAndhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, TelanganaWest Culture ZoneWest Zone Cultural Centre, Udaipur, RajasthanDadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Goa, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan
See also Zonal Councils of India, five administrative zones in India Earthquake zones of India List of special economic zones in India List of ecoregions in India, 46 ecoregions in India Administrative divisions of India
References
External links Cultural Center in India Official Website of North Zone Cultural Centre Official Website of North-East Zone Cultural Centre Official Website of South Zone Cultural Centre Official Website of West Zone Cultural Centre Information about West Zone Cultural Centre and Shilpgram.