Uttar Pradesh Tourism is celebrating World Heritage Week, leading up to World Heritage Day, with two citizen-driven initiatives designed to make heritage more participatory and accessible to people across the state.
Titled ‘UP Heritage Through My Lens’ and ‘Share Your Personal Treasure’, the campaigns invite individuals from all age groups to document and celebrate both local heritage sites and personal heirlooms through visual storytelling and narratives.
The first initiative, ‘UP Heritage Through My Lens’, encourages participants to capture lesser-known heritage sites through photographs and short reels. These may include a local temple, an old stepwell, a traditional market street, or a lesser-known fort or shrine that holds cultural value within the community but remains largely undocumented. Participants can use mobile photography or video formats, focusing on architecture, rituals, or everyday life around these spaces.
Tourism and Culture Minister Jaiveer Singh said, “World Heritage Week is not only about celebrating monuments but about recognising the deeper cultural fabric that defines us. Through these initiatives, we want people, especially the younger generation, to engage with heritage in their own way and take pride in their roots.”
Complementing this is the second initiative, ‘Share Your Personal Treasure’, where participants can submit a tangible object of personal or family significance along with a short written story. These could include old coins, handwritten letters, traditional jewellery, heirloom utensils, or vintage photographs preserved within homes.
Additional Chief Secretary Tourism, Culture and Religious Affairs Amrit Abhijat highlighted the importance of public participation. He said that such initiatives reflect a shift towards more participatory tourism, where people contribute to how heritage is documented and presented. He added that these documentation efforts also help identify places and cultural elements with strong local relevance, which can be gradually integrated into the state’s broader tourism canvas.
Top entries from both initiatives stand a chance to win special prizes. Select submissions from the ‘Personal Treasure’ category will also be showcased at the State Museum.
The last date for submissions is April 18, 2026. Participants can register and submit their entries through the official website of Uttar Pradesh Tourism.
