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Relevance: GS Paper I — Art, Culture & Ancient History; GS Paper II — Bilateral Relations & International Groupings Source: News report, June 2026

1 · What happened

India and China are in advanced talks for a rare joint nomination to UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). The proposal is to inscribe ‘The Great Tang Records on the Western Regions’ — the famous travelogue of the 7th-century Chinese Buddhist monk Xuanzang (known in India as Hiuen Tsang).

The idea was started by China and backed by India, and is now under study by India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). It grew out of the BRICS Culture Working Group meeting held in Varanasi under India’s chairmanship. BRICS stands for Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa and its newer members.

2 · The Four Angles of the Story

The Great Tang Records (Da Tang Xiyu Ji): compiled in 646 CE, this is the most detailed account of medieval Central Asia and India. In older English translations it is also called Si-Yu-Ki (“Records of the Western World”) — the same single book, just a different spelling. It is a documentary record, which decides exactly how it can go to UNESCO.

The Players
Who Drives It
The BRICS Culture Working Group (Varanasi) is the platform. The MEA takes the call, while IGNCA — the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts — is India’s nodal body that prepares the dossier.
The Shift
From Fight to “Co-opetition”
Nations once fought over who “owns” a shared heritage. Joint bids let rivals cooperate on culture even while competing elsewhere — a soft-power win that keeps talks alive.
The Mechanism
The UNESCO Shortcut
A single country may file only 2 dossiers per 2-year cycle. But joint (transnational) nominations have no such limit — so a heritage-rich India can protect more sites faster.
The Risk
The Sowa-Rigpa Warning
In 2017, when India filed Sowa-Rigpa (the Tibetan medicine system), China filed a rival claim. India must ensure its sites are not overshadowed in any joint bid.

  • Who was Xuanzang: He travelled across India for over a decade (journey lasting 629–645 CE) during the reign of Harshavardhana of the Pushyabhuti (Vardhana) dynasty. He studied for years at the great Nalanda Mahavihara under the chancellor Shilabhadra.
  • Why his work matters: His travelogue is a key primary source for early medieval India. The exact places he described later guided the excavation of Nalanda, Sarnath and Vaishali.
  • The right UNESCO tool: Because the work is a written record, it fits the Memory of the World Programme (1992), which protects documentary heritage (manuscripts, travelogues, archives) — not the 2003 living-traditions list.
  • India’s other joint bids: The Panchatantra (with Iran) and the philosophy of Satyagraha (with South Africa, within BRICS) show this is a growing strategy.

UPSC Value Box
Xuanzang / Hiuen Tsang 7th-century Chinese Buddhist monk & scholar; visited India under Harshavardhana.
Great Tang Records on the Western Regions Da Tang Xiyu Ji; compiled 646 CE; also called Si-Yu-Ki in old translations.
Harshavardhana Ruler of the Pushyabhuti (Vardhana) dynasty; patron of Mahayana Buddhism.
Nalanda Mahavihara / Shilabhadra Ancient learning centre; Shilabhadra was its chancellor and Xuanzang’s teacher.
Kanauj & Prayag Assemblies Religious assemblies (Kanauj, 643 CE) held by Harsha; Xuanzang attended.
BRICS Culture Working Group Cultural arm of BRICS; the Varanasi meeting (India chair) launched this idea.
Memory of the World Programme (1992) UNESCO scheme protecting documentary heritage — the correct tool for this travelogue.
2003 ICH Convention Safeguards Intangible Cultural Heritage — living traditions, oral & performing arts (NOT documents).
IGNCA Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts; autonomous trust under Ministry of Culture; India’s nodal dossier agency.
Sowa-Rigpa Ancient Tibetan medicine system; India–China rival claims in 2017.
Two-dossier cap A single state may file only 2 nominations per 2-year cycle; joint bids face no ceiling.
Joint nominations of India Panchatantra (with Iran); Satyagraha philosophy (with South Africa).

MCQ Practice Question
Q. With reference to the proposed India–China joint UNESCO nomination, consider the following statements:

  1. Xuanzang studied at the Nalanda Mahavihara under Shilabhadra during the reign of Harshavardhana.
  2. Being a written travelogue, the work is best suited for inscription under UNESCO’s 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
  3. Under UNESCO rules a single country may file only two nomination dossiers in a two-year cycle, but joint nominations have no such ceiling.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only    (b) 2 and 3 only    (c) 1 and 3 only    (d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: (c) 1 and 3 only

  • Statement 1 — Correct: Xuanzang spent years at Nalanda under chancellor Shilabhadra while Harshavardhana ruled north India.
  • Statement 2 — Incorrect (the trap): A written record is documentary heritage, which goes under the Memory of the World Programme (1992). The 2003 Convention protects only living, intangible traditions (dance, oral tales, rituals) — not manuscripts or travelogues. The two frameworks are swapped here.
  • Statement 3 — Correct: A single state is capped at two dossiers per two-year cycle, but joint/transnational nominations carry no such limit — the very reason this route is attractive.
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