In December 2013, UNESCO inscribed "Sankirtana: Ritual singing, drumming and dancing of Manipur" in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The Nomination file for Inscription on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity prepared by Sangeet Natak Akademi describes this performing art thus: "Starting with ritual observances which involve singing and dancing in the temples of Manipur, Sankirtana encompasses an array of arts performed also in the home and the street to mark occasions of religious import and stages in the life of the Vaishnava people inhabiting the Manipur plains.

The theology and lore of Krishna is central to these performances, but they assimilate in their rendering formal features carried over from music and dance in Manipur’s pre-Vaishnavite past.

The core of Sankirtana practice is to be found in the temple, where it narrates through song and dance the lives and deeds of the Lord.

Outside the temple, Sankirtana assumes forms such as the Holi Pala celebrating the festival of colours in springtime or Shayan performed in the winter months.