New Delhi | India's Deepavali -- the festival of light -- was on Wednesday inscribed on the UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The decision was taken during a key meeting of UNESCO being hosted at the Red Fort in Delhi.

This is the first time that India is hosting a session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH).

The 20th session of the panel is underway from December 8 to 13 at the Red Fort.

Chants of 'Vande Mataram' and 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' rent the air as UNESCO announced that the Deepavali festival has been added to the coveted list.

India currently has 15 elements inscribed on the UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and these include the Kumbh Mela, Durga Puja of Kolkata, Garba dance of Gujarat, yoga, the tradition of Vedic chanting and Ramlila - the traditional performance of the epic 'Ramayana'.