From Hinduism to Hindutva: civilizational internationalism and UNESCO.

The article examines how India's engagement with UNESCO and its cultural heritage conventions serves as a platform for advancing Hindu civilizational narratives aligned with the Hindutva movement. It highlights the strategic use of UNESCO's World Heritage and intangible cultural heritage programmes to promote sites and traditions associated with Hinduism and the Indus Valley (Harappan) civilization, thereby reinforcing a nationalist discourse that marginalizes minority histories, particularly Islamic heritage. The discussion extends to India's Project Mausam, a maritime cultural diplomacy initiative modeled in response to China's Belt and Road Initiative, which fosters regional cooperation around shared Indian Ocean heritage while projecting India as a civilizational and ecological leader. The article argues that these international cultural engagements facilitate a rewriting and spatial expansion of history that supports domestic political agendas under the Bharatiya Janata Party government, illustrating the complex interplay between nationalism and internationalism in cultural diplomacy.