The mission of the department is to preserve, promote and disseminate all forms of art and culture. In order to achieve this, the department undertakes the following activities:
Maintenance and conservation of heritage, historic sites and ancient monuments
Promotion of literary, visual and performing arts
Administration of libraries
Observation of centenaries and anniversaries of important national personalities and events
Promotion of institutions and organisations of Buddhist and Tibetan studies
Promotion of institutional and individual non-official initiatives in the fields of art and culture
Entering into cultural agreements with foreign countries.
The functional spectrum of the Department ranges from creating cultural awareness from the grass root level to the international cultural exchange level.