Kuhls of Kangra are living cultural heritage of Himachal Pradesh. Kuhls are often ignored or studied merely as a case study for community resource management. This nearly 500 years old irrigation channels are world largest gravity Driven irrigation system. Kangra Landscape is a living heritage, it is constitute of vast Alluvial Fans, Granite, Kuhls and Terrace. Over the centuries Landscape evolved with strong human-nature association.( See :The Kangra Agricultural System A GIAHS Perspective on Heritage and Resilience here https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.30128275).
What are Cultural Landscape, a important concept in Rural Tourism
“A cultural landscape is a place where nature and human life shape each other over many generations. It may include farms, pastoral grasslands, irrigation canals, old settlements, sacred places and local traditions. These landscapes are not just beautiful to look at. They show a living relationship between people and their environment. Food, identity, festivals and community practices all grow from the same land.“
UNESCO recognized cultural landscapes as a special category of heritage in 1992. This decision changed the way the world thinks about heritage. Now not only the monuments or protected wildlife areas seen alone as heritage. The land in between where communities live, farm and worship also came into focus. Today, more than a hundred sites across the world are listed as cultural landscapes. India also has such cultural Landscape heritage.
Europe offers several strong examples. In Austria, the Hallstatt–Dachstein region connects mountains, a lake and ancient salt mining traditions. In Germany, the Upper Middle Rhine Valley combines steep vineyards, forests and historic towns. In Hungary, the Hortobágy National Park protects a grazing steppe shaped by herders over centuries. Each case shows how human effort and natural forces join to form a single story. On similar lines Kangra Landscape can be projected as Cultural Landscape.
Other international efforts are also growing. ICOMOS has recently launched a global initiative to highlight transhumance landscapes — areas shaped by seasonal movement of livestock and the knowledge that comes with it. These projects reconnect culture with nature, supporting both biodiversity and local livelihoods.
Kuhls and Cultural Landscape
Kangra Landscape represent rich Geological history, where glacier moraine can still be find in Agri Fields, Kuhls descending from upper river Terrace is longest and biggest gravity system of World, Why Kuhls of Kangra Need to be Recognized Under FAO’s GIAHS Framework. , Tea Garden on river terrace , with salient slope on the foothill of Himalaya add all together a new dimension to regional Landscape, Presence of Slate mines, spring and very dense network of rivers make Kangra a strong candidates to be as recognized Cultural Landscape. Similar to Kuhls is “Rice Terraces of Philippine Cordilleras (1995)”,
“Philippine Cordilleras terraced rice fields have been shaped along the mountain slopes likes Kuhls. They are the result of skills passed down through generations, guided by sacred beliefs and strong community cooperation. These fields have created a beautiful landscape that shows the deep harmony between people and nature” Philippine Cordilleras is already recognized under GIAHS and UNESCO cultural Heritage.https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/722/ “
Kuhls and GIAHS Nomination
Globally Important Agricultural heritage System is programme of FAO under UNO mandate. Kuhls have already been studied in context of GIAHS. If Govt make sufficient efforts we can easily make Kangra an important Place in world map.
Rural Tourism and Kuhls
In South East Asia and China, Terrace field and water channel are excellently promoted as tourism destination. Thousands of Tourist visit these system from all around the world. Himachal Pradesh is often Promoted as mountain destination of High peaks and Glacier but Govt is strongly focusing on Rural Tourism and Kuhls of Kangra are strong candidature for it.
India and Cultural Landscape
India too has many such landscapes. The terraced farms of the Himalaya, the stepwells of western India, the sacred groves of the Western Ghats and the Kuhl irrigation system of Kangra are strong examples. They are not frozen in history. They still support communities and traditional knowledge. However, most remain under-recognised and under-protected.
The world is moving towards caring for places where culture and ecology live together. Societies that understand and protect such landscapes build a future that honors both people and nature. For India, embracing cultural landscapes is not only about heritage. It is a path to stronger communities, healthier environments and a deeper connection with the land that sustains us.
