World Tourism Day: Heritage tourism in Kangra has a lot to offer

Kangra is one of the most ancient settlements of the country and also boasts of arguably the oldest fort in India. “The district has a rich and diverse history spanning thousands of years, which can enormously contribute towards making it the tourism capital of the state as envisioned by the present government,” suggests Prem Sagar, a resident of Dharamsala and an ardent traveller and trekker.

Dharamsala, also known as “Little Lhasa”, is home to the Dalai Lama, the spiritual head of Tibetans. The monasteries spread all over the district offer a unique blend of Buddhist history, art and culture and have a considerable footfall.

Aishwarya Katoch, scion of the Kangra royal family, said, “The Tourism Department should promote places like Masroor rock-cut Temple, Baathu ki ladi, Pong Dam besides scores of old monuments in the district. A proper budget should be kept towards marketing the state in India and abroad through travel shows.”

Aishwarya said though the state government had built new bridges, the old heritage bridges stood neglected. These bridges date back to the colonial times and offer amazing views. These should be restored and used to create Himachali cultural marts and stopovers. The Pathankot-Jogindernagar train and the hydel project, along with tea gardens that offer unique experience, are the pillars of the heritage tourism in the district.

India’s first heritage village at Pragpur and a large number of traditional ‘havelis’ at Garli have a lot to offer. Yatish Sood, who has restored his ancestral ‘haveli’ as a heritage hotel ‘The Chateau Garli’, told The Tribune, “The buildings borrow architecture from colonial, Portuguese, Mughal, Rajasthani and Kangri influence. No two windows are alike and the facades are world class.”

The region earlier known as Trigarta has a mention in the Mahabharata and Puranas and was ruled by the Katoch dynasty. Being patrons of art and culture, they created innumerable monuments, including forts, temples, gateways and water bodies, which still draw an appreciable tourist footfall.

Many art forms that originated here are of great interest to the world community. The native handicraft, textile and Pahari painting coupled with the monuments, if supported by the government, are still capable of drawing high-end tourists.