India is a land of unmatched cultural richness and diversity which is the result of an amalgamation of cultures and religions for centuries. The eclectic mix of cultures is one of the biggest draw for tourists from the world over. India is one of the few zones that offer a cultural diversity of this nature and magnitude.
The desire to experience new cultures has, over decades, brought many tourists and seekers to India. India’s culture that runs synonymous with its history – perceived in new light – forms the focus of a new tourism sector called Culture Tourism that has only grown in leaps and bounds.
Over the last few years, hidden cultures, obscure lifestyles and their alluring effect have become the focus of this sector that has been attracting more visitors now than ever before. The World Tourism Organisation suggests that more than 40 per cent of all international tourists are ‘cultural tourists’.
Diversity key to popularity
Culture tourism is a specific kind of tourism where the focus is on a country’s or region’s culture, lifestyle, architecture, art, festivals, rituals, etc. that distinctly defines and shapes their way of life. The diversity entrenched in the Indian society, in rural and urban areas alike, is the perfect recipe for promoting cultural tourism.
When it comes to culture-based tourism, India has many things to offer. Rock shelters that were inhabited by humans millions of years ago; rock cut caves used by Buddhist monks centuries ago for meditation; archaeological sites and ruins; places of pilgrimage; ancient temples, with intricate carvings and sculptures, built by patron kings; structures and landmarks that played an important role in India’s freedom struggle; etc.
And, not just this, the varied food, clothing, festivals, fairs, processions, art work, handicrafts, folklore, dance and music, unique to each cultural, ethnic or tribal group and those indicative of the ever-lasting influence of the many dynasties and religions that have come to this region – all of these form the rich cultural capital of India.
The ancient land speaks
The region, now known as India, is the land where the earliest known traces of human life have been found. For example, the Bhimbetka rock shelters situated at the Ratapani Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh are India’s oldest caves and today a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Bhimbetka caves were used as rock shelters by humans millions of years ago.
The paintings in the caves date back to approximately 30,000 years old and are one of the earliest art and rock paintings in the world. There are some 760 rock shelters in one of the largest prehistoric complexes, of which 500 are adorned with paintings.
The word ‘Bhimbetka’ comes from ‘Bhimbaithka’ which means the place where the mighty Bhim, one of the Pandava brothers in Mahabharat, used to sit. The paintings, mainly coloured in red and white with little use of yellow and green colours, depict scenes from everyday life such as dancing, hunting and of animals such as tigers, elephants, antelopes, etc. – primarily life in the Mesolithic period.
Bhimbetka rock shelters are popular among tourists coming to India and among domestic tourists too. On the other hand are rock carvings in Goa’s Usgalimal that are not known to many. Situated on the banks of river Kushavati, the petroglyphs exhibit earliest traces of human settlement in the region and are approximately 30,000 years old.
The petroglyphs in Usgalimal in Goa were discovered by sheer coincidence. Sadly, of the nearly one lakh foreign tourists who visit Goa every year, only a few hundred visit these rock carvings. There is a need to popularise similar zones and encourage tourists to visit these rare sites.
Planning is the key
The Tourism Division of NITI Aayog provides ‘strategic and directional guidance’ to the Union and State Governments for the development of the tourism sector. NITI Aayog is an apex public policy think tank of the Government of India. The entity works towards catalysing economic development and fostering cooperative federalism through the involvement of state governments in the economic policy-making process.
NITI Aayog’s tourism division aims ‘to develop India into the most preferred destination for tourists through the development of responsible and sustainable tourism policies, focusing on niche tourism, eco-tourism and wellness tourism, infrastructure development, capacity development and increasing tourist footfall.’
The Culture Division of the think tank, on the other hand, endeavours ‘to develop, preserve and promote India’s arts, culture and heritage with a greater policy and planning coherence in the sector.’ Both the division play an important role in promoting cultural tourism in the country by liaisoning with the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Culture of the Government of India.
Both the divisions have undertaken projects to further common objectives. The Tourism and Culture Divisions regularly review and analyse strategies and policies for tourism and culture development at the national and state levels and provide directional inputs. The policy suggestion and policy formulation for the two sectors are done by these entities.
Culture tourism and festivals
Some of the most popular destinations for culture tourism in India lie in the states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, etc. Festivals, around the world, play an important role in attracting tourists who want to experience a new culture and want to see one up close. In India too, festivals have been, for very long, inviting a large number of tourists and are being recognised as a form of cultural tourism by government of India’s Ministry of Tourism (MoT) and by the state tourism boards.
Every year, millions of tourists attend major Indian festivals. The diversity of cultures in the country is reflected in the many festivals that are celebrated round the year. The smallest of occasion such as celebrating the harvest of a crop (Rabi or Kharif), welcoming a new season (spring, rain or autumn) or observing an event in the solar or lunar movement such as a full moon, makes a good reason for a festival in India. Some of these festivals include Lohri, Gudi Padwa, Mahashivratri, etc.
The story of culture tourism in India is incomplete without the mention of the fairs held in different parts of the country. These fairs, such as the annual cattle fair in Pushkar in Rajasthan, are very popular among international as well as domestic tourists.
What started as a trade fair for the buying and selling of cattle in the desert has now become a very popular tourist attraction. Tourists from all over the world throng the small town of Pushkar towards the end of the year where hundreds of herders donning colourful turbans and artistic moustaches land to trade cattle. The fair attracts more than three lakh people and more than 20,000 camels, horses and cattle.
In South India, in Kerala, the Snake Boat Race also known as Vallam kali – a form of canoe racing – is held every year during the harvest festival of Onam. A major tourist attraction in Kerala and a unique feature of the backwaters, the snake boat race festival has now become an icon attracting lakhs of tourists every year.
Many states in India are popularising attractive and unique features of their respective cultures that have, for decades lured tourists, receiving overwhelming success in terms of visitors and revenue. Then there are those that are venturing newly in the culture tourism arena such as Goa. The smallest Indian state is now promoting and packaging festivals such as Sao Jao, Cashew & Coconut Festival, Bonderam, Shigmo and Tirpurari Purnima to attract tourists.