Abstract
The Kullu Valley in Himachal Pradesh in India, known as “valley of gods,” represents a distinct cultural landscape where the natural landscape is imbued with sacred values and beliefs. The inhabitants of this landscape reinforce and perpetuate the sanctity of this landscape through cultural and religious practices. ‘Pūch’ (a shamanistic ritual) is one such socio-religious practice, believing that the debatās (devatās in Sanskrit, means gods) communicate with people through a medium. Gūr (shaman) is believed to possess the divine powers to communicate with the debatās with his religious authority. This chapter discusses the role of pūch in maintaining the fragile ecosystem and natural landscape of the valley. Based on the fieldwork conducted in sixteen villages of the Kullu Valley (interviews, oral histories), and literature review, this study examines how the verdict from the divine received during pūch affects the collective decisions of communities for the collective good. At various instances, pūch has demonstrated its power to mobilize communities in order to build up a pressure on policy decisions. This chapter argues that the ritual of pūch plays a significant role in the decision-making processes around new developments that tend to threaten the culture and ecosystem of the valley.
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Pethe, A., Shinde, K. (2023). ‘Pūch’ as an Institution for Maintaining the Cultural Landscape of the Kullu Valley. In: Singh, R.P.B., Niglio, O., Rana, P.S. (eds) Placemaking and Cultural Landscapes. Advances in Geographical and Environmental Sciences. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-6274-5_20
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