Presentation of Kullu-Bhuntar Fieldwork

Diya Mehra

Main Arguments

• 1) The importance of historical forms of urbanization in a mountainous region and its contemporary resonance

• 2) Multilayered production of a district and town (through local, national, regional, intl flows)

• 3) Patterns of Urbanization • 4) Review of factor guidelines

Historical Forms of Urbanization

• Kullu town as the link between upper valleys of the Kullu district, and the plains

• Link between Tibet and Punjab• Gateway for Lahaul and Spiti into the plains• Seat of the Kullu rajas and center of the sacred

geography of the valley• Post-Independence Administrative

headquarters

Kullu Valley

Contemporary Period – Himachal Pradesh

• High GDP growth, high incomes• High levels of infrastructure provision – water,

electricity, telephones, roads• High social indicators

Economic Activities in Kullu-Bhuntar

• Tourism • Agriculture• Professional services • Government infrastructure • Shops, bazaars and markets• Religious architecture • Factories • Hydroelectric • Private infrastructure • Military infrastructure

Patterns of Urbanization• Multilayered flows/growth of the built

environment • Spatial dispersion through self-urbanization

and institutional growth• Ribbon development, suburbanization and

metropolitanization?• Cross Border Potato Urbanization – the

importance of Lahaul and Spiti and their potatoes

• Under reported Urbanization