Chapter-2

Research Methodology and Literature Review

2. Introduction

Tourism at present is the largest growing industry of the world. The demand for all
types of tourism is increasing day by day. However Cultural Heritage Tourism is
that particular branch of tourism which is finding favour with neo- educated class
of tourists. It has been attracting the tourists from diverse backgrounds such as
sociology, geography and others. It is also a field which has been attracting many
researchers. Particularly, the culture of India, has always been fascinating the
people around the world. Though the state of Punjab in India especially boasts of a
rich vibrant cultural heritage; however the state still doesn‘t attract the number of
tourists it deserves. This study examines the scope of augmenting tourism and
cultural heritage management in the state of Punjab. It tries to bring awareness
about the cultural heritage resources and their fast fading condition with its
potential supporters and their important role in not only preserving but also
developing tourism for urban revitalisation. It also aims to form a strategy to
develop tourism in the area by accommodating various strategies to be adopted at
various levels.

That is why it is imperative to review the literature on the cultural heritage of

Punjab. This is particularly significant in view of finding out the various aspects of
cultural heritage tourism development in Punjab.

2.1 Need of the Study

The land of five rivers, Punjab is a vital component of South Asia‘s cultural
mosaic. A lot of literary work has been done by many authors. The literature review
on the subject reveals that many authors have written on the Sikh religion, many
have written on the various other aspects of culture like the art and architecture in
Punjab and Punjabi way of life. A very few authors have worked on the various
locations which have their historical relevance. A consolidated study on all the
aspects of Punjabi culture will be an asset for people. It shall work as a single

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source to know about different aspects of culture like customs, costumes, music,
literature, rites and rituals, customs and historical places etc and their contribution
and relevance in the development of the booming tourism industry. The study shall
investigate the possible ways of promoting the cultural heritage tourism in the
Indian state of Punjab.

The state possesses a rich cultural heritage evident in its famous forts, historical
Gurudwaras -associated with the Sikh Gurus, the Palaces of Maharajas; the wet
lands; the museums and libraries portraying the Sikh battles with Muslims and the
most vibrant and lively people of Punjab who despite being the most mobile
community of India have kept their traditions alive through the folk songs and
dances like Gidha, Bhangra and Jindwa etc. The researcher intends to make a study
as to how the cultural heritage of Punjab can be helpful in promoting the number of
tourist arrivals in Punjab.

2.2 Objectives

Main Objectives of the Study are:

 To study the cultural heritage resources of Punjab.
 To assess the socio-economic impact of Tourism in Punjab.
 To study the role of cultural heritage in tourism promotion in Punjab.

2.3 Hypothesis

The basic Hypothesis of study to be tested are :

H1: There is positive correlation between cultural heritage resources and tourism in
Punjab.

H2: Tourists have positive socio-economic impact in Punjab.

2.4 Research Methodology

Sampling plan used in the research is interview, past data and questionnaire. Apart
from studying various books, journals, newspapers, magazines and various reports
related to the topic, primary information was also gathered through the visits to the
important places like Patiala, Sirhind, Amritsar and Kapurthala. Four different

30
types of questionnaires based on the research objectives were filled by the total
population size of 296. These different questionnaires were filled by four
categories of sample population i.e. Leaders of Tourist Groups, Local Residents,
Travel Agencies and Hoteliers. In addition to this, personal visits to the Jor Mela
and Rouza Sherif at Fatehgarh Sahib were also made.

2.5 Chapter Scheme

1. Introduction
2. Research Methodology and Literature Review
3. Cultural Heritage Resources of Punjab
4. Tourism Status in Punjab: Survey and Findings
5. Conclusion and Suggestions

2.6 Review of Literature

Punjabi culture has been described by many writers in their own ways. The vibrant,
valiant Punjabis have a distinct style of life which is often boasted of by them as
‗Punjabian di Shaan Vakhari‘(the Punjabis have a unique glory/presence). The
geographical location of Punjab, being a kind of intransit destination to reach the
glorious capital of India, always imposed a great threat to the invaders throughout
the course of history. Due to these invaders only, the people of Punjab are rough
and tough. They never surrendered to the foreigners; they fought and made great
sacrifices for the protection of their country and faith. They have great tolerance
and they bore the atrocities of the foreign invaders and still kept their love of life
on top and are always keen to take a step ahead to lead a better life. That is why
after the end of era of terrorism, the state of Punjab developed with a double pace.

Khushwant Singh (1999) has done a great work on the History of Punjab in the two
volumes of his book ‗A History of Sikhs‘. The book provides a lucid and
comprehensive account of the Sikhs from fifteenth century to the present. The two
volumes give a complete and informative description about how the ideology of
the Sikh religion was evolved as an attempt to eradicate the malpractices imposed
by the Brahmins i.e. Hindu religion and how it had become obligatory for the

31
Sikhs to protect the community and the country men from the atrocities of the
Mughals. The book gives an account of the impact of the political development on
the culture of Punjab. Alag Sarup Singh (1998) has done a study of Sikh culture
in his book ‗Excellence of Sikhism‘ wherein he has compiled the non-Sikh views
about this great religion and culture. The work explains the greatness and nobility
of the religion in the words of great personalities. Manmohan Kaur(1994)has also
given a detailed version of Punjab, its economy, its culture and heritage in her
work, The Encyclopedia of India – Vol XVIII; Punjab. The book gives a
complete account of Punjab`s folk songs, customs, language and literature and the
various tourist places. Similarly Randhawa M.S (1960) did a thorough research on
the folk culture of Punjab and published his work ‗Punjab‘ in
Punjabi(Gurmukhi).There are many authors who have attempt to study the folklore
of Punjab, but there work is mainly confined to the collection and presentation of
folk material for emphasising the aesthetic richness of folklore and folk art. Before
moving ahead with the topic it is imperative to research the already existing
literature on the related issue.

―Cult is a sum total of organised beliefs and rituals concerned with a specific spirit
or spirits generally associated with particular objects and places together with the
ritual worships and officiants‖ 1. Bhatti H.S.(2000) explains the existence of Folk
religion in the society parallel to the religions like Hindu, Sikh and Muslim. He
explains that the folk religion of Punjab is followed by the people of all castes and
religions wherein he has given detailed description of the cults of Gugga Jahir
Pir,Sakhi Sarvar and Sitla Mata. Collectively these three cults represent the crux of
the folk religion of Punjab. The worship and legends associated with the folk
deities infact have a deep psychological and sociological importance in the cultural
thread of Punjab. The author has given an analytical description of the legends,
rituals and beliefs related to the three cults using the various theatrical insights of
sociology, anthropology, psychoanalysis and post-structuralist approaches.

Culture in general sense is most frequently used in good taste and refined manners.
(Husain S.Abid 1978) But it is also used for material embodiment of good taste
and refinements. Therefore, the buildings gardens and paintings of Mughal period
1
Notes and Querries on Anthropology ,1951.Royal Anthropological Institute of Ireland,Routeledge
and Kegan Paul,London

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are referred to as Mughal culture. The term culture refers to the system of ultimate
ends or norms of life. All such things represent the various aspects and the modes
of existence of one and the same complex. The two modes of existence are
Physical and Mental. Physical mode means the tangible aspect which can be
apprehended through the external senses i.e. it has a physical existence like
monuments and handicrafts etc. The mental mode of existence is the thoughts and
feelings of people. The ideas, beliefs and principles which are not confined to a
single individual but are shared by many, those collective institutions which are
handed down from generation to generation as religion, morality, law, art, state etc,
which have a more permanent objective entity. Therefore, the ultimate values of a
particular society are referred to as a culture of that place. Husain(1978) says
culture is ―The sense of ultimate values which a certain society has and according
to which it wants to shape its life‖ . Infact the value system of a society which is
expressed by the individuals in their disposition, feelings, attitudes and manners as
well as in significant forms which they give to material objects is the culture of that
place. The embodiment of culture, which has been passed from generation to
generation like the monuments, the rites and rituals, the costumes, the fairs and
festivals, ultimately become the cultural heritage of that place.

One of the best known conceptual definition of cultural tourism has been provided
by Richards G.(1995),who stated that Cultural tourism is ‗the movement of persons
to cultural attractions away from their normal place of residence with the intention
to gather new information and experiences to satisfy their cultural needs‘. Richards
also provided a technical definition of cultural tourism stating that cultural tourism
includes all movements of persons to specific cultural attractions such as heritage
sites, artistic and cultural manifestations, arts and drama outside their usual place
of residence.

Silberberg T.(1995),defines cultural tourism as ‗visits by persons from outside the

host community motivated wholly or in part by interest in the historical, scientific,
artistic or lifestyle/heritage offerings of a community, region, Group or institution‘.

Fridgen J. (1991), described cultural tourism from the visitor‘s perspective stating
that, ‗…for outsiders, the culture of an area can represent an attraction of the area
itself. This is sometimes called cultural tourism‘. He also exclaimed that actually

33
the tourists get to know only that part of culture which is deliberately shown to
them and noted that ‗….frequently an area‘s culture is displayed through stage
presentations often for pay. Because tourists generally stay in an area for a short
time, what the tourist actually sees is just a faint reflection of the true culture.‖

Finally WTO (1985) has provided a definition of cultural tourism, focussing on the
travel motivations of tourists: ‗Cultural tourism includes movements of persons for
essentially cultural motivations such as study tours, performing arts and other
cultural tours, travel to festivals and other cultural events, visit to sites and
monuments, travel to study nature, folklore or art or pilgrimages‘.

Peoria et al (2001) describes ‗Heritage tourism is a phenomenon based on tourists

motivations and perceptions rather than on specific site attributes …Heritage
tourism is a subgroup of tourism, in which the main motivation for visiting a site
is based on place‘s heritage characteristics according to the tourist‘s perception of
their own heritage‘.

In Nuryanti‘s (1996) opinion Heritage tourism ‗…is characterised by two

seemingly contradictory phenomena; the unique and the universal. Each heritage
site has unique attributes; but heritage although its meaning and significance may
be contested, re-interpreted and even recreated, is shared by all‘. Similarly
Peterson K.(1994) stated that ‗we think of heritage tourism as visiting areas, which
make the visitor think of an earlier time‘.

Zeppel H. and Hall M. (1992) also stated heritage tourism as a special form of
tourism. In his views ‗Heritage tourism is a broad field of speciality travel, based
on nostalgia for the past and desire to experience diverse cultural landscapes and
forms‘. Likewise Ashworth and Goodall (1990) argued that ‗Heritage tourism is
an ultra compounded of many different emotions, including nostalgia,
romanticism, aesthetic pleasure and a sense of belonging in time and space‘.

Sharpley R.(1993) simply defines that whatever we inherit from our past is our
heritage. Everything associated with a nation‘s history, culture, landscape etc.
could be referred to as the heritage of that place.

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Yale P. (1991) also supported the concept of inheritance and suggested that
‗Heritage tourism is tourism centred on what we have inherited, which can mean
anything from historic buildings to artwork, to beautiful scenery‘.

Balcar M. and Pierce G.(1996) suggested that A wide range of concepts and
definitions are being used to explain the term ‗heritage‘. A number of theories and
case studies are being explained by the authors.,however a little specific agreement
exists on what is heritage tourism. Many scholars have given various definitions on
what is cultural tourism and what is heritage tourism. However cultural tourism
may be used to refer to the historical sites and buildings and handicrafts etc., also
the surrounding environment at the destination and its facilities shall be a part of
heritage tourism experience. ‗The term ‗Culture and Heritage‘ tourism refers to
that segment of tourism industry that places special emphasis on Heritage and
Cultural attractions. These attractions are varied and include performances,
museums, displays, archaeological sites, fairs and festivals etc. In developed areas,
Heritage and Cultural attractions include art galleries, plays, orchestra shows and
other theatrical performances. The tourists may travel to particular places and to
visit cultural shows or enjoy special musical performances. It may be a visit to a
particular fair like craft mela etc. In less developed areas heritage and cultural
attractions may include visit to traditional religious places, handicrafts and cultural
performances‘ (Christou ,2005).

Expressing similar kind of views Hall C.M. and Mc.Arthur (1998) describes
heritage as a complex term which depicts the people`s interest in historical
buildings, artefacts, landscapes and cultures of both past and present. Heritage
tourism is the interest of those tourists who wish to experience the different values
which are practised across societies. While promoting heritage tourism, the
elements not appropriate for the tourist gaze are not promoted or are eliminated
from being presented.

Hargrove (2002) says that visiting the historic and cultural sites is one of the most
popular touristic activity today. Families, seniors, groups and even International
visitors choose to frequent historic attractions when on vacations. As a result
destinations are paying attention to one of the fastest growing niche market
segment in the travel industry today-Heritage Tourism. The National Trust for

35
Historic preservation defines heritage tourism as ―traveling to experience the
places and activities that authentically represent the stories and people of the past
and present. It includes historic, cultural and natural resources‖.

Heritage tourism has captured so much attention during the past decade primarily
due to the fact that economics drive the interest in heritage tourism. According to
the recent study by the Travel Industry Association of America, people who
engage in historic and cultural activities spend more and stay longer than other
types of U.S. travellers.(Hargrove, 2002). The study on America says that visiting
historic and cultural sites ranked second to shopping in the list of activities
engaged in while on holiday. The people having young kids in particular wish to
experience history through travel, visit the authentic places where significant
events occurred or made relevant contributions to the development of America.
Heritage tourism uses assets like historic, cultural and natural resources that
already exist. Rather than creating and building attractions, destinations look to
the past for a sustainable future. Therefore it is easy to create a tourist product
using already existing heritage sites rather that developing new attractions.

Pera L.and McLaren(1999) comment on the burden faced bythe host communities
due to the touristic activities.Mostly the local people are not economically
benefited by the cultural heritage tourism, however the local resources are fully
exploited for the same. Such activities may cause cultural erosion wherein the local
cultural resources are comodified for the entertainment and facilitation of the
tourists. However rather than promoting such arguments it should be publicised
that cultural heritage tourism boosts the preservation and transmission of cultural
and historical traditions and often contribute to the protection of local heritage and
a local culture,art and crafts. Better policies should me made so that the local
communities are benefited and the tourist visits are made pro-poor.

Mckercher Bob and Ducros Hilary (2002) examine the relationship between
sectors that represent the opposite sides of cultural tourism coins. It compares the
cultural heritage tourism professionals with Cultural Heritage management
professionals to exploit the cultural heritage in terms of tourists it attracts, i.e. how
much profit it brings, while the cultural heritage professionals judge the same
assets for their intrinsic aesthetic values. Sustainable tourism can occur if both

36
cultural heritage management professionals and the Cultural Heritage tourism
professionals together understand and appreciate each other‘s concern.

As people wish to find out new places things and the traditional cultures, heritage
tourism has become a new area of tourism demand. Almost all policy makers are
now aware of the growing demand of heritage tourism and are anxious to develop
it. Seeing the importance attached to Heritage tourism, as new type of cultural
tourism many countries have made tourism strategies which help in the upliftment
of cultural heritage tourism. It has been realised worldwide that culture and
heritage is a major growth area and can be used to boost the local culture. It can
also be promoted to minimise the seasonality effect of tourism. (Richards 1996)

The survey conducted by the Virginia Dept of Historic Resources(1998), reveals

that there is a latest fashion of specialisation among tourists and the buzz word is
Culture /heritage tourism. American‘s interest in travelling to culture/Heritage
destination has increased recently and is expected to continue. This trend is
revealed as there is increase in the adventure seeking travellers and in those who
seek culture, history archaeology and interaction with local people. Hollinshead K.
(1993)

A Survey was conducted by the Virginia Department of Historic Studies which

revealed that for American families top five destinations were Cities (51%),
historic sites (49%), Beaches (44%), and lakes (35%).The top three activities
preferred by the U.S. residents were shopping(33%), outdoor activities(18%) and
visiting museums and historic sites (16%). In this survey U.S. was referred as
being the major tourism market for India. As the tourists are becoming more
sophisticated, their need to recapture the past has been increasing. Tourists are
being more attracted to the Cultural heritage sites. Tourist, residents and the local
government are benefited by cultural heritage tourism in one way or the other.
Cultural heritage tourism facilitates the protection of historic, cultural and natural
resources in communities, towns and cities. People get interested in their society
when they can associate to their personal family, community, regional or national
heritage. This association prompts residents to safeguard their shared resources and
practice good stewardship. Secondly cultural heritage tourism creates awareness
among the local residents and tourists about local history and traditions. Third,

37
cultural heritage tourism builds strong bond among communities, which infuses
respects in their residents, strengthens citizenship values. It leads to the
gratification of communities and improves their standard of life. Fourth, it elevates
the commercial the civic vitality of a community or a region. There are a number
of economic benefits of cultural heritage tourism which are also highlighted in the
survey. (Virginia Dept of Historic Resources,1998)

Prentice K (1993) defined the term ‗Heritage‘ as not only landscapes, natural
history, buildings ,artefacts, cultural traditions and the like that are
literally/metaphorically passed on from one generation to the other but those also
which can be promoted as tourism products. He also suggested that heritage sites
should be differentiated in terms of types of heritage: built, natural and cultural
heritage.

Hall M. and Zeppel H. (1990) have given many definitions of cultural tourism and
heritage tourism. The cultural tourism is related to visual attractions, performing
arts and festivals. The heritage tourism is concerned with visits to historical sites,
buildings and monuments. Heritage tourism is referred to as experiential tourism
because visitors often wish to involve themselves in historical environment and
experience.

Peterson K. (1994) reveals that there are basically three reasons why people visit
historical sites i.e. to experience different time or place, to learn to enjoy a cerebral
experience and to share with others and to teach children the history of the site.
Heritage tourists are also described as those visitors who are attracted to
performing and visual arts, cultural exhibitions and other related attractions.

Anderson V, Prentice R. and Guerin S. (1997) during their research on cultural

tourism in Denmark identified certain features of cultural heritage tourism.
Cultural heritage tourism comprises visits to historical buildings, museums,
galleries, theatres festivals and events, shopping, food palaces, famous people like
writers, castles sports and old towns.

Gareth Shaw and Williams A.(1998) has emphasised that there is strong
relationship between culture, tourism and leisure. Leisure helps to shape culture

38
and culture is critically important for the development of tourism and tourism is
responsible for cultural change.

Lanfant M.L.(1980)argues about cultural heritage tourism that ―we are dealing
with tourism with an all embracing social phenomenon characterised by the
introduction of new systems of relationships in all sectors of activity, bringing
about structural changes at all levels of social life and increasingly affecting all
regions of the world‖.

In addition to the research discussed above many other researchers have done work
on the features of cultural Heritage destinations. For example Sofield and Li(1998)
studied the cultural tourism of China by selecting History, Culture and traditional
festivals, historical events, beautiful scenic heritage, historical sites, architecture,
folk arts(music, dancing, craft work) and folk culture and villages as the
characteristics of significance.

Rosa Margarita (2002) examines the socio-economic impacts of Cultural Heritage

tourism in Bogota, La Calendria. The study reveals that due to the touristic
activities at the cultural heritage places there is a better chance for nations to
control the deterioration of cultural built heritage and to make efforts for its
preservation .The author examines the capability of the cultural built heritage to
disseminate its preservation and create job opportunities for residents living in
historic centre. It is investigated that the actual constraints of tourist activities
work in juxtaposition with other economic and social activities to help local
communities. Heritage and Culture when united with leisure and tourism can be
considered with one of the most important and speedy component of this tourism
phenomenon in the world (Martin and MasonS,1992.Waters S.R,1994.Herbert
D.T. 1995).

Herbert D.T. (2001) investigates that it is in the hands of managers of heritage sites
to portray a particular set of image about the site. The physical attributes of a
destination are at their disposal. The author is more concerned with only the
literary places as tourism destinations and says that ‗the literary places can be
created with these fictional words in mind and tourists may be less concerned with
distinctions between fiction and reality‘. The author has addressed common issues

39
related to the study of heritage tourism and has reported empirical findings from
two literary places. Through these case studies the author has confirmed links
between class and the habit of visiting heritage sites.

Shalini Singh (1996) studied the sustainability aspect of tourism and noted that the
promotion of heritage tourism in a way can be used to restore the glorious past of
any destination. If cultural heritage tourism is developed keeping in mind the
sustainability aspect, it can lead to the enrichment of culture, resources and the
entire setting of the destination. This sustainable development of tourism includes
protection of urban centres, preservation of temples and mosques and preservation
of dying arts and crafts and the customs and traditions etc. The tourism, heritage
and culture become partners in the development process‖. Infact heritage resources
are the Unique Selling Proportion for any given destination.

The ‗users‘ of heritage attractions are mainly termed as ‗the service class‘ of
professional and business people and others in white collar occupations; ―a
separate class…opposed in part to both capital and labour‖. Urray J. (1995-94).
While referring to the broad class of service people the author examines that this
class enjoys better working conditions which differentiates them from other
working groups. Literary tourism is a part of heritage tourism; people visit literary
places for a number of reasons. First they are attracted to the destinations which
have links with the lives of writers. Secondly, the tourists may like to visit places
which are referred to by the authors in their novels. Fictions may be set in locations
that may be known to the writers and they merge the real and the imaginative
places which give a special meaning to such places. Fictional characters and events
usually breed the toughest imagery. Third the tourists may be drawn to places for
their emotional value.

Basham A.L(1991 edition) has given complete picture of history and culture of
Indian sub-continent before the coming of Muslims. Starting with the
Geographical background he has given a complete picture of the country by
throwing light on the state, society, everyday life, religion, arts and language and
literature of the country.

40
Sharma(2007) throws light on the deteriorating /soon vanishing pillars of heritage.
As per the current trend, the youth of Punjab is not much interested in learning the
traditional art and cultural forms for example the Patiala Gharana Gayaki, is being
practised only by non-punjabis like Ustaad Ajay Chakraborty, Ustaad Mashar Ali
Khan and Ustad Jawed Ali Khan. Similarly the rich heritage of Sufiana Kalam is
dying except a few singers like Hans Raj Hans and the Wadali Brothers, classical
vocal and classical instruments like Rabab, Algoza and Iktaaras and Sarangi have
almost disappeared. Similarly folk dance forms like Jhumar, Malwai Gidha and
Folk theatrical forms like Bhand-Marasi art have lost their significance. The point
of the researcher‘s emphasis is that these dying forms of culture can be popularised
and can be exploited as cultural attractions for the tourists.

Prasad (2007)has emphasised the need for conservation of the cultural heritage
places related to Maharaja Ranjit Singh like Shiv Mandir, Baradari and Pond,
Gururdwara and Mosque near Pul Kanjari. A lot of work on the preservation of
cultural heritage is being done by Indian National Trust on Art and Cultural
Heritage(INTACH) which also organises Heritage Festivals like Patiala Heritage
festival and Amritsar Heritage Festival etc in collaboration with Punjab
government. The trust has also published a Punjab Travel Guide which gives the
complete information about the state of Punjab, the history and the background of
the different districts. In the year 1995-96, UNESCO (N.Delhi) Dept of Tourism
govt of India along with INTACH sponsored a project titled ―Inventory of cultural
Resource along the Grand Trunk Road, Punjab‖. In course of the project 5 districts
of Punjab were identified namely Patiala, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Kapurthala and
Amritsar.

Patwant Singh and Rai M. Jyoti(2008) have given a detailed version of the
emergence of Maharaja Ranjit Singh as one of the greatest figures of Indian
history in the state of Punjab. He inherited his father‘s Misl(chiefdom) at a very
young age. Despite of the loss of left eye due to the attack of smallpox, his ‗never
say die‘ approach made him one of the most powerful rulers of Punjab at the time
when the state was divided into various Misls and was in dire need of unification
which was inevitable for the empowerment of Sikhs. He belonged to Sukerchakia
Misl. He advocated secularism and humanity and tortured no one. The people in

41
his reign were given employment and responsibility to defeat foes and the non-
Sikhs were given majority share in his government. However after his death the
British applied their famous ideology of ‗Divide and Rule‘ among the Sikh ranks
and annexed his kingdom. The Maharaja was a great lover of art and beauty and
promoted the artisans and painters etc in his Kingdom and the gold inlay work and
the beautification of the Golden Temple are an evidence to it.

Gill P.Singh (1975) has given a comparative study of the religions practised by
various communities in the region of Punjab like Hindu, Muslim and Sikh religion.
The Sikh religion evolved as a reformer in the society which abandoned the
malpractices of both the Muslim and the Hindu religion and insisted on a casteless
society and the supremacy of Shri Guru Granth Sahib. The Sikh religion also
insisted on the better status of women as compared to their counterparts of the
Muslim religion. He distinguishes these religions and in a way he tries to prove
that the Sikh religion is superior to Hindu religion.

Joshi, Dr. Kirpal Singh, and Fauja Singh (2000, 2000 &1998) deal with the history
and culture of Punjab since vedic times. The Volume I, deals with the ancient
legacy of Punjabi culture, the region being very fertile and prosperous attracted the
foreign invaders like Arabs, Turks and Muslims. All these communities had their
impact on the culture of the people already living in the region. The Vedic Indians
practiced equal status for women, exercised no purdah system and had the society
divided into various varnas and the life of a man had to be spent according to the
four stages of Brahmcharya, Grihasth, Vanaprasth and Sanyas. The advent of these
outsiders affected the Indians in all walks of life. The volume II deals with the
medieval period. It was the time when Akbar was ruling the country and he was
quite sympathetic to other religions. The author discusses about the casteism and
other circumstances which acted as a background for the foundation of the Sikh
religion by Guru Nanak Dev. The first four successors of the Guru namely Guru
Angad Dev, Guru Amar Das, Guru Ram Dass and Guru Arjun Dev were
reformists and introduced a number of reforms in the society like langars, one
caste, one God, one religion and one Guru. They composed various poetical
hymns. But the cruel killing of Guru Arjun Dev by the order of Jahangir changed
the entire character of the reform movement and became a turning point in the

42
Sikh history. Guru Tegh Bahadur sacrificed his life for the religion and the same
was done by the sons of Guru Gobind Singh namely Baba Zoravar Singh, Baba
Fateh Singh, Baba Ajit Singh and Baba Jujhar Singh. Guru Gobind Singh laid the
foundation of the Khalsa panth, made the 5ks compulsory and gave the surname
―SINGH‖ to the baptised Sikhs. The attacks by Ahmed Shah Abdali and others
made the people develop the habit of eating drinking and making merry as
everything else was taken away by the looters. Then he gives an account of the
most powerful ruler of Punjab, Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The major classical
literature contribution of this period is the composition of ADI-GRANTH, around
36 writers; 6 Gurus and various Hindu and Muslim saints have contributed to it.
Similarly Japji Sahib (By Guru Nanak -38stanzas) and Sukhmani Sahib (By Guru
Arjun Dev) are the great contributions to the Punjabi literature. Volume III deals
with the modern period wherein the British introduced the new system of
education, a system of administration that gauranted life and property, means of
justice that based on the concept of equality before law. However these systems
were taken suspiciously by the traditional Indian society. He further tells about the
contributions of the Punjabis in the war of independence in 1947.

Abnashi Singh and Ahuja Gurvinder Singh (2004) have given a complete account
of the historical and significant gurudwars located within Punjab. Any information
related to the gurudwaras associated with the ten gurus can be obtained from this
book .The photographs of the gurudwaras give a concrete idea of architectural
style and the shape of the sacred monuments. It is infact a pilgrim‘s hand book
who may like to visit the gurudwaras and be enriched with the message of love,
peace, devotion to God, social justice, religious tolerance and universal
brotherhood of man. However the authors have concentrated on the pilgrimage
tourism and give no account of other attractions in Punjab which may also attract
the tourists.

Khushwant Singh (1999) explains very beautifully the period between 1469 to
1839.The story of the Sikhs began with the Guru Nanak‘s spreading of new faith
and ideology which had emerged out of the two prevailing religions of those times
ie Hindu and Islam and at the same time entirely different from both the religions.
This faith took the form of a new religion consisting of the disciples i.e. Sikhs of

43
Nanak ,and their preachers, the Gurus by the beginning of 17 th century. The two
hundred years between the Nanak‘s promulgation of the faith and Guru Gobind
Singh‘s establishment of Khalsa Panth (1499A.D. to 1699A.D) can be divided in
to two almost equal parts. The religion propagates EK OMKAR i.e. monotheism. It
is against idol worship, free from useless rituals, advocated casteless society and
inter-caste marriages. The holy book Shri Guru Granth Sahib, which is considered
the supreme Guru of the Sikhs, enlists the hymns composed by the great
philosophers of those times regardless of their religion and caste etc. The
foundation stone of the most important edifice of the religion, Harimandir Sahib
was laid down by a muslim sufi, Mian Mir and the rest of the building was
together built by the Hindus and the Sikhs. However the casteism was abolished in
social matters but incase of marriage it was not even practiced by the Gurus. As
the time when the recitation of Vedas was the exclusive right of Brahmins and the
Muslims were based on the exhortation of the Sufis, the message of the Gurus
came in the language of common man, however it was beyond the reach of people
who could not understand Punjabi yet was widely acceptable to the people of
Punjab. The second hundred years had the Gurus who supplemented the ideology
propagated by the previous gurus and to protect the faith and the community and
gave it such a shape that it came to be known as the bravest or the strongest
people of India who were a terror for the invaders. ‗The sixth guru was the first to
appeal to arms; the tenth, put the army on a regular footing.‘ The Gurus were the
martyrs and the heroes; Arjun, Tegh Bahadur and the sons of Gobind Singh were
the great martyrs ; Guru Hargobind and Guru Gobind Singh were the great heroes,
warriors.

Gupta S.P (2004) deals with the historical aspect as well as the cultural aspect of
Punjab since the time of Mahabharata. Guru Nanak Dev exhorted people to come
out of narrow confines of caste, creed and nationality and was followed by nine
other Gurus. Guru Angad Dev developed the script of Gurmukhi and Guru Ram
Das laid the foundation of Shri Harimandir Sahib. Further talking about the
cultural heritage, he says that the Punjabis are very lively people.They have
evolved a number of folk songs and dance forms like gidha, jhumar and bhangra.
He throws light on the various artistic endeavours of the people of Punjab like
inlay woodwork done by the people of Hoshiarpur and Jalandhar.

44
Hershman P. (1981) has given an elaborate account of kinship and marriage rituals
practised by people of Punjab especially Sikhs. Despite the opposition of Hindu
rituals by Sikhs, the Brahmins had a very respectable position in their daily life.
Until 1947 Sikh marriages, birth and death rituals were all conducted by the
Brahmin priests. Similarly the Sikhs also till date consider casts while marrying
just like Hindus, the Jatt community among Sikhs considers themselves superior as
compared to Nanakshahis and other trade communities. Similarly like the Hindus,
even in Sikh religion the marriage among cousins and brothers and sisters and
even the first five cousins is prohibited. He also comments on the inheritance of
property rights of women who bear sons. He gives a very judicious account of the
relationships practised by the people of Punjab.

Gurnam Kaur (1995) tells how after the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh the Sikh
community started declining. They were further divided into various sects like
Nirankaris and Namdharis and there was a distinction between the baptised and the
unbaptised Sikhs. All Singhs were Sikhs, but all Sikhs could not the Singh. More
over the Sikhs were declining in number and practically exercising Hindu rituals.
The author says that the role played by Singh Sabha movement in the field of
social reforms stands unrivalled in modern Sikh history. It made Sikhs not only
aware of their distinct social identity, but also set the ball rolling for the
eradication of social evils.

Alag S.S. (1998) has presented the views of various great personalities and has
described in an impartial way that Sikh way of life is very superb and
incomparable. This is a simple and straight religion where there is no place for
artificiality, in which idol worship, caste system, widow-sati system, use of
intoxicants, killing infants/baby girls, drinking and smoking and all evil practises
or bad customs are forbidden.

Fauja Singh (1984)has however confined his work only to the geographical area of
Sirhind and has given a complete description of the political and strategic
significance of Sirhind in the history of India. During the struggles for power
fought successively between Hindushahis and Ghaznavis, Chauhans and Ghoris,
Lodhis and Khokhars,Mughals and Afghans,Sikhs and Mughals and Sikhs and
Durranis, the soil of Sirhind played a noteworthy role. The city boasted of the

45
status mainly due to the excellent road connections and its antiquity and
continuity. The author has given a complete account of the prosperity and
importance of Sirhind from the time of Babur till Ahmed Shah Durrani. In a
nutshell the book is a complete historical description of Sirhind.

The Information and Public Relations. Department of Punjab (1990) has published
a booklet named ―Punjab: Places of Glorious Heritage‖ which depicts various
cultural, historical and religious places of importance in Punjab. The motive of the
booklet is to make people aware of their glorious past. Along with the places it
also tells about the accommodation facilities available at these places. It explains
almost all the attractions in Punjab in brief.

Grewal J.S. (2007),has given the description of History, Society and Culture of
Punjab. Through the ages the culture of Punjab is depicted through the poetry of
Sheikh Farid, Kafis of Shah Hussain, Bani of Guru Nanak, Shloks of Guru Angad
and the Janamsakhi traditions. Punjab as a state has been blessed with great literary
work, the first ever recorded in history being Rigveda, composed largely between
1500BC and 1000BC. Presently it has been divided between ten books. Through
the Kafis of Shah Hussain the author throws light on the status of women in
society. While commenting on The Bani of Guru Nanak it is important to note that
the term Sikh is used in Japu, for the teachings of Guru at one place and for the
disciple of Guru at the other place. The culture of Punjab being influenced by Sikh
religion; the religion is very much against the Brahmin‘s views of impurity. The
Brahmins and the Vaishnavas are not the only ones to be criticised in Asa-di-Var.
Guru Nanak was opposed to the sects of Sadhus who advocated the concept of
imposing pain on themselves, going without eating or without any clothes.
According to him those people who observed silence; those who move barefoot;
those who eat dirty food and put ashes in their hair or those who live in wilderness
or cremation ground ;all regret in the end, what is common to all is whimsical
practices and renunciation. The Guru was also against casteism. The tradition of
Martyrdom is firmly grounded in the philosophy of Sikh religion. Guru Nanak had
no admiration for those who lived on donations. He only appreciates true path of
earning one‘s living by hardwork and even donating to the needy. The ideology of
Guru panth eradicated the social differences by guaranteeing equality of all castes.

46
He was not against inter-caste marriage, however the old traditions didn‘t change
much. The principle of equality was only implemented in religious matters and was
moderately realised in social and political matters.

The Golden Temple in Amritsar is gorgeous Sikh shrine of rare beauty and divine
power. It signifies the birth place of world‘s youngest religion i.e. Sikhism. The
Golden temple is visited by over 50000 people each day and is the repository of
rowdy history of the Sikhs, intermingling in the most unique way. The Miri and
Piri i.e. the spiritual and the temporal powers is the essence of Sikh faith. Amritsar
was founded in 1577 as Ramdaspura by the fourth Sikh guru, Guru Ramdas, whom
it was originally named after. Guru Ramdas began the excavation of the Amrit
sarovar, the pool of nectar. It was however his son and successor, Guru Arjun Dev,
who not only completed the work of sarovar but also erected in its cool heart a
wonderful temple that would shower a great spiritual force on all those who visited
Harimandir Sahib. Paul S.(2004)

Throwing light on the cultural aspects of Punjab, Khushwant Singh (2008) states
that the Maharaja was fond of wearing diamonds, pearls, precious stones, silk,
brocade, cloth of gold and silver; and used to drink wines and liquors. Therefore
when the reign of Maharaja was established, lot of artisans, tailors, jewellers and
architects got a chance to show their artistic skills as Punjab had been witnessing a
lot of turmoil due to the continuous period of wars and loots. Beautiful and
gorgeous dresses and artistic jewellery became the proud possessions for the
courtiers of Maharaja. Dowry system existed in Punjab and drinking alcoholic
beverages on special occasions and festivals had been customary in the state.
During the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, holi was a hilarious affair and the most
colourful festival. Besides playing with colours, people used to throw brittle balls
filled with various coloured powders on each other. The Sikhs gave away charity
mostly to the Hindu Brahmins in the form of animals, gold, silver, grains and
money. The existence and the practice of ‗Sati‘ pratha was very common during
those days. This is evident from the fact that on the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh
in 1839, his queen and the seven maid servants sat on the funeral pile of Ranjit
Singh and were burnt alive with his dead body. This shows the status of women at
that time and the importance of their husbands in their lives. The ashes of Maharaja

47
and his queen along with those of his maids were immersed in the Ganges at
Haridwar.

In an attempt to depict the great heritage building of The Golden temple, Mohinder
Singh (2002) tries to capture its glory and grandeur and signifies its importance in
the life of Sikhs all over the world. Harimandir Sahib, popularly known as the
Golden Temple is the most important Sikh shrine and has emerged as the spiritual
capital of Sikh faith. Because of its unique role in Sikh history and psyche it has
become the symbol of Sikh community‘s undying faith and religious fervour.

Pandey Alka (1999) throws light on the folk music and the musical Instruments of
Punjab which are loosing their significance due to the emergence of electronic
instruments. The instruments like Algoza, chimta, manjira and Nagara etc are no
longer popular. There are a few artists playing these instruments and a very few
people are into manufacturing of these instruments. She suggests that the
government should start a movement to sustain these folk musicians and
instrument makers through direct aid and through a body that could guide plan and
propagate the policies to benefit these instrument makers and musicians so that we
could sustain the originality of these instruments.

Narula S.S. (1995) deals with different aspects of Punjabi culture like Language
and Literature of Punjab, the folk tales, folk dances like Gidha, Bhangra, Ludhi
and Jhumar and Sammi, the dyeing art of Bhand-Marasi etc. He has tried to
emphasise that in modern times these aspects of our culture are dying. In a way he
has given a reassessment of Punjabi culture through an unbiased study of the
history of the Indian subcontinent.

Vatsyayan K. (1976) has given a complete account of the traditions of folk dance
in the different states of India. While talking about Punjab he has described the
various dance forms like Bhangra, Jhumer, Gidha and Kikli. It is the tradition of
Punjabis to celebrate every occasion with music and dance.

The music of Punjab today is the combination of contemporary Punjabi music and
how it is perceived by the common man today. Schreffler and Barbara (2004)
describe the development of Punjabi music through history and contemporary
development. It shows how the impact of people‘s thought has changed Punjabi

48
music over a period of time. The label ‗Vernacular‘ refers to those aspects of
culture which emerge as distinct products of a particular region, which have been
familiar to a broad base of its population at some point in time. Thus if we speak of
‗Punjabi Vernacular Music‘ we are primarily describing music combining elements
which were in someway specific to the regional culture of Punjab.

Investigating another aspect of Punjabi culture i.e. the Folk songs of Punjab, Gill
R.S.and Nahar Singh (2004) observe ―Punjabi folk songs are untapped resources
for insight into Punjabi history and culture. Different songs are pronounced in
various contexts and contain layers of meaning‖. The author provides examples of
various types of songs, describes their genres. The themes of various songs are
examined and a sample of lifecycle songs is presented. The possibilities for
investigating Punjabi folk songs from the perspective of heritage are assessed.

A great work has been done by many writers on Punjab. Some have written on the
music and musical instruments of Punjab while others researched on the
monuments and archaeological sites, where as many others have written on the
tourism industry. However the present study makes a venture in to the
development of cultural heritage tourism in Punjab wherein the effort is made to
link all the aspects of cultural heritage of Punjab in relation to the development of
tourism in the state.

49
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54