In a significant achievement for Himachal Pradesh’s cultural heritage studies, Palampur-based researcher Dr Vikas Rana has earned international recognition for his pioneering research on Kangra’s traditional memorial stones, locally known as “Murra” or “Marhi.”
Dr Rana, a post-doctoral fellow at the Department of Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology at Punjab University, has co-authored the research paper with Dr Rajni Devi. The study has been published in the internationally reputed journal SN Social Sciences of Springer Nature under the title “New Perspective on Place and Social Memory: An Interdisciplinary Study Based on Memorial Stone Cultural Heritage.”
The research sheds new light on the folk memorial stone tradition found across villages of Kangra district and presents an alternative perspective to conventional global studies on memorial culture. While most international research on memorial stones has focused on kings, warriors and heroic figures, Dr Rana’s study highlights memorials dedicated to ordinary villagers, including men, women and elders, portraying them as living symbols of collective social and spiritual memory.
A resident of Malahu village near Palampur, Dr Rana said the study seeks to recognise the cultural significance of local communities whose memories and traditions are often ignored in mainstream historical narratives.
The fieldwork for the research was conducted in 45 villages spread across five major tehsils of Kangra district — Palampur, Nagrota Surian, Jawalamukhi/Jaisinghpur, Dharamsala and Baijnath. During the study, researchers carried out 180 semi-structured interviews with villagers, priests and artisans between the ages of 25 and 90 years. Folklore, architectural layouts, ritual practices and photographic documentation related to Murra sites were also systematically recorded.
According to the findings, the memorial stones are not merely archaeological remains but enduring cultural links connecting present generations with their ancestral past. The study proposes a new Indian framework of “place memory” by integrating anthropology, history, semiotics and postcolonial studies.
The paper further argues that Kangra’s sacred landscape — shaped by the Dhauladhar mountain ranges, deodar forests and the Beas river system — has created a unique cultural geography in which Murra sites, peepal trees and natural water sources collectively preserve ancestral and environmental memory.
The researchers also challenge dominant Eurocentric interpretations of memory and heritage by examining them through a distinctly Himalayan cultural context. The study observes that despite colonial neglect, rapid urbanisation, migration and the weakening of joint family systems, the Murra tradition has survived largely because of its continued preservation by marginalised and lower-caste communities.
Dr Rana dedicated the achievement to his mentors, particularly Prof Ishwar Dayal Gaur and Prof Paru Bal Sidhu, acknowledging their intellectual guidance and constant encouragement in bringing the research to an international academic platform.