6.
Concept
6.1. Concept Title
Uplifting Kunchhal - Ecotourism through culture, craft and cultivation
This concept frames eco-tourism as a mechanism to preserve Kunchhal’s built and cultural
heritage while improving the economic condition of its residents. It promotes responsible
tourism based on sustainability principles: minimal intervention, low carbon footprint, and
community-led development. By transforming existing practices agriculture, rituals, crafts, and
communal living into participatory experiences for visitors, this approach aligns conservation
with economic incentives.
6.1.1. Addressing Kunchhal’s Problems Through Eco-Tourism
Existing Problems in Kunchhal How Eco-Tourism Addresses Them
Deteriorating traditional houses, rising Homestays create income tied to preserving
RCC buildings mud, timber, and tile structures, slowing
replacement by RCC.
Youth out migration and skill loss Jobs in hosting, guiding, performing, and
crafts give youth reasons to stay and use
local knowledge.
Weak participation in rituals, fewer trained Festivals and crafts become part of
dancers/artisans eco-tourism, funding training and ensuring
new generations learn.
Poor waste, water, and drainage systems Visitors demand clean environments;
tourism revenue helps build and maintain
eco-friendly systems.
Economic reliance only on subsistence Farm tours, cultural programs, and crafts
farming diversify income without changing core
livelihoods.
Risk of external control or insensitive Local bodies manage tourism activities,
development ensuring growth respects village identity
and benefits stay local.
6.2. Principles and Development Framework
This approach is based on the understanding that heritage in Kunchhal is not limited to historic
buildings, but includes the everyday use of homes, seasonal farming cycles, ritual gatherings,
and shared upkeep of communal spaces. Eco-tourism in Kunchhal is not about transforming the
village into a display, but about integrating respectful visitors into its everyday cycles. By
anchoring tourism in actual farming work, ritual events, traditional crafts, and the lived spaces of
local homes, it ties economic gains to the survival of these practices. . It acknowledges that
tourism, if managed carefully, can become a catalyst for protecting traditional architecture,
revitalizing rituals, and strengthening agricultural practices without disrupting local identity.
The planning framework is guided by the following core principles:
● Minimum Physical Intervention: Utilize and upgrade existing homes, platforms, and
paths with minimal architectural disruption.
● Community Ownership: Empower traditional institutions and emerging voices (women,
youth) to guide, manage, and benefit from the process.
● Phased, Scalable Programs: Begin with pilot actions, assess impact, and scale only with
community consent.
● Environmental Integration: Introduce eco-infrastructure like reed beds, bioswales, and
compost units that serve both tourism and daily life.
● Vernacular Sustainability: Reinforce the use of local materials and climate-responsive
design features, lowering carbon footprint and resisting inappropriate RCC expansion.
● Livelihood Through Heritage: Link income generation to rituals, farming, crafts, and
everyday life ensuring culture is preserved by making it economically viable.
6.3. Conceptual Elements
Traditional Homes as Heritage Accommodations
Eco-tourism depends on authentic experiences. Converting existing mud and timber houses into
homestays allows visitors to live within Kunchhal’s architectural and cultural fabric. Families
earn income directly by maintaining traditional layouts, materials, and household rituals, keeping
these alive as functional heritage.
Agriculture and Rituals as Economic Activities
Farming and seasonal festivals become core attractions. Visitors join planting or harvesting, or
attend rituals like Gathemangal or Barabarse Naach. This shifts agriculture and festivals from
purely local customs into sources of income, making them financially sustainable without
altering their original purpose.
Communal Spaces as Cultural Venues
Dabalis serve eco-tourism by hosting cultural evenings, small local markets, or storytelling
walks. Minimal interventions such as seating, signage, or subtle lighting prepare these spaces to
accommodate visitors while reinforcing their original community use.
Local Skills and Crafts as Tourism Programs
Workshops on mask-making, cloth making, bamboo craft or food traditions turn local expertise
into tourism offerings. This not only generates direct earnings but also justifies the continued
practice and teaching of traditional skills that are otherwise at risk of disappearing.
Community Management to Guide Tourism Growth
To ensure tourism remains controlled and beneficial, expanded local groups (building on the
Guthi system) regulate homestay standards, construction guidelines, and how revenues are
reinvested. This keeps eco-tourism aligned with preserving Kunchhal’s character and ensures
benefits stay within the village.
Eco-Infrastructure that Serves Both Tourism and Residents
Simple compost systems, improved drainage, and clean water initiatives are essential for
attracting visitors, and also solve local health and sanitation needs. Their maintenance becomes
supported by tourism income, linking environmental care to economic incentives.
6.4. Spatial Planning and Zoning
The spatial planning strategy for Kunchhal avoids rigid zoning typologies in favor of a more
responsive and integrated approach. The proposal delineates three interrelated programmatic
zones, defined on the basis of existing built fabric, landscape morphology, and cultural activity
patterns. These zones are not exclusive but rather operate through programmatic overlaps and
infrastructure layering, thereby ensuring dispersed visitor flow, reduced pressure on
heritage-sensitive areas, and seamless functional integration across the settlement.
Zone A: Homestay and Hosting Cluster
Primary Focus:
Targeted residential pockets characterized by preserved vernacular housing typologies,
particularly along the southern slopes and structurally stable edge blocks.
Programmatic Components:
● Adaptive reuse of traditional mud-timber residences for homestay purposes,
incorporating essential upgrades such as sanitary toilets and hygiene facilities.
● Dry composting toilets integrated within household compounds.
Selection Criteria for Participation:
● Presence of structurally sound traditional houses requiring minimal repair.
● Proximity to circulation paths and existing/planned sanitary infrastructure.
● Household consent and cultural continuity, with preference given to families engaged in
ritual practices within the house.
Zone B: Cultural and Ritual Spine
Primary Focus:
The east–west axis connects Ganesh Mandir to Dabali, including adjacent hiti, chowks, and
public congregation spaces.
Programmatic Components:
● Demonstration zones for local craft and culinary practices under shaded setups.
● Oral heritage zones designated for storytelling sessions led by senior community
members.
● Adaptive reuse of a traditional house as a Multipurpose Interpretation and Information
Centre to serve both tourists and local governance functions.
Planning Guidelines:
● Signage to be minimal and hand-painted, avoiding visual clutter.
● No fixed seating arrangements; use of foldable or portable platforms preferred to
maintain spatial flexibility.
● Preservation of key sightlines towards temples and water spouts (hiti) to maintain visual
and ritual continuity.
Zone C: Agricultural and Eco-Experience Belt
Primary Focus:
Terraced agricultural lands encircling the village core, offering immersive eco-cultural
experiences.
Programmatic Components:
● Agro-tourism trails incorporating walking loops through cultivation fields, supplemented
with shaded resting huts and illustrated educational boards.
● On-site composting and greywater treatment demonstrations, located at strategic edges of
agricultural plots.
● Small-scale shed type kitchens for conducting traditional cooking workshops.
Embedded Eco-Infrastructure:
● Reed-bed filtration systems installed near homestay clusters for decentralized greywater
treatment.
● Bioswales constructed along natural downslope pathways to manage stormwater runoff.
● Composting pits positioned at field nodes to facilitate organic waste management.
6.5. Implementation Strategies
6.5.1. Action Plan Framework
Phase I: Pilot Activation
● Establishment of 2–3 family-operated homestays, incorporating composting toilets and
essential hygiene upgrades.
● Introduction of basic agricultural tour trails along existing paths.
● Implementation of a community-executed signage project, employing hand-painted
wayfinding elements.
● Temporary conversion of an existing abandoned structure into a Welcome Corner with an
Exhibition Wall.
● Organization of a pilot cultural event, including local food tasting and musical instrument
display.
● Construction of one composting pit and installation of a trial reed-bed filtration unit
adjacent to a selected homestay.
Phase II: Consolidation
● Expansion to 5–7 homestays with standardized guest provisions, including locally
sourced towels, beverages, and meals.
● Development of three additional reed-bed systems and upgrades to existing bioswale
infrastructure.
● Refurbishment of a permanent structure as an Interpretation and Information Centre,
equipped with displays, village maps, and oral narratives.
● Facilitation of craft training programs and demonstration points, operated by local
artisans.
● Formation of a Community Operations Group, comprising representatives from the
Guthi, youth, and women’s groups, to manage tourism activities, events, and finances.
Phase III: Full Integration
● Extension of the agro-tourism network with 2–3 new walking loops, including shaded
resting points and interpretive signage.
● Adaptive reuse of a yard space as a seasonal craft and produce market.
● Formal integration of eco-tourism scheduling into the annual ritual calendar, to be
published and disseminated locally.
● Establishment of regional partnerships with adjacent settlements for a coordinated
eco-cultural tourism circuit.
● Finalization and enforcement of architectural control guidelines, regulating roof form,
building height, and signage material palette.
6.5.2. Community Participation Model
Pre-Implementation Awareness Building
The initial phase prioritizes trust-building through localised engagement methods, culturally
familiar communication formats, and relatable success evidence from comparable rural
settlements.
● Use of relatable success stories:
Documented examples from similar Nepali villages that have implemented agro-tourism,
homestays, or craft workshops are to be presented, emphasizing income gains without
compromising cultural practices.
● Media-based knowledge transfer:
Photos, short video documentaries, and direct testimonials from village representatives
involved in such projects are to be shared during local gatherings, preferably in courtyard
settings or dabalis.
● Exposure visits:
Selecting groups—comprising Guthi elders, youth representatives, and elder
women—are to be taken to nearby settlements with operational eco-tourism models (e.g.,
homestays, eco-drainage, or craft programs). First-hand observation of benefits reinforces
credibility and increases acceptance.
● Emphasis on cultural continuity:
All presentations are to reinforce the narrative that eco-tourism supports—not
disrupts—existing cultural practices. Messaging will highlight scenarios such as earning
through guiding during festivals or teaching traditional dances, enabling youth to stay and
work locally.
● Simple economic illustrations:
Financial examples are to be clearly communicated using real-life scenarios.
E.g., “Hosting 5 guests during a festival at Rs. 1,500 each for 2 nights yields Rs. 7,500
— enough to repair a section of a roof.”
Motivation and Buy-In
This phase builds individual agency, lowers perceived risk, and foregrounds community
autonomy in decision-making.
● Framing as an extension of existing routines:
The model is to be introduced as an expansion of familiar activities—hosting guests,
cooking, farming, and organizing rituals—making participation less intimidating.
● Voluntary, phased participation:
Households are to be informed that only interested members need to participate initially.
Early adopters serve as visible pilots, allowing others to observe outcomes before
deciding.
● Local governance and autonomy:
It is to be explicitly communicated that all decisions—including visitor limits, timing,
and income distribution—remain with the community. This approach addresses fears of
external interference or cultural dilution.
● Leadership by respected figures:
Key messages are to be delivered through trusted local stakeholders—Guthi leaders,
schoolteachers, respected farmers—who can articulate the vision in local dialects and
reference traditional norms.
● Direct linkage to ritual and festival needs:
The potential for eco-tourism revenue to fund Barabarse Naach training, festival
decorations, or maintenance of chautaras is to be emphasized, grounding the project in
urgent, shared cultural concerns.
● Community branding exercise:
Informal slogan-generation sessions are to be facilitated to co-create a shared identity,
e.g., “Hamro Kunchhal, Hamro Parampara, Hamro Aarthik Bikas”
Management Framework:
● An eco-tourism steering group is to be established, functioning as an expanded Guthi
body with representation from youth, women, and homestay operators.
● Localized tourism codes are to be formulated, defining homestay limits, service pricing,
and visitor conduct.
● A portion of generated income is to be directed into a transparent Village Heritage Fund,
allocated for festivals, infrastructure maintenance, and support mechanisms.
Seasonal Rhythm Integration:
● Program scheduling is aligned with agricultural and ritual calendars (e.g., Gathemangal,
Barabarse Naach).
● All tourism-related activities are to be suspended during culturally sensitive periods, such
as funerary rites and peak monsoon.
● Homestay and program calendars are to be prepared annually through collective
community deliberation.
6.6. Program Development
All proposed programs are designed to grow slowly, rely on existing spaces, and support
multiple community goals. No large-scale infrastructure is introduced.
a. Homestays in Traditional Houses
– Initial 3–4 pilot homes with attached sanitation upgrades
– Passive climate features retained (mud walls, courtyard cooking)
– Visitors participate in puja, cooking, storytelling
b. Cultural Dabali Performances & Demonstrations
– Music, dance, food demos on cleaned dabalis
– Lighting (solar/bamboo shades) used during evening events
– Performers and cooks paid directly by visitor contributions
c. Craft Learning & Production Corners
– Part of homes used for showing local carving, mask-making, stitching
– Artisan training for youth funded through visitor workshop fees
– Simple display shelves and mats used; no new building required
d. Agro-Tour Walks & Seasonal Trails
– Visitors guided through seasonal work: compost turning, planting, weeding
– Field huts (local bamboo/thatch) built for rest, storytelling, and farm tasting
– Compost and reed-bed nodes explained through small signs
e. Multipurpose Interpretation & Management Centre
– Existing house repurposed with very light interventions
– Display area: map, ritual calendar, photography wall
– Back-office: tourist registry, village meeting point, artisan schedule planning
f. Eco-Infrastructure Systems
– Reed beds built near homestay greywater outflows
– Bioswales cut along existing stormwater lines, lined with stone
– Compost pits maintained by youth group on rotation
g. Mobile Market & Product Corner
– Periodic craft and food markets held under chautaras or at field nodes
– Items include millet beer, dried ginger, carvings, mask replicas, and herbal packs
– Storage shared through existing structures, rotated seasonally
