Preserving Himalayan Heritage - Himalayan Institute of Cultural and Heritage Studies

Preserving Himalayan Heritage:

The Vision of Dr. Sonali Gupta

The Himalayan Institute of Cultural and Heritage Studies (HICHS), founded by Dr. Sonali Gupta, is a growing knowledge hub in Dhami near Shimla. Offering courses on Himalayan culture and heritage, both online and on-campus, the institute also conducts non-invasive archaeological field schools in Kullu.
India’s first Egyptologist, Dr. Gupta transitioned from law to archaeology, earning her PhD from UCLA. Since 2022, HICHS has trained students and hosted over 225 free online talks by Himalayan scholars. Despite battling cancer, she remains committed to preserving and sharing the region’s rich heritage

The Himalayan Institute of Cultural and Heritage Studies (HICHS), a non-profit organisation located in a tiny hamlet (Bigri) in Dhami near Shimla, is taking steady steps towards becoming a knowledge hub on the Himalayas. Dr Sonali Gupta, a US-based anthropological archaeologist, started the institute in Kullu in 2020 before shifting it to Shimla in 2022.

“We offer courses in Himalayan culture and heritage to people from every walk of life. People from academic as well as non-academic backgrounds can opt for these courses, both online and on-campus as well,” said Gupta. Gupta started the “first ever” non-invasive archeological field school in the Kullu valley. “We have completed seven field schools, where we train students in anthropological and archaeological field methods. We take the students to different parts of the Himalayas to help them have a deeper understanding of the Himalayan landscape, architecture, culture and heritage,” said Gupta.

Starting off as a lawyer, she practiced criminal law in India and then worked for the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office. Then she gradually drifted towards archeology. She completed her PhD from the Costen Institute of Archeology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and became the “first Egyptologist from India”. Gupta taught for about eight years at the UCLA and was also a visiting professor at the National Museum Institute, New Delhi.

It was the failing health of her parents and her connection with the Himalayas (her mother hailed from Sirmaur and father from J&K) that drew her back from the US, where she had moved after her marriage. Back in the midst of the mountains, she opened the institute to learn and share the Himalayan culture and heritage with the rest of the world.

A big part of this endeavour is an interdisciplinary platform where Himalayan experts and scholars deliver online talks on various aspects of the Himalayas. “We have hosted over 225 talks on Zoom, featuring various Himalayan-centric scholars, all of which are free to attend. Additionally, a repository of recorded talks is available at no cost on YouTube.”

Even in the middle of her battle with cancer, which she was diagnosed with a while back, Gupta is determined to share, spread and preserve the culture and heritage of the Himalayas.