The christening of Ladakh’s remote Kukik village in the scenic Zanskar Valley as the union territory’s first official heritage village has brought the focus back on India’s recent fascination with village life.Although the exercise of states naming heritage villages is rare, with Himachal Pradesh’s Pragpur still etched in history as India’s first heritage village, the government is now undertaking a mammoth exercise around cultural mapping of India’s villages.The exercise has gained momentum just around Ladakh Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena declaring Kumik as the UT’s first Heritage Village, coinciding with the Ladakh Zanskar Festival, 2026.A remote settlement in Zanskar Valley dotted by traditional houses, sacred spaces, agricultural practices, and age-old traditions, Kumik is widely known for preserving a rich Buddhist textual tradition, including precious Kanjur manuscripts and other Tibetan Buddhist materials. It offers a glimpse into a different side of Zanskar – as a place where knowledge, faith and cultural traditions were preserved and transmitted.”Kumik is not just a monument frozen in time; it is a vibrant, living heritage. It embodies the broader vision of “Vikas Bhi, Virasat Bhi”, as enunciated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” Saxena said in his description of the move.He said preserving Kumik is not only about safeguarding a side of Zanskar where faith, knowledge, and scholarship thrived; it is about understanding the resilience of our Himalayan communities and celebrating the living soul of Ladakh.Kanjur manuscripts which Kumik houses in abundance are sacred Buddhist canonical texts containing the translated words of Lord Buddha.”Kanjur” means “concise orders”.The anointment of Kumik as a heritage village also takes the story back to Pragpur in Kangra district of Himachal which was recognised as India’s first heritage village in 1997. It is still one of the must-visit Himachal destinations having been founded in the late 16th century in honour of Princess Prag Dei of the Jaswan royal family.Besides heritage villages, the government is now creating a bank of cultural indicators of all 6.5 lakh villages listed in the 2011 Census.The exercise is being conducted by the Ministry of Culture’s National Mission on Cultural Mapping.It aims to create awareness about the strengths of cultural heritage and its interface with development and cultural identity.”The idea is cultural mapping of 6.5 lakh villages along with their geographical, demographic profiles, and creative capitals and creation of National Registers of Artists and Art practices,” the government says.