Pochampally Village

In News 

  • Recently, the Pochampally Village in Telangana State has been selected as one of the best Tourism Villages by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO)
    • The prestigious award will be given on the occasion of the 24th session of the UNWTO General Assembly on 2nd December 2021 in Madrid, Spain.

About Best Tourism Villages initiative 

  • The Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO Pilot initiative aims to award those villages which are outstanding examples of rural destinations and showcase good practices in line with its specified nine evaluation areas.  
  • Aim: To support villages to enhance their rural tourism potential through training and access to opportunities for improvement. 
  • The Ministry of Tourism recommended three villages for the UNWTO Best Tourism Village entry from India. 
    • These were Kongthong in Meghalaya, Ladhpura Khas, Madhya Pradesh and Pochampally in Telangana. Pochampally was awarded by UNWTO

About Pochampally 

  • Pochampally, 50 Kms from Hyderabad, is a town in Nalgonda district of Telangana and is often referred to as the Silk City of India for the exquisite sarees that are woven through a unique style called Ikat
    • This style, Pochampally Ikat, received a Geographical Indicator (GI Status) in 2004.
      • Ikat is a Malaysian, Indonesian word that means “Tie and Dye”.
        • Ikat involves the process of wrapping (or tying) and dyeing sections of bundled yarn to a predetermined colour pattern before they are woven. 
        • The dye penetrates into exposed sections while the wrapped section remains undyed. This pattern formed by the yarn in this process is woven into fabric.
  • Pochampally is also known as Bhoodan Pochampally to commemorate the Bhoodan Movement that was launched by Acharya Vinobha Bhave from this village on April 18th, 1951. 
    • Currently a two-room Vinobha Bhave Mandir exists within the village which was earlier the place where Vinobha Bhave resided during his visit to the village.

Significance 

  • Recent UNESCO heritage tag for Ramappa Temple and now the Best Tourism Village Award to Pochampally will significantly boost tourism in Telangana

World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)

  • It is the United Nations agency responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism.
  • Its meetings are considered the biggest tourism events in the world.
  • Membership : UNWTO’s membership includes 
    • 159 Member States
    • 6 Associate Members
    • and over 500 Affiliate Members representing the private sector, educational institutions, tourism associations and local tourism authorities.
  • Functions: 
    • UNWTO encourages the implementation of the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism, to maximize tourism’s socio-economic contribution while minimizing its possible negative impacts.
    • It is committed to promoting tourism as an instrument in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), geared towards reducing poverty and fostering sustainable development worldwide.

Source: TH

 
Next article Sabz Burj