The History of Hemp in India.

TL;DR: Hemp Is One of India's Oldest Fibres — and Its Most Future-Ready

The history of hemp in India stretches back thousands of years. Long before it became the eco-friendly fabric on a backpacker's shoulder, hemp was woven into India's textiles, medicine, ropes and rituals. Mentioned in ancient texts and grown across the Himalayas, it was prized because it's tough, fast-growing and needs barely any water. Today that same plant is being reborn as travel gear — durable hemp bags, wallets and accessories that carry centuries of know-how into the age of responsible travel.

If you've ever wondered why a hemp bag feels different from your average cotton tote, the answer is in the history. Let's walk through it.

Hemp's Ancient Roots on the Subcontinent

Hemp (Cannabis sativa, in its low-THC industrial form) is one of the oldest cultivated plants in human history, and India sits close to its origin story. The plant grows wild across the lower Himalayan belt — through Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and parts of the Northeast — where mountain communities have used it for generations.

Ancient Indian texts reference hemp among sacred and useful plants, valued for its fibre, seeds and medicinal properties. In the hills, villagers spun the stalks into rope, sandals, sacks and coarse cloth long before factories existed. That coarse, hard-wearing cloth was the original "trail gear" — clothing and bags built to survive mountain life, not a fashion trend.

From Himalayan Villages to Everyday Use

For centuries, hemp was a quiet workhorse of rural India. In Himalayan villages, the fibre was used for everything that needed to last: storage sacks for grain, ropes for carrying loads up steep trails, and durable footwear for the cold. Hemp seeds and oil found their way into food and traditional remedies.

This is the part of hemp's story that gets forgotten. It was never exotic — it was practical, local and sustainable by default. The plant grew on marginal land, needed almost no chemical input, and gave back fibre stronger than cotton. In other words, the people of the Himalayas were practising local-first, low-impact living centuries before anyone called it that.

Why Hemp Faded — and Why It's Coming Back

Hemp's decline wasn't about quality. Global prohibition of cannabis in the 20th century lumped industrial hemp in with its psychoactive cousin, and cheaper, mass-produced cotton and synthetics flooded the market. Traditional hemp craft survived mostly in remote hill communities.

Now the pendulum is swinging back. India formally recognises industrial hemp (the low-THC variety) as distinct from recreational cannabis, and states like Uttarakhand have moved to support legal hemp cultivation. Combined with a global hunger for sustainable materials, that's sparked a quiet revival — and a new generation of Indian brands turning hemp into modern gear.

What makes hemp so well-suited to travel

• Strength: Hemp fibre is among the strongest natural fibres, so it handles rough handling, overpacking and long road trips.
• Breathability: It resists odour and dries faster than many fabrics — useful in monsoon and humid coastal travel.
• Low impact: Hemp needs far less water than cotton and naturally suppresses weeds, so it's grown with minimal chemicals.
• It ages well: Hemp softens with use instead of falling apart, so a good hemp bag becomes a travel companion for years.

From Ancient Fibre to Modern Travel Gear

This long history is exactly why hemp makes such good sense for today's explorers. When you sling a hemp sling bag for travel over your shoulder on a Himachal trail, you're using a material that those same hills have trusted for centuries — just engineered for the modern road.

At Khojo, that connection is the whole point. Our Responsible Travel Initiative (RTI) is about travelling in a way that supports local ecosystems and low-impact materials, and hemp is the perfect expression of it. A lightweight hemp tote for a weekend trip, a hemp backpack India for a longer haul, or a slim eco travel wallet — each one carries forward a story that started in Indian soil.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is hemp native to India?

Hemp grows wild across the lower Himalayan regions of India and has been cultivated and used on the subcontinent for thousands of years, making it one of the country's oldest useful plants.

What was hemp traditionally used for in India?

Traditionally, hemp was used for rope, sacks, coarse cloth, footwear and medicine, especially in Himalayan villages where it grew abundantly and was valued for its strength and durability.

Is industrial hemp different from cannabis?

Yes. Industrial hemp is a low-THC variety of the cannabis plant grown specifically for fibre and seeds. It is recognised separately from recreational cannabis and is legal to cultivate under licence in parts of India.

Why is hemp considered sustainable?

Hemp grows quickly, needs far less water than cotton, enriches rather than depletes soil, and requires minimal pesticides — making it one of the lowest-impact natural fibres available.

Carry a Piece of the Story

Hemp's journey from ancient Himalayan villages to your next trip is proof that the smartest travel gear isn't always new — sometimes it's the oldest idea, done right. If you want to travel lighter on the planet while carrying something built to last, explore the full hemp bags collection at Khojo Store and join the movement toward responsible, local-first travel.