A Collection of Himalayan Trivia from old Maps to Books to Documents from the olden times. We are trying to build up an Archive of Himalayas related documents especially in the historical perspective and make these available to people interested.
Himalayan Art from Museums
Maps
Himalayan FAQs
Here we showcase Himalayan Made items that we have on offer time to time. It may be Organic Fruits of the Himalayas, or agricultural products like Honey, the finest handicrafts from the finest Himalayan craftsmen or the best Himalayan textile off the looms. We will from time to time showcase the best products that the Himalayas has to offer.
Farm Fresh Apples
The mighty Peaks of the Himalayas : Some shots of Peaks from around the Himalayas taken and labelled by Kiki Mathawan. Also described are the places from where you can get Peak shots of your own !
The Nanga Parbat Massif as seen from Gulmarg, Kashmir. Along with its surrounding Peaks.
The killer mountain, Mt. Nanga Parbat as seen from Gulmarg on a clearish day. Also visible in the pic to the right of the Main Peak the Rakhiot and the Chongra sub peaks. On the left are the Mazeno and the Toshe sub peaks. (The Toshe I is also known as the Sarwali Peak while the Toshe V is also called the Shounter Peak).
Nanga Parbat has tremendous vertical relief over local terrain in all directions. To the south, Nanga Parbat boasts what is often referred to as the highest mountain face in the world: the Rupal Face rises 4,600 m (15,090 ft) above its base. To the north, the complex, somewhat more gently sloped Rakhiot Flank rises 7,000 m (22,966 ft) from the Indus River valley to the summit in just 25 km (16 mi), one of the 10 greatest elevation gains in so short a distance on Earth.
Nanga Parbat is one of only two peaks on Earth that rank in the top twenty of both the highest mountains in the world, and the most prominent peaks in the world, ranking ninth and fourteenth respectively. The other is Mount Everest, which is first on both lists. It is also the second most prominent peak of the Himalayas, after Mount Everest. The key col for Nanga Parbat is Zoji La in Kashmir, which connects it to higher peaks in the remaining Himalaya-Karakoram range.
Nanga Parbat along with Namcha Barwa on the Tibetan Plateau mark the west and east ends of the Himalayas.
The transition from the Great Himalayan Range to the Trans Himalayas as seen from a Flight from Delhi to Leh
We are usually so mesmerized while flying over the Great Himalayas that we miss out on details that make things even more exciting. This pic shows how exciting stuff becomes once you delve into the details. You can see the Tso Moriri on the left and Karzok right in the corner.
Then there are the Mentok Kangris or Mentoks next to the Lake. And in the distance is Seru'Ur RI peak. And we see the Parang Chu as well as the Phirse Chu. Moving towards the right we see the Kharpa and the Gya Peaks. Gya Peak is supposed to be the point where Spiti meets Ladakh and Tibet. Like a cross road. Further to the right is the Undung Kangri. And in the right corner are the Reo Purgyal and the Leo Purgyal. Reo Purgyal is the highest Peak in Himachal Pradesh.
Extremely Rare Pic of the Nanda Devi, the Gurla Mandhata and the Holy Kailash Parbat both on the Tibetan Plateau as seen from a Flight from Srinagar to Lucknow.
When Shiv and Shakti decide to give you Darshan !
Never in my wildest imagination did I ever think I would be viewing the Nanda Devi, Kailash Parbat as well as the Gurla Mandhata. Whenever I take a flight out of Srinagar I always look forward to the same sequence of Peaks and the favorites have always been the Kishtwar Himalayas with the Brahma at its center. That is wild jagged Peaks country.
But thanks to Indigo and the flight that they started directly to Lucknow from Srinagar. And need to thank God for making Lucknow my sasuralistan. This is the second time I took this flight and in the previous flight though I saw the Nanga Parbat, the Haramukh and some Karakoram giant but it was an overcast day so I missed most of Garhwal and Kumaon.
Other Peaks surrounding the Nanda Devi
The Great Himalayan Range as it stretches from Kishtwar to Ladakh. The Iconic Twin Peaks of Nun Kun and the Sickle Moon and the Brahma of the Kishtwar Himalayas.
An attempt at labeling some Peaks on the Great Himalayan Range from the enigmatic Peaks of the Kishtwar Himalayas to the giant Twins of Suru / Zanskar, the Nun Kun, the first #seventhosuanders after Kamet and before the Range ends at the Nanga Parbat Massif. Pic taken while flying over the Pir Panjals and about to get over Kashmir Division. Ladakh Division on the left and Jammu Division on the right.
The Nanga Parbat and the Harmukh with Rakaposhi, a Karakoram Giant in the background on a Flight out of Srinagar.
The Western anchor of the Great Himalayan Range the Nanga Parbat Massif as it shines through. The Harmukh, reigning Peak of the Kashmir Valley and in the distant background the Rakaposhi in Hunza !
A Collection of mostly Classical Books dealing with subject of the Himalayas and the Regions therein. In PDF downloadable formats.
KASHMIR
The Rajatarangani
Rajatarangini, a page from the proof of the Sanskrit text. Cat. Stein LHAS 19 : Stein’s first important publication was an annotated edition of the 12th-century Rajatarangini, a chronicle by the Kashmiri poet Kalhana published in 1892. It was followed by an English translation (Chronicle of the Kings of Kashmir) in 1900. This page is from the annotated edition, a printed text with Stein’s handwritten notes and corrections.
Rajatarangini (Rājataraṃgiṇī, "The River of Kings") is a metrical legendary and historical chronicle of the north-western Indian subcontinent, particularly the kings of Kashmir. It was written in Sanskrit by Kashmiri historian Kalhana in the 12th century CE. The work consists of 7826 verses, which are divided into eight books called Tarangas ("waves").
The Rajataringini provides the earliest source on Kashmir that can be labeled as a "historical" text on this region. Although inaccurate in its chronology, the book still provides an invaluable source of information about early Kashmir and its neighbors in the north western parts of the Indian subcontinent, and has been widely referenced by later historians and ethnographers.
1. The Rajatarangani - Kalahan - English translation by M A Stein: Part 1
2. The Rajatarangani - Kalahan - English translation by M A Stein: Part 2
