There live in the Border town of Moreh, in Manipur on the India Myanmar Border a community of Tamils who came from Burma where they had settled Centuries ago after migrating from Tamil Nadu. The Community of Tamils still control the majority of the cross-border Trade between India and Myanmar that takes place here.
The Chakma Raja who gave away a Kingdom !
The Story of the King of the Chakmas, a Tribe found in the Chittagoing Hill Tracts who gave up his Kingdom and was at one time offered the President ship of the state of Pakistan. He ended up being an Ambassador to South America for decades and was the head of the Buddhist Society of Pakistan.
The Shaksgam Valley
08 View Of Shaksgam Valley To The West Towards Gasherbrums From Terrace Above The Shaksgam River On Trek To K2 North Face In China. Pic credit Jerome Ryan
The Shaksgam Valley situated beyond the Karakorams, and also referred to as the Trans Karakoram Tract is one of the most inhospitable places on Earth and as of now its disputed Territory, claimed by India but illegally ceded to China by Pakistan. Few people have ever ventured in the one of the last remaining wildernesses of the World.
The Hindu Raj Mountains
The Hindu Raj Mountains is a little known Mountain Range sandwiched between the Hindus Kush and the Karakoram Ranges located mostly in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan. And till date many few people outside the region know of this Range which purists consider separate from the Hindu Kush Range.
Kintup and the Everest of Rivers
The unsung Story of one of the Indian Explorers and Surveyors, popularly called as the Pandits, who went onto Chart the course of the Zarlung Tsangbo as it Journeys through the Tibetan highlands and enters Assam through one of the most unexplored Regions of the Himalayas.
High Altitude Gear from the Hall of Fame in Leh
The Hall of Fame Museum near Leh in Ladakh has a section dedicated to the Equipment used by High Altitude Mountaineers generally and the Indian Army specifically while guarding the high frontiers in the Himalayas and the Karakorams. We have a look at some of the great Gear on display.
The Muztagh
People who read Books about old explorations in the Western Himalayas and Karakoram and the Hindu Kush come across a term quite often “Muztagh”. The first time I read this name, and though I was unaware of the meaning I knew it was a strong word. For a long time Muztagh was the name given to the almost impenetrable wall of Mountains which separate Kashmir from Central Asia. An of course with everything in Central Asia the word has Turkic origins.
Himalayan Geology / Tectonics
Source: An Yin 2005
A detailed Map explaining the Plate Tectonics and the Geology of the Himalayas and their formation. Helps us understand the basic fault lines between the Indian and the Eurasian Plate. Many other smaller details make it a good guide to understanding the formation and the evolution of the Himalayas.
New Routes Opened in Ladakh
The Government has announced the Opening of some new Routes in Ladakh which were earlier Off Limits to the General Public except with Special Permits. Hopefully in the near future more such areas would be opened up for Tourism in Ladakh.
The Elusive Kashmir Sapphires
The Story of the Kashmir Sapphire, the finest Sapphire that exists. Very few true Kashmir Sapphires exist today and are mostly held in Museums and Private Collections. We delve into the fascinating history of when and where did these Kashmir Sapphires came from and why they are so rare.
Thang : India's most Northernly Village
Right at the Line of Control. At the River bend lies the fence.
Thang is the last Village before the LOC in the Turtuk Sector. Entry to Thang is restricted and presenting some rare pics from inside the Village.
The Tiger Leaping Rock
The Tiger Leaping Rock in the Middle of the Gorge, Tiger Leaping Gorge, Yunnan
The Tiger Leaping Rock in the middle of the Tiger Leaping Gorge, which is one of the deepest River Gorges in the world in Yunnan, forces the Jinsha or the Upper Yangtze through a narrow channel just a few meters wide. The result of a River which is almost a km wide being forced through a Channel just a few meters wide is indeed spectacular.
The Changthang
The Changthang is a part of the Tibetan Plateau which is located in the Western and North Western part of Tibet and it also includes Eastern Ladakh. Its a forbidding Plateau and is home to a number of Lakes like the Pangong Tso and the Tso Moriri. However it holds a large array of wildlife in its high altitude Wetlands. Its home to the Changpa People who are nomadic herders known to keep the best herd of Pashmina Goats.
Shyok : The River of Death
The vast flood plain where the Shyok meets the Nubra
The name of the Shyok River in the local language means the “River of Death”. True to its name its still as wild and furious as it used to be. This is the story of the Shyok and its notorious reputation.
The Best of Kashmir in Pics
The Hazratbal Shrine besides the Dal Lake
A Collection of great pics from Kashmir showcasing why exactly this most exalted of all Himalayan Valleys is referred to as “The Paradise” on Earth.
The Karakorams in India
The Karakorams are the most vertical of all the Mountain Ranges in the World. A large part of the Karakoram falls within India but most people are unaware of it. We explain.
The Great First Bend of the Yangtze River
The Great First Bend of the River Yangtze is situated near the town of Shigu in North Western Yunnan. It is the point at which the Yangtze (called the Jinsha at this stage) takes a u turn and heads north and goes onto become the heart and soul of the Chinese Civilization. And it all starts at this bend.
The Karakoram Anomaly
In this time and age of Global warming and changes in the overall global weather patterns one of the most established fact is the shrinking of the Polar Ice Caps and the reduction of Glaciers in the Glacial non Polar Regions of the World. However there are certain Glaciers in the Karakorams which are growing and this has been termed as the Karakoram Anamoly by the experts.
La Dvags : Ladakh The Land of Passes
Ladakh, the word comes from the derivation of the of the Tibetan word for the region “La Dvags” which literally means the Land of Passes. Of course there are N number of Passes within Ladakh so we try and enumerate the Passes which connect Ladakh with its neighboring Regions and well as the Passes within Ladakh connecting the different areas in Ladakh. We try and list them up
Kishtwar : At the Himalayan Crossroads
Kishtwar is a region in the Jammu division of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Due to its unique location just under the shadow of the Great Himalayas and at the place where the religions and cultures of the Himalayas meet. They give Kishtwar a unique flavor which remains largely unexplored.