The Moon River or the Chandrabhaga or the Chenab is a River that flows through some of the most rugged parts of the Himalayas starting its journey in the Lahaul Valley and making its way through Pangi Valley and into Padar Valley and Kishtwar in Jammu and Kashmir. It is a River of many legends and we try and Map its jurney from the Chandrabhaga to the Chenab.
The Pass of Shiva
The Pass of Shiva as it was originally called is one of the main Passes used since historical times and it connected Kashmir with Ladakh. A fascinating insight into the Pass of Shiva or the Sheoji Pass. Today this name has transformed into what we call the Zoji La.
The Minaret of Jam
Deep in the heart of the Koh-Baba Mountains which is one of the most westerly extension of the Hindu Kush Range, at an elevation of around 1900 m above sea level and at the confluence of the Hari Raud (Herat) and the Jam Rud Rivers lies a magnificent Monument. This Monument is a free standing Minaret and is the second highest free standing Minaret in the World. Second only to our very own Qutab Minar it actually was the inspiration for the Qutab Minar.
Of the Himalayan Mountains and Rivers
The Rivers and the Himalayas and the even the Mountain Ranges beyond it are always interacting in very interesting ways. In this article we see how the River Basins of the Indus, Ganges and Satluj and the Mountains interact and in some cases the River Basins extend beyond the Ranges themselves.
The Exploration of the Siachen or Rose Glacier
The Siachen Map
The Story of the Exploration of the Siachen Glacier. This Glacier, now said to be the highest Battlefield in the World, was first Explored and Mapped by a team led by a Lady Fanny Bullock. This is her Story as well as Guide to explaining the Siachen Glacier with its main features and Glaciers around it.
The Burmese Tamils of Moreh
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.
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.
The Legendary Gurkha Bulbudder
The Story of a brave Gurkha Soldier who stood up the British during a Battle near Dehradun during the Anglo Gurkha Wars and was later the General in charge of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s Gurkha soldiers. Commemorated by the British in the form of a Memorial at Nalapani.
Romancing the Mall
The British established Hill Stations, as they were called in the Himalayas as places where they could escape the heat of the Indian Plains. These Hill Stations acquired a European flavor and the Mall Roads in these Hill Stations became the playground of Scandals and Romances. My personal ode to my favorite Mall Road.
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.
The Kashmir Mammoths : A Tragic Comedy Almost
Kashmir was once home to the Woolly Mammoths at the time of the last Ice Age. To date there have been remains of two Mammoths that have been found in the same area in Kashmir at the Interval of 70 years. And tragically both were taken out of Kashmir. One set of the Mammoth remains were subsequently returned while a struggle is on to get the other set.
The Map Shawl of Kashmir
One of the most exquisite creation of man on Fabric, arguably the finest. The Legendary Map Shawl of Kashmir commissioned by Maharaja Ranbir Singh of Jammu and Kashmir for Queen Victoria of the British Empire and it took 30 years to create this masterpiece. We present for the first time, the Map deciphered as shown on the Shawl which is now on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
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.
The Last Queen of Kashmir
The story of Queen Kota or Kota Rani as she was also known. The trials and tribulations that she witnessed during a very volatile period in History. And of course the tragic end of the Last Queen of Kashmir.
The Remanent of an Army
The only surviving member of the Army of the Indus, was the assistant Surgeon William Brydon who was immortalized in this classical Painting by Elizabeth Butler called the “Remnant of an Army” as he trudged on his tired horse with the Fort of Jalalabad in sight. One of the worst defeats suffered by the British Empire.
The Temples of the Indus : Kafirkot
Along the lower foothills of the Salt Range along the Indus there lie a number of Temple Complexes built by what we now know as the Hindu Shahi Kings. Mysteriously nothing much of these seemingly magnificent Temple Complexes is mentioned in History and the fact that they survived itself is even more mysterious. The Temples of the Indus - Kafirkot.
Chitral Expedition
The Story of the the Chitral Expedition, a conflict in the shadows of the Hindu Kush and the Karakorams between the local Rulers and his tribesmen against the British and the soldiers of the Jammu and Kashmir state. A story of a seige and how it was finally broken.
Dalhousie's Colonel
The story of Col.Jagatram, a Doctor in the Indian Army, who had a dream. A Dream of growing Apples at his acquired Estate in Dalhousie.
The Forgotten Kashmiri
The Story of a forgotten adventurer, Mohan Lal Kashmiri, who started of as an Asissant to Alexander Burnes but went onto to become a Diplomat of sorts. He wrote the Biography of Dost Mohamed and was regaled by various Eastern potentates. But one day he just disappeared into obscurity off the scene of history