About

The Himalayas is the largest and highest mountain system in the world. The Himalayan mountain range is the father of many highest mountain peaks as about 100 mountain peaks of height greater than 7,200 meters above sea level are located here.  The name Himalaya is encrypted from the Sanskrit language that means “House of Snow”. In Hindu religion, the Himalaya is known as the Giri Raj, which means the “King of Mountains”. The Himalayan mountain range is one of the youngest mountain range in the world. It is located in the border of India and separated Indian subcontinent from other countries of Asia. While intimidating mountains like Everest and many other peaks tend to dominate our perceptions of the region, the Himalayas are rich in biodiversity. The climate ranges from tropical at the case of the mountains to perennial snow and ice at the highest elevations.

 It is not merely a geographical feature but epitomizes people's civilization identity that goes back to the dawn of history and belief that this is the abode of God. There is no country in the world in which religion is exercised more influence on the social and cultural life of its inhabitant than in India and more particularly the Himalayan region. Religion gives the keynote to the most of the great changes that have taken this country in the social and cultural field. The Himalayan region is known for its colourful festivals with religious activities of the people, their day to day beliefs, rituals ceremonies, at births, upbringing, marriage and death. The Himalayas is a spiritual heritage for many religions and communities where several places are of religious significance in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainis, Sikhism and other religions. Many saints regard the Himalayas as the land of holy practices where perform the penance and worship the Lord. From the time immemorial, the Himalayas have given out speechless invitations to sages, anchorites, yogis, artists, and philosophers. This includes Shankaracharya (788-820 A.D.), who propounded the Mayavad doctrine, referred to the holy river as the goddess of divine and established one of the four cardinal hermitages in the Garhwal Himalayas. Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902) founded his Mayavati Ashram 50 kilometers from Almora. As per Confucious (551-479 B.C.), the Himalayas with its mighty look, climate, plants, and animals consists of all precious stones that exist in the soil. Guru Govind Singh (1666-1708) meditated for spiritual penance at Hemkund Sahib where natural spring water still exists in form of the lake at Chamoli. The Mughal emperor Jahangir (1567-1627) said about Himalayan mountains: “If there is a paradise on earth, it’s here. A notable example of a religious site is Paro Taksang, where Padmasambhava is said to have founded Buddhism in Bhutan.

In the Himalayas, one would be surprised to see that each distinct community and valley has its own socio-cultural methods to face the varied challenges of life. And this is when they are literally cut-off from the rest of the world population. However, somewhat geographical factors have meant that these distinct cultures are similar to one another. One might agree or disagree, but the fact remains that physical isolation of the Himalayan people has had one positive result and that is the preservation of centuries-old knowledge.

Another aspect that holds true for all those dwelling in the Himalayas and foothills is that they worship mountains as their life giver, preserver, and protector. All the communities living in the Himalayan region are nature-dependent, strongly ethnic and religious. The Himalayan communities are also known for their rich tapestry of traditional knowledge, which spreads across medicine, architecture, and agro-forestry. In the higher reached of Himalayas, society is quite liberal while in the lower ranges, it is more conservative. However, there has been some changes seen in the lifestyle with improvement in transportation system and communication. The ancient belief in Gods and Goddesses of Himalayas are still practiced by people and actively followed as it was done thousand years back.