The Holy Himalayas: An Abode of Hindu Gods

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About the Book

For thousands of years, Hindus have looked at the Himalayas with wonder and reverence. Himalayas are the abode of gods. It is believed that Lord Shiva sat deep in meditation on the Himalayas until, Parvati, the daughter of the mountains, succeeded in winning his love. Temples of various gods stand high in the mountains and millions of pilgrims make the arduous ascent to them each year.

The Himalayas are the most sacred and revered mountain ranges of Hindus. The snow-bound, inspiring, serene and awesome Himalayan Mountains are shrouded in mystery which has lured people since times immemorial.

The beauty of Himalayas leaves one speechless with a tremendous feeling of awe and admiration. It is one of the most beautiful places on the Earth with nature’s bounty at its peak. To nature lovers, it is a paradise on Earth and for those seeking spirituality it is the ultimate destination as a spiritual abode.

About the Author

Dr. (Mrs ), Shantha N. Nair, , M.A., Ph. D, is a retired Reader and Head of the Department of Economics, S.P.W. College, Tirupathi, Andhra Pradesh. She has written several articles in subject journals, published Learners' Dictionary of Economics, translated a few religious books from Tamil to English for the Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanams (TTD), co-authored a book entitled A Garland of Gems of Wisdom for a Happy and Successful Life and authored books entitled Stories from Srimad Bhagavatham, Sri Rama - The Lord Incarnate and Sri Krishna-The Poornavatar.

Preface

The Holy Himalayas - an abode of Hindu Gods, was never meant to be a book. When my husband and I got an opportunity to go on a pilgrimage to Rishikesh and its surrounding places, my joy knew no bounds. Even though I had visited some of these and other places in the north about twenty years ago, I was overwhelmed with ecstasy at the prospect of visiting these lovely places again.

The sacred and majestic Himalayas have always enchanted me since childhood. The more I got acquainted with the holy and beautiful places there, the more thrilled I felt. So, you can easily imagine the state of my mind when my husband and I undertook this trip on the initiative of our dear son.

This writing originally began as a diary of the events of our twenty-day tour to the extreme north of India, the places we visited, how we visited them, where we stayed, our daily routine, and our impressions.

When I finished writing the diary, though, I found that it contained some information that would be useful to those wishing to visit the Tapo Bhoomi and Dev Bhoomi. So, I decided to convert my jottings into a small book titled Reminiscences of My Journey, by avoiding some portions of the diary I found very personal and which would not be of any interest to the others.

Later I found the contents to be very limited for a book. Therefore, I collected more information about the Himalayas as a whole, and some of the other holy and bewitching places there that we could not visit. Finally, this humble book, The Holy Himalayas, emerged.

This book has two parts. The first gives a brief idea about the Himalayas in general, their importance, evolution, divisions, major peaks, sanctity, some hill stations there, important glaciers, rivers, the climate, vegetation and wildlife, the people, adventure sports, and the transport facilities available there.

The second part of the book has thirteen chapters and deals with the location, description, and significance of the places of religious and spiritual importance like Rishikesh, Haridwar, Panch Prayag, the Char Dhams, namely Kedarnarh, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri, Hemkund Saheb, the Valley of Flowers, Mata Vaishno Devi temple, Ama nath, Mount Kailash and Mansarovar. A few photographs of these places are also presented here.

In a humble way, I have tried to give a glimpse of the towering Himalayas in general and the Indian Himalayas in particular in the first part, and about a few sacred places and temples across the mighty Himalayas in the second part.

However, the information and data given in this book are mainly from secondary sources, although primary sources do find some place.

Readers will therefore have to bear in mind the limitations of secondary sources of information and data. There is also variation in the statistical information available from different sources. For example, relating to the heights of the mountains in the Himalayas, the distance from one place to the other and so on. At best, these can be taken only as approximations and not as accurate figures.

Neither do I claim any originality for my work (since all that I have done here is to represent the information I collected) nor do I consider my work scholarly. I shall feel greatly honoured and more than satisfied if this effort is useful to anyone or induces anyone to undertake a trip to the bewitching and holy spots of the Himalayas, since my intention is only to share my joy with as many readers as possible and give at least an outline of the most spectacular monument on earth, the Himalayas.

However, no amount of information, either through word of mouth or by writing can equal or come anywhere near the mystic experience one gains and the ecstasy one feels by travelling through these places of immense natural beauty, and by visiting spots of legendary and historic importance.

The more one explores, the more interesting and vast the Himalayas become. One has to actually see it to believe its magnificence. I wish that everyone gets a chance to visit not only the places included here, but also other places in the Himalayas at least once during their lifetime, as this is a lifetime's experience. I hope this book enables children to get some idea of the enchanting Himalayas. I also hope it is of some help to Pilgrims who happen to visit these places for the first time.

Happy pilgrimage...

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