The Himalayas

The Himalayas in Hindu tradition are much more than a majestic mountain range extending in a 2,410-km sweep across South Asia. Hindus revere it  not just for being a home to rare sanative herbs, or a haven for  exciting winter sports. To Hindus, this grandfather figure is an abode of gods.  So they refer to the Himalayas as devatma or God-souled. From times immemorial, the Himalayas have beckoned to sages, anchorites, yogis, artists, philosophers et al. The western Himalayas  teems with esteemed pilgrimages so much so that the entire Kumayun  range can be called Tapobhumi ,or land of spiritual practices. Where else apart from Kailash and Manas-sarovar in the Himalayas could an all- abnegating Shiva roam with his bull? Giri-raj, or the "King of Mountains", as the Himalayas is often called, is also a deity in itself in the Hindu pantheon.

Hindus view the Himalayas as supremely sacred, as a corollary to seeing god in every atom of the universe. The mighty altitude of the Himalayas is a constant reminder of the loftiness of the human soul, its vastness. A prototype for the  universality of human consciousness , which is why all sages and prophets have found the Himalayas best for spiritual pursuits. Apart from being a natural heritage and a godly figure to the Hindus, the Himalayas are the spiritual heritage for Buddhists.  Amidst its snow clapped peaks are some of most prominent monasteries, and is home to the spiritual leader of the Buddhists, The 14th Dalai Lama. 

The Himalayas are also home to some of the most enchanting landscape in the world, with chants, bhajans from temples, monasteries and gurdwara’s, makes them the epicenter of spiritualism.