The Himalayas "The Roof of The World": Report On

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Report On:
The Himalayas "The Roof of the World"

What we can learn from it? Submitted by: Prasanna R Bhat
MBA- 1st (2009-10) JKSHIM
Submitted to: Dr. Sudhir Raj K

Professor, JKSHIM
Submitted on: 3/12/2009
Contents: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Particulars: Introduction Spiritual significance Ecology Peaks Religions Himalayas in poetry Notable Himalayan mountaineers Advantages Conclusion Bibliography Page no. 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 7 8
Introduction:
Meaning Him alayas- Abode of snow.
Himalaya mountain range in Asia separates the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The Himalayan mountain system is the planet's highest and home to the world's highest peaks, the Eight-thou sanders, which include Mount Everest and K2.
Spiritual Significance:
Abode of Gods:
The Himalayas in Hindu tradition is much more than a majestic mountain range that extends in a 2,410-km curve across South Asia. To the Hindus this great grandfather-like figure has always been an abode of gods.
A Deity by Itself!
Giri-raj or the "King of Mountains", as the Himalayas is often called, is also a deity by itself in the Hindu pantheon. The mighty altitude of the Himalayas is a constant remembrance to the loftiness of the human soul, its vastness.
Heaven of Spiritual Practices:

The western Himalayas teems with esteemed pilgrimages so much so that the entire Kumayun range can be called tapobhumi or land of spiritual practices. The most visited places of pilgrimage in India- Nath troika of Amaranath, Kedarnath and Badrinath as well as Gangotri and Yamunotri - the glacial origins of the holy rivers of Ganges & Yamuna are located in the Himalayas.
Favourite of Gurus and Saints:

From times immemorial, the Himalayas have given out speechless invitations to sages, anchorites, yogis, artists, philosophers. Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902) founded his Mayavati Ashram 50 km from Almora.
Ecology:
The flora and fauna of the Himalayas varies with climate, rainfall, altitude, and soils. The climate ranges from tropical at the base of the mountains to permanent ice and snow at the highest elevations. The amount of yearly rainfall increases from west to east along the front of the range.
Glaciers and river systems:

The Himalayan range encompasses about 15,000 glaciers, which store about 12,000 km of freshwater. The 70 km long Siachen Glacier at the India-Pakistan border is the second longest glacier in the world outside the polar region. The most famous glaciers include the Gangotri and Yamunotri (Uttarakhand).
3
Rivers:
The Indus River is the largest river. The Indus begins in Tibet at the confluence of Sengge and Gar rivers and flows southwest through India and then through Pakistan to the Arabian Sea. Most of the other Himalayan Rivers drain the Ganga-Brahmaputra Basin. The Ganga and the Brahmaputra meet in Bangladesh, and drain into the Bay of Bengal through the world's largest river delta.
Lakes:
The Himalaya region is dotted with hundreds of lakes. Most lakes are found at altitudes of less than 5,000 m, with the size of the lakes diminishing with altitude. The largest lake is the Pangong Tso, which is spread across the border between India and China. It is 8 km wide and nearly 134 km long.
Impact on climate:
The Himalayas have a profound effect on the climate of the Indian subcontinent. They prevent frigid, dry Arctic winds blowing south into the subcontinent, which keeps South Asia much warmer than corresponding temperate regions in the other continents. It also forms a barrier for the monsoon winds, keeping them from travelling northwards, and causing heavy rainfall in the Terai region.
Peak Name
First Other names and Elevation Elevation Western meaning (m) (ft) ascent Sagarmatha (Nepali), "Head of the World", Chomolangma (Tibetan), "Goddess mother of the snows"
Notes
Everest
8,850
29,035.44 1953
World's highest mountain, Peak situated in Nepal and northern part shared with Tibet.
K2
Chogo Gangri
8,611
28,251
1954
World's 2nd highest. Located on the border between the China and the Northern Areas of POK. World's 3rd highest. Located in Nepal/India. World's 4th highest. Situated between Nepal & Tibet, in the shadow of Everest. World's 5th highest. Situated in Nepal. World's 6th highest. Situated in Nepal. World's 7th highest. Situated in Nepal. World's 8th highest. Located in the Gurkha Himal, Nepal.
Kanchenjunga
Kangchen Dz-nga, "Five Treasures of 8,586 the Great Snow"
28,169
1955
Lhotse
"South Peak"
8,516
27,940
1956
Makalu
"The Great Black" Qowowuyag, "Turquoise Goddess"
8,462
27,765
1955
Cho Oyu
8,201
26,905
1954
Dhaulagiri
"White Mountain" 8,167
26,764
1960
Manaslu
Kutang, "Mountain of the Spirit"
8,156
26,758
1956
Religions: Several places in the Himalaya are of religious significance in Hinduism and Buddhism. In Hinduism, the Himalaya have also been personified as the god Himavat, the father of Shiva's consort, Parvati. Some of the important religious places in the Himalayas are:
Haridwar, the place where the river Ganga enters the plains. Badrinath, a temple dedicated to Vishnu. Kedarnath, where one of the 12 Jyotirlingas is located. Gaumukh, the source of the Bhagirathi (and hence, by extension, the Ganga), located a few miles above the town of Gangotri. Deoprayag, where the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi merge to form the Ganga. Rishikesh, has a temple of Lakshmana. Mount Kailash, a 6,638 m high peak which is the abode of the Hindu Gods Shiva and Uma and is also venerated by Buddhists. The peak is forbidden to climb, it is so sacred it is circled at its base. Lake Manasarowar lies at the base of Mount Kailash, and is the source of the Brahmaputra. Amarnath, has a natural Shiva linga of ice which forms for a few weeks each year. Thousands of people visit this cave during these few weeks. The Vaishno Devi is a popular shrine among Durga devotees. Sri Hemkund Sahib - Sikh gurudwara where Guru Gobind Singh is claimed to have meditated and achieved enlightenment in a previous incarnation.
In addition, to the above, a number of Tibetan Buddhist sites are situated in the Himalaya, including the residence of the Dalai Lama. There were over 6,000 monasteries in Tibet. The Tibetan Muslims had their own mosques in Lhasa and Shigatse. The following mystic entities are associated with the Himalayas:
The Yeti is one of the most famous creatures in crypto zoology. It is a large primatelike creature that is supposed to live in the Himalaya. Most mainstream scientists and experts consider current evidence of the Yeti's existence unpersuasive, and the result of hoaxes, legend or misidentification of mundane creatures. Shambhala is a mystical city with various legends associated with it; it is one of twenty-four Himalayan hidden realms, or beyul, in Vajrayana Buddhism. While some legends consider it to be a real city where secret Buddhist doctrines are being preserved, other legends believe that the city does not physically exist and can only be reached in the mental realm.
The Himalayas in poetry

Himalaya is from the collection Hunkar (epic poem) (A Roar) by Rashtrakavi Ramdhari Singh 'Dinkar'. In this poem the loftiness of the Himalayas reflects metaphorically the Mahatma, whom he invokes to rise to action, leaving the path of the mystical meditation of the ascetic. Few stanzas in translation are: My king of mountains! My magnificent one! Radiant embodiment of great glory! Flame of fierce, accumulated prowess! Snowy diadem of my motherland! Effulgent brow of my Bharat! My king of mountains! My magnificent one! Unvanquished, unfettered, free through the ages, Sacred, righteously proud and great through the ages, What glory have you been radiating Through the ages in the limitless sky? How unbroken is your eternal meditation! Sages of sages! How unending your concentration! Pouring into infinite space, what intricate problems Do you seek to solve? What intractable web of perplexities? My king of mountains! My magnificent one!
O sage engrossed in silent tapasya! Open your eyes atleast for a moment! Our country is burning, in flames writhing restlessly at your feet! The blessed Indus, the five rivers, Brahmaputra Ganga and Yamuna - the nectar-swept streams that flow to the blessed land Are abundant with your melting compassion. At the gates of that land, You, the guardian of its borders, Have challenged, 'You must cut off my head Before you can trample over this land. O pious sage, a great misfortune has fallen today On that same land of piety! Afflicted, the children are writhing Bitten by countless snakes from four directions. My king of mountains! My magnificent one!
Notable Himalayan mountaineers:

Santoshi Yadav is the first woman in the world to climb Mount Everest twice and the first woman to successfully climb Mt Everest from Kangshung Face. She first climbed the peak in May 1992 and then did it again in May 1993 George Mallory (18861924) Attempt at first ascent of Mount Everest; died on North Face. Noel Odell (18901987) British. First ascent, in 1936, of Nanda Devi, which remained the highest summated peak until 1950. Bill Tillman (18981977) British. First ascent of Nanda Devi in 1936. In 1934, first person to penetrate Nanda Devi sanctuary Frank Smythe (19001949) British. Mount Blank, Kamet, and early attempt on Kangchenjunga. Eric Shipton (19071977) British. With Bill Tillman, first to penetrate Nanda Devi sanctuary. Discovered route to Everest over Khumbu Glacier. John Hunt (19101998) British. Leader of 1953 expedition of Mount Everest. Tenzing Norgay (19141986) Nepalese Sherpa mountaineer. First man on Everest's summit along with Edmund Hillary. Maurice Herzog (b. 1919) First person to summit an Eight-thousander, Annapurna , in 1950. Lost all toes and most fingers due to frostbite. Peak not climbed again until 1970. Sir Edmund Hillary (19192008) New Zealand mountaineer and explorer, the first man on Everest's summit along with Tenzing Norgay. Tom Bourdillon (19241956) member of British Everest expeditions 1951, 1952, and 1953, reached 300 feet (90 m) from summit of Everest. Hermann Buhl (19241957) First ascent of Nanga Parbat in 1953 (feat accomplished solo and without oxygen). First ascent of Broad Peak. Died in fall on Chogolisa, body never found. Willi Unsoeld (19261979) United States. First ascent of Everest from West Face and first major traverse of a Himalayan peak, 1963. Daughter Nanda Devi Unsoeld killed during Nanda Devi expedition 1976. Died during avalanche on Mount Rainier, 1979. Chris Bonington (b. 1934) First ascent of Annapurna (South Face), 4 ascents of Everest. Nawang Gombu (b. 1936) Indian mountaineer. First person to climb Everest twice: 1963 and 1965.
The advantages are as follows:

High mountain ranges and peaks act as a barrier for enemies from north-east and so play a great role in the Defense of India. The Himalayas check rain bearing wind and cause heavy rainfall. The eastern part of the mountain prevents the monsoon clouds from escaping northwards out of India. This causes rain in the whole of northern India. There are dense forests up to an altitude of 1500 meters. Different types of trees, bushes and wild animals are found in these forests. The Himalayas protect the country against the cold winds blowing from Siberia through central Asia. The Himalayas are the source of major perennial rivers like Ganges, the Indus, the Brahmaputra and their tributaries. So they make our land fertile.
Conclusion:
The Himalayas are both beautiful and useful to us in many ways. The
Himalayas is a constant remembrance to the loftiness of the human soul, its vastness. It is a Prototype for unity in diversity.
Bibliography:
Wikipedia. Vanishing Himalayan glaciers threaten a billion- by peoples daily online, July 24, 2007. Tibetan monks: A controlled life- by BBC news, March 20, 2008.

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The Himalayas "The Roof of the World"

Submitted to: Dr. Sudhir Raj K

Submitted on: 3/12/2009

Heaven of Spiritual Practices:

Favourite of Gurus and Saints:

Glaciers and river systems:

Kangchen Dz-nga, "Five Treasures of 8,586 the Great Snow"

"The Great Black" Qowowuyag, "Turquoise Goddess"

"White Mountain" 8,167

Kutang, "Mountain of the Spirit"

The Himalayas in poetry

Notable Himalayan mountaineers:

The advantages are as follows:

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