the
himalayas
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The Himalayas in
Hindu tradition are much more than a majestic mountain
range that extends in a 2,410-km curve across South Asia. Hindus revere it
not just for being a home to rare sanative herbs, nor even as a haven for
exciting winter sports. To the Hindus this grandfather-like figure has not
just
been an abode of ice but an abode of gods. So they refer the Himalayas as
devatma or God-souled.
From times immemorial, the Himalayas have given out speechless invitations
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? Where else apart from Hemkunt Sahib
in the Himalayas could Guru Govind Singh have come in his former sagely
incarnate for spiritual penance?
Giri-raj or the "King of Mountains", as the Himalayas is often called, is
also a
deity by 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 remembrance
to the loftiness of the human soul, its vastness. A prototype for the
universality of human consciousness and that's 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 the Buddhists. Amidst its snow clapped peaks are
some of most prominent monasteries, it is home to the spiritual leader of
the Buddhists, His Highness The 14th Dalai Lama.
The himalayas are home to some of the most enchanting landscapes in the
world combined with chants, bhajans from temples, monasteries and
gurdwara’s, makes them the epicenter of spiritualism. |
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