Author: Jon Burbank
Publisher: Times Editions
Year: 2000
Language: English
Pages: 144
ISBN/UPC (if available): 9812321403
Description
The Himalayan Kingdom is home to some of the most spectacular mountains in the world. Fascinating civilizations with long and glorious histories have sprung up amidst the dizzying snowcapped heights and the dry, windswept plains beyond them. Sandwiched between China and India, the rich cultures of Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan, Sikkim and Ladakh have nonetheless developed their own unique place in human history and continue to flourish into the 21st century.
Visitors often remark how everything in the Himalayas is tinged with the divine, how the mountains are a fitting backdrop to the teachings of Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam, all of which converge in the Himalayas. Here where mountain meets man, and man God, eternal dramas are played out: dramas in which the seasons bring rain, the earth yields produce, and man celebrates nature’s bounty; dramas in which good and evil clash; dramas of birth, death, reincarnation, enlightenment and spiritual release.
Over 300 stunning photographs paint a vivid portrait of the landscape, people, customs, arts and religion of the Himalayan Kingdom. Enchanting Nepal beckons the discerning traveler with its fabulous Hindu temples and awe-inspiring Buddhist stupas. Ladakh, on the ancient Silk Route, continues to draw visitors eager to sample the hospitality of its famous caravanserais. Sikkim has one of the richest varieties of plant and animal life in the Himalayas. Bhutan, Land of the thunder Dragon, has recently opened its doors to tourists and amazes with its spectacular traditional dancing and archery festivals. Tibet, the Roof of the World, is one of our planet’s harshest environments, and home to a deep-rooted culture that has successfully withstood decades of political oppression. Together, these exotic lands make up the Himalayan Kingdom. Once remote in their mountainous castle, they are now ready to dazzle in Himalayan Kingdom.
Contents
INTRODUCTION
HISTORY AND THE HIMALAYAS
PART ONE: A COLLISION OF CONTINENTS
Mountain Grandeur
A Question of Altitude
Rivers and Rain
PART TWO : FLORA AND FAUNA
Riches and Rarities
Spiritual Anchors
Birds of the Heights
The Inevitable Conflict
Of Reality and Myth
PART THREE: PEOPLE, CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS
Tolerant World
A Test of Faith
Ancient Beliefs
Marking the way
Food and Life
A Noble Obsession
PART FOUR: ANONYMITY AND DEVOTION
Protection and Piety
Newar Architecture
Sculpture
Originality Within convention
Whirls of Colour and Passion
A Living Tradition
Map
Sacred Art of the Middle Way