Author: Nina Rao
Publisher: Roli Books
Year: 2007
Language: English
Pages: 125
ISBN/UPC (if available): 9788174364135
Description
At the stern height of the Himalaya, between historic passes and spectacular peaks, lies the great Himalayan desert. Extending from Mustang in Nepal, it includes the Indian districts of Ladakh, Lahul, Spiti and Knnaur. This vast area of brown hills, barren, dry and dusty, is covered in snow and sand.
This also one of the harshest regions of the world. Temperatures dip below – 50 degree centigrade, icy winds howl through the valleys causing rock and icefalls, illusory sounds draw the unwary to death and water is dearer than life.
But braving these adversities are the people of this desert who preserve and enrich an ancient culture. At the crossroads of various civilizations, they are a happy mixture of Indian, Tibetan, Chinese as well as Islamic and Buddhist cultures.
This book studies, most sensitively, the physical, cultural and social life in the Himalayan desert, through eloquent prose and breathtaking pictures.
Contents
The Land of Citadels and
Fortified Monasteries
Trans Himalaya:
The Tibetan Empire
Ladakh, Lahul, Spiti
And Kinnaur
Buddhism: The Creator and
Preserver of the Himalayan
Kingdom
The Karma and Dharma
Of Daily Life
Mustang: The Land of
Peace and Frugality