The enchanting Padri Pass or Padri Galli or Padri Top which connects Chamba in Himachal Pradesh with Bhaderwah in the Jammu Division of Jammu and Kashmir at around 10,400 feet amsl. It is located around 110 kms from Chamba Town and around 40 kms from Bhaderwah and is the highest point of the Chamba Bhaderwah Highway. This is one of the important Passes which connects J and K with Himachal. In older times Bhaderwah was a part of the powerful Chamba Kingdom which held Kishtwar as well and even Zanskar.
The Inter-State Himalayan Boundary Dispute at 14000 ft
An Inter-State Boundary dispute at 14000 ft beyond the mighty Baralacha La between the Himalayan states of Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh. The dispute involves the marking of the actual Border between Lahaul on the Himachal side and Ladakh on the Jammu and Kashmir side.
The Burmese Tamils of Moreh
There live in the Border town of Moreh, in Manipur on the India Myanmar Border a community of Tamils who came from Burma where they had settled Centuries ago after migrating from Tamil Nadu. The Community of Tamils still control the majority of the cross-border Trade between India and Myanmar that takes place here.
The Chakma Raja who gave away a Kingdom !
The Story of the King of the Chakmas, a Tribe found in the Chittagoing Hill Tracts who gave up his Kingdom and was at one time offered the President ship of the state of Pakistan. He ended up being an Ambassador to South America for decades and was the head of the Buddhist Society of Pakistan.
The Shaksgam Valley
08 View Of Shaksgam Valley To The West Towards Gasherbrums From Terrace Above The Shaksgam River On Trek To K2 North Face In China. Pic credit Jerome Ryan
The Shaksgam Valley situated beyond the Karakorams, and also referred to as the Trans Karakoram Tract is one of the most inhospitable places on Earth and as of now its disputed Territory, claimed by India but illegally ceded to China by Pakistan. Few people have ever ventured in the one of the last remaining wildernesses of the World.
Ethical Trekking
Simple 6 steps you should follow to be an Ethical Trekker. You owe this to the Mountains at least.
The Hindu Raj Mountains
The Hindu Raj Mountains is a little known Mountain Range sandwiched between the Hindus Kush and the Karakoram Ranges located mostly in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan. And till date many few people outside the region know of this Range which purists consider separate from the Hindu Kush Range.
Kintup and the Everest of Rivers
The unsung Story of one of the Indian Explorers and Surveyors, popularly called as the Pandits, who went onto Chart the course of the Zarlung Tsangbo as it Journeys through the Tibetan highlands and enters Assam through one of the most unexplored Regions of the Himalayas.
The Legendary Gurkha Bulbudder
The Story of a brave Gurkha Soldier who stood up the British during a Battle near Dehradun during the Anglo Gurkha Wars and was later the General in charge of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s Gurkha soldiers. Commemorated by the British in the form of a Memorial at Nalapani.
Romancing the Mall
The British established Hill Stations, as they were called in the Himalayas as places where they could escape the heat of the Indian Plains. These Hill Stations acquired a European flavor and the Mall Roads in these Hill Stations became the playground of Scandals and Romances. My personal ode to my favorite Mall Road.
High Altitude Gear from the Hall of Fame in Leh
The Hall of Fame Museum near Leh in Ladakh has a section dedicated to the Equipment used by High Altitude Mountaineers generally and the Indian Army specifically while guarding the high frontiers in the Himalayas and the Karakorams. We have a look at some of the great Gear on display.
The Muztagh
People who read Books about old explorations in the Western Himalayas and Karakoram and the Hindu Kush come across a term quite often “Muztagh”. The first time I read this name, and though I was unaware of the meaning I knew it was a strong word. For a long time Muztagh was the name given to the almost impenetrable wall of Mountains which separate Kashmir from Central Asia. An of course with everything in Central Asia the word has Turkic origins.
The Kashmir Mammoths : A Tragic Comedy Almost
Kashmir was once home to the Woolly Mammoths at the time of the last Ice Age. To date there have been remains of two Mammoths that have been found in the same area in Kashmir at the Interval of 70 years. And tragically both were taken out of Kashmir. One set of the Mammoth remains were subsequently returned while a struggle is on to get the other set.
Himalayan Geology / Tectonics
Source: An Yin 2005
A detailed Map explaining the Plate Tectonics and the Geology of the Himalayas and their formation. Helps us understand the basic fault lines between the Indian and the Eurasian Plate. Many other smaller details make it a good guide to understanding the formation and the evolution of the Himalayas.
The Map Shawl of Kashmir
One of the most exquisite creation of man on Fabric, arguably the finest. The Legendary Map Shawl of Kashmir commissioned by Maharaja Ranbir Singh of Jammu and Kashmir for Queen Victoria of the British Empire and it took 30 years to create this masterpiece. We present for the first time, the Map deciphered as shown on the Shawl which is now on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
New Routes Opened in Ladakh
The Government has announced the Opening of some new Routes in Ladakh which were earlier Off Limits to the General Public except with Special Permits. Hopefully in the near future more such areas would be opened up for Tourism in Ladakh.
The Elusive Kashmir Sapphires
The Story of the Kashmir Sapphire, the finest Sapphire that exists. Very few true Kashmir Sapphires exist today and are mostly held in Museums and Private Collections. We delve into the fascinating history of when and where did these Kashmir Sapphires came from and why they are so rare.
Mahasu Temple Hanol
Mahasu Devta is the main Devta / Deity of the people living in the Jaunsar Bawar region of Uttarakhand as well as in the neighboring districts of Himachal Pradesh. The main Temple to Mahasu Devta is located in Hanol in Uttrakhand close to the border with Himachal Pradesh. Interestingly Mahsu Devta has a Kashmiri connection. We explore.
The Last Queen of Kashmir
The story of Queen Kota or Kota Rani as she was also known. The trials and tribulations that she witnessed during a very volatile period in History. And of course the tragic end of the Last Queen of Kashmir.
The Remanent of an Army
The only surviving member of the Army of the Indus, was the assistant Surgeon William Brydon who was immortalized in this classical Painting by Elizabeth Butler called the “Remnant of an Army” as he trudged on his tired horse with the Fort of Jalalabad in sight. One of the worst defeats suffered by the British Empire.