The Illustrated Mountain Geography of Ladakh

The mighty Nun Peak of the Great Himalayan Range at 7135 m its the highest Himalayan Peak in Jammu ans Kashmir (not including the areas under occupation). On the side is the Saddle Peak.

The Mountain Geography of Ladakh makes for interesting reading situated as it is between the Great Himalayan Range and the Karakoram Range. Also running within Ladakh are the Ladakh Range and the Zanskar Range but most people do not have a clear idea as to which Pass co-relates to which Pass.

The Exploration of the Siachen or Rose Glacier

The Siachen Map

The Story of the Exploration of the Siachen Glacier. This Glacier, now said to be the highest Battlefield in the World, was first Explored and Mapped by a team led by a Lady Fanny Bullock. This is her Story as well as Guide to explaining the Siachen Glacier with its main features and Glaciers around it.

The Brahui of the Bolan Pass, Baluchistan

The Brahui are a Tribe that inhabit Balochistan around the Bolan Pass traditionally. However unlike other Tribes in the area which speak Indo European languages, the language of the Brahui, also called Brahui belongs to the Dravidian family of languages pointing out there relationship with people living in South India where the Dravidian family languages are spoken.

The Enchanting Padri Gali

padri-chamba-bhaderwah

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

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

koyo-zum

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

雅鲁藏布大峡谷Q30026988.jpg

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

Nalapani kalinga memo kukri down-imp.jpg

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

shimla-1912

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

hall-of-fame-ladakh-mountaineering-gear

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

saser-muztagh-khardungla-ladakh

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-mammoth-sps-museum

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 — 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

map-shawl-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

ladakh-map

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

kashmir-sapphire

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.