Himalayas Archives

One week in the heart of the Himalayas by Gokul

13 July 2015

Omalaya provides a glimpse of what it feels like to spend a week of your life in the mystical Himalayas. Through a short video that was shot in Dharamshala, Rishikesh and Triund, we provide you a precursor of what is in store for you should you choose to visit the Himalayas. Dharamshala is the home to his Holiness the Dalai Lama and his impact on this hill town is quite profound. The Tsuglakhang temple, the Kalachakra temple and the Namgyal monastery are all important symbols of Tibetan Buddhism. People from all around the world visit this picturesque town in search of spirituality, to pursue Tibetan studies or just to visit his Holiness. The scene next shifts to the quiet and scenic Triund. A three hour trek away from the hustle and bustle of Dharamshala, Triund offers a magnificent view of the Dhauladhar mountain ranges. At Triund, one can see the snow-capped peaks that rise high above and touch the sky. As we descend down, we reach the holy towns of Rishikesh and Haridwar where the mountains meet the plains. The two towns are renowned for their Hindu temples, ashrams, yoga & meditation centres and most importantly the Ganga Arti. Of course, the Himalayas extend to more than 2000 kilometres in length and no video could do enough justice if it attempts to capture the beauty of this natural wonder in its totality. However, our video does provide you a flavor of the majestic mountains. We operate our very own journeys across Northern India, particularly in the Himalayan region. Our trips are guided by experts To know more about the journeys we offer, please click here. For more videos from Omalaya, kindly visit our Youtube page.

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You can visit Mount Kailash through the Nathula pass by Stéphanie

23 May 2015

Tourists from India can undertake a pilgrimage to Kailash through the Nathula pass in the Indian state of Sikkim. Located in the Tibetan Autonomous region of China, Mount Kailash is held sacred by not one but four religions namely Hinduism, Bonism, Jainism and Buddhism. To know more about Mount Kailash, please click here. In the past, pilgrims going to Kailash and Mansarovar had to make do with the Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand. Otherwise, they had to go to Nepal before reaching Tibet. In the existing routes, pilgrims had to undergo extreme hardships as they involved heavy trekking on rugged terrain and high altitudes reaching up to 6000 metres. Moreover, these routes could accommodate only a limited number of pilgrims. Acknowledging the limitations, the Governments of India and China signed a bilateral agreement in September, 2014 thereby opening the alternative Nathula route. The first batch of pilgrims are expected to make use of this route in June this year. The Government expects 1600 pilgrims to use the Nathula route in 2015. The biggest advantage of the Nathula pass is that it allows pilgrims to drive all along and they don’t have to go on foot. Pilgrims would first travel from Gangtok in Sikkim to Shigatse in Tibet. From there, well laid roads extend all the way to Kailash and Mansarovar which the they can make use of. The Nathula route would not only reduce the hardships and travel time of the tourists but also enhance the visitor capacity. Many more pilgrims, especially senior citizens, are expected to evince interest now that they have more options to choose from. While the Nepal route takes 10 days to weeks, the Uttarkhand route takes almost a month. In contrast, the Nathula route is expected to take just 8 days.

15 May 2015

In many religious faiths, mountains are held with a strong reverence and are associated with sanctity. It is perhaps because they rise majestically into the sky and stand tall above the rest of the world they are considered as religious abodes. The Himalayas, home to some of the tallest peaks in the world, is an eminently sacred land for many a religion. From Hindu temples such as Amarnath and Kedarnath in the west to Buddhist temples in Lumbini in the east, hundreds of temples are located all across the mountain range. Some of these temples are hundreds and even thousands of years old. Year after year, devotees brave challenging weather conditions and steep slopes to undertake pilgrimages to various places of worship in the Himalayas. These devotees come from many different religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Bönism. One particular peak, Mount Kailash is held sacred by Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and Böns alike. It would be no exaggeration if one were to say that Kailash is the most revered mountain in Asia. To know more about the religious significance of Mount Kailash, please click here. There is such might, such grandeur and such beauty in each of those majestic peaks that one cannot help but feel where else in this world can one be closer to God. Even if one were to view the Himalayas from a non-religious perspective, it is certainly more than just a range of mountains. It is the source of many a river in Asia – rivers that provide the livelihood to millions of people living in the plains. No wonder the Himalayas is held sacred!