Author: Ashish Shrestha
Misc
What is a Beyul?
In the Tibetan belief system, beyuls are hidden valleys in the Himalayas that can protect the faithful during times of crisis. As spaces consecrated by Guru Padmasambhava himself, these are places of material abundance, spiritual harmony, and eternal life.
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What is Soma Ras, the Drink of the Gods?
Soma is exalted in the Rig Veda, an Indo-Iranian scripture, as a drink that brings immortality and divinity to the drinker. Perhaps taking a cue from this reference, Aldous Huxley in his dystopian novel, Brave New World, uses the word ‘soma’ to refer to a recreational hallucinogen. Utopian or dystopian, the fact remains that psychoactive […]
Read MoreTrekking in Nepal
Extinct Wild Yak found in Nepal
Yaks have been milked, bred and broken in the Himalayas and Tibet for so long that they no longer have the majesty of their wild brethren. And human beings have been so successful in this domestication business that wild yaks have not been seen in the Nepal Himalayas since the 1970s. That is until now. […]
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Everest Region
Why does Khumbila ride a horse??
“Because it is faster than walking.” Nice and Cheeky!! But there is more. If Sherpas followed one of the Abrahamic religions, Khumbila would be Mt Sinai. The mountain is held in such reverence that no one has been allowed to climb it yet. Khumbu has lots of stories of misfortune befalling those who have tried […]
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