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THE CULTURE AND PEAKS OF THE HIMALAYA

Note: There are three linked pages of photos.

I have visited the Kumaon Hills a couple of times. They are the foothills of Nanda Devi, and lie just west of the western border of Nepal. This area receives very few travelers. It is very friendly, and has few of the pressures so common in northern India.

It is also the home of the Shiva component of the Hindu culture and religion. Every hill-top has a temple for Lord Shiva and his consort Kali. Shiva, “the Destroyer,” lives on a mountain-top, carries a trident, rides a tiger, and smokes ganga. He is the patron deity of the Hindu holymen known as sadhus.

At the bus and truck stop in a small town in the Kumaon.

A curious group of town children eying the rare traveler.

A colorful market stall selling items for devotees.

Public transport. (To be fair, this bus was returning from a festival in the hills.)

Hill children eying the rare traveler. Notice the change in their clothing.

A hill-top temple. The bells are carried up by the faithful and left as a token of their worship.

A shrine to Shiva and Kali.