India, Tibet & Nepal

Is this the oldest inhabited area on Earth? Ancient manuscripts tell of the Ramayana race who came to India 30,000 to 70,000 years ago. There are rumors of cities destroyed by nuclear-like explosions before the great flood. In the Himalayas may be hidden monasteries resembling the fictional  "Shangri-la." In ashrams and temples live avatars and gurus to whom miraculous accomplishments are attributed, including raising the dead and materializing objects out of thin air! The naive Western observer sees an ironic juxtaposition of unimaginable poverty alongside profound wisdom. Tibet has been occupied by China since 1950. In 1959 thousands of Tibetans were killed and thousands more went into exile, including their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, who now lives in Dharamsala, in the foothills of the Indian Himalayas.

The North of India is famous for the national capital, Delhi, as well as the modern wonder of the world, the Taj Mahal in Agra. Also in this region is Varanasi, the oldest and most holy city in India, an important Hindu pilgrimage center, with access to the holy Ganges river. Ladakh, site of the Leh Palace (left) is the most northern province and the center of Tibetan Buddhism.

Khajuraho, in West India, is noted for ornately carved temples and erotic sculptures. Sanchi has numerous temples and monasteries with carvings depicting events in the life of the Buddha.

South India has the highest concentration of ancient Hindu temples and sacred sites in the country. Notable are the Meenakshi Temple in Madurai and the holy city of Tiruvannamalai with the ashram and tomb of Ramana Maharishi. India's most sacred mountain is Mount Arunachala, with caves used by Sri Ramana. Many visitors have had their lives transformed by visiting the ashrams of Sai  Baba, Mata Amritanandamayi, and Sri Aurobindo.

The Buddhist Trail, in East India, leads from Patna and includes Bodhgaya, the spot where Lord Buddha attained enlightenment. In Nalanda was a university where the Buddha himself once taught, said to have contained 9 million books. In Konark is a 13th century Sun Temple, one of very few in India.

Mount Kailash has been identified as one of the three most powerful sacred places on Earth. It is in western Tibet, and most visitors get there by flying to Lhasa from Chengdu or Kathmandu, and then making a long, slow drive by truck or 4x4 to Darchen, at the foot of the mountain. For 15,000 years, pilgrims have believed their karma will be greatly enhanced by walking, or crawling, the 52-kilometer circuit, called a kora, around this most holy mountain, where the altitude reaches as high as 5,600 meters (over 18,000 feet.) The best times to go are usually in June, July and September.

The Tibetan name for the highest mountain on Earth, Mount Everest is Qomolangma, which means "Mother Goddess of the World."

Kathmandu, in Nepal, is the gateway to the Himalayas and Mount Everest. Gautama Buddha was born in Southern Nepal about 560 bce, and as a young man he often visited the Kathmandu Valley, where there are now numerous Buddhist temples, shrines and other holy places, including Kumari Chowk, Sesh Narayan and the Jagannath Mandir. One hill, Swayambhu Stupa, is believed to be the most important power place in the valley. On its top is a golden cube and Buddhist statues representing the four elements, are at its base. The best time for a trip to Nepal is probably mid-September through November. Worst is the monsoon season, May through August.

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