—Categories: himalayas, photos

Sheep come home, at Langza Village, Spiti Valley

Sheep come home. At Langza Village in Spiti Valley, Himachal Pradesh, located in a far far place at an altitude of 14,000 deep in the mountains.

Langza Village, Spiti Valley

As the sun sets and it is nearly dark, the sheep that have gone grazing during the day return home. So do the cows and donkeys.

They are not the only animals of the village. Horses do not come home, and are fetched when needed. The yaks never come – they stay grazing in the highlands and are milked and managed from wherever they are.

Animals have played in important role in the culture of these mountains. Centuries ago, when there was little movement between Spiti and outside world, people almost lived a self-subsistent lifestyle. The livestock played a key role in making it happen. They were used for meat in winter months when nothing could be grown (and nothing was imported) on the land. The fur was used for making warm clothes that are essential for the cold weather. Butter, and perhaps milk, were among the essential energizing foods that helped survive the mountain weather. Perhaps living here wasn’t possible if not for the animals.

—Categories: photos

Image: Bloom of Kurinji Flowers at Bababudangiri

This is an old photograph of a bloom of Neelakurinji flowers (Strobilanthes kunthiana), made in 2006 at the end of monsoons.

Kurinji Flowers

These flowers bloom only once in twelve years. But when they do, you see them in such large numbers in the hills that you can’t move an inch without stepping on them.

When I heard about the bloom in October 2006, I drove to Chikmagalur and spent three days wandering the hills, photographing the flowers and the landscape. This image was one of them.

—Categories: photos

Prayers at a Monastery in Majuli

We had arrived in Garamur Satra–one of the many Vaishnavite Monasteries in Assam’s Majuli Island–late in the morning, just in time for the morning prayers. The day was beginning well as the sun shined bright and dispersed the winter chill that had settled in through the night. Inside the Satra, its spacious temple and prayer hall were nearly empty as two monks arrived to perform morning prayers. It was quiet, aesthetic and peaceful–a combination of all this that emanated energizing vibes.

Monastery in Majuli, Assam