Roots and Reflections - Exploring Ideas, Experiences and Wisdom

The three towering peaks of the Trikuta Hills are a well known, worldwide pilgrimage to Mataa Vaishno Devi’s shrine. The shrine itself is situated in a beautiful setting among pine trees, so we get many thousands of devotees from many miles away, both in and outside of India; who all pay their respects to the Goddess Vaishno Devi, asking for spiritual blessings and for peace and harmony throughout all humanity. The trek to the holy shrine starts at the Banganga river and continues through beautiful areas such as Charan Paduka, Adh Kuwari and Bhairo Ghati until you finally arrive at the sacred shrine in Vaishno Devi Bhawan. As you walk along the trek, you get to see an abundance of stunning flowers that adorn the area within the beautiful hilly landscape that you are walking through. Holy shrine is celebrated through numerous phases (i.e., Autumn, Winter, etc.) based on their characteristics as they relate to the pilgrim's journey. Autumn is characterised by hues of falling foliage ...

Captain Vikram Batra is remembered as one of the bravest soldiers of india.He was born on 9 September 1974 in Palampur, Himachal Pradesh. He belonged to a simple and loving family. His parents were Girdhari Lal Batra and Kamal Kanta Batra. He had a twin brother, Vishal and both of them were lovingly called “Luv and Kush” at home. Vikram completed his schooling from D.A.V Public School and Kendriya Vidyalaya in Palampur. Later, he joined D.A.V College in Chandigarh. During college, he became an active member of NCC (Air Wing) and was awarded the Best NCC Cadet of the North Zone. He once got a good job offer in the Merchant Navy in Hong Kong. But he did not accept it because he wanted to join the indian Army. He believed serving the country was more important than earning money. He cleared the Combined Defence Services Examination and joined the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun. In December 1997, he became a Lieutenant in 13th Battalion of the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles (13 JAK Rif). Hi...

One of the most nutritious, enjoyable and commercially valuable fruit crops in Ladakh, apricot (Prunus armeniaca) locally called as "chulli" is grown across a substantial area of Ladakh with major distribution found in Sham areas (lower Ladakh). These locations include Dha-Hanu, Garkhon, Skurbuchan, Domkhar, Wanla, Khaltse and Timosgang. Ladakh is thought to have received its first apricot from either China or Central Asia about 100 years ago. Now it is one of the most desirable and commercially grown crops in Ladakh, making it an important crop to the people of Ladakh. Due to the apricot's unique, hardy/tolerant and durable characteristics, apricot trees will grow in many different environments and very different soil types in Ladakh that all have low nutrition and water available and which are located in an arid region known locally as "Cold Desert." The apricot tree can grow to a height of approximately 4-7 m, has heart-shaped leaves and produces flowers in t...

The mountains, lakes, fields, and snow can inspire poets, painters, and thinkers to create beautiful works of art. The drive from Manali on the way to Leh and back through the high terrain of the Lahaul Spiti region in Himachal Pradesh has everything, and this unique drive will provide a new experience for poets and photographers alike. Although winter conditions and hazardous roads are present on parts of this drive, anyone who is passionate about discovering this challenging road will appreciate how breathtaking the view from there is. It is best to carry heavy winter clothing when traveling throughout the year, however, you will first have contact with the unpredictable weather at Solang Valley, which is located only 10 km from Manali. You will go from being on a beautiful sunny day to being engulfed in pitch darkness within minutes after arriving at Solang Valley. The primary stop-over for many travelers on their trip between Pahalgam and Manali is at Marhi, which is home to both a...

Early Dogri Poetry and Royal Patronage under Maharaja Ranvir Singh The earliest examples of Dogri Poetry are found in the work of Rama Datta Bhadwal (Dattu), a poet from the late-18th century who essentially wrote in Braj Bhaskari (language), as well as in the Poetry of Lal Ram Dhan, Ganga Ram Mathara Das and Kanshi Ram (known as Pahari Gandhi), with respect to Dogri Poetry - again, none of which can be considered a systematic Body of Poetry or Prose before the arrival of Dogri as an Official Language, with a Royal Patronage, under Maharaja Ranvir Singh's reign; when Maharaja also ordered that the then-current Dogri script be modified and improved. In fact, the Government issued all official notices and orders in both languages - Dogri and Persian - and Dogri was also used on Revenue Stamps, Postage Stamps, and Currency Notes. Additionally, a number of important works in other languages have been translated into Dogri, with Adam's Mathematical book, Lilakriti, being the first o...

Sheikh Muhammad Sultan: The Qalandar Saint of Hakura Badasgam A 20th century Sufi known as Sheikh Muhammad Sultan used to live in a small village in Anantnag, the Kashmir valley called Hakura Badasgam. He has achieved miraculous status throughout the Kashmir area as well as outside of it as one of its prophets. Baba Sultan is classified as a Qalandar (one of 4 categories of Sufis). The Qalandars lived their lives wholly devoted to God by following Him alone and not following social customs (that is, the accepted rules of society) as a matter of course, except where doing so might violate the Shari'ah (that is, the universal law of God). (The differences in behaviour, dress, and objects carried by Qalandars has been used as an excuse to consider Qalandars to be separate from others.) There exists a considerable amount of literature concerning Qalandars in languages other than English such as Urdu (the principal native language of Pakistan), Persian (the principal native language of ...

Scholars from all parts of the world have taken note, while myriad individuals have also become admirers of Lalleshuri (Lal Ded) of Kashmir for her poetic works referred to as Vaakhs. These works are spontaneity expressed by an awakened Yogi, who produced exceptional works of poetry with a considerable philosophical depth, while at the same time sharing her insights into her own spiritual path with the reader. Many of her poems express her direct spiritual experiences through simple and easy-to-understand formats, as well as giving concise examples of Yoga principles that can be related to in day-to-day life. Lalleshuri provided access to her timeless spiritual wisdom in the language of everyday people through oral speaking; the impact of her oral expression carried on through the ages and was transmitted orally to future generations with virtually no change in the language or meaning of her works. Lalleshuri's Vaakhs are a comprehensive representation of the literary talent of a h...