Himalaya

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Himalaya Mountains

***** Location: Indian Subcontinent
***** Season: Non-seasonal Topic
***** Category: Earth

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Explanation

The majestic Himalayan Mountains!



I hope we will collect a lot of haiku about them!

Gabi Greve

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MCLEOUD GANJ:
This village hangs on a mountain ridge over the city of Dharamsala, far in north India, in the foothills of the Himalayas. It is beautiful, cool, and as the center of the Tibetan Government in Exile a constant source of travelers, tourists, and those on religious sojourn. Above it are enclaves of beautiful town homes and villas that are reminiscent of Switzerland. It is a perfect place for your “mountain retreat home.”
http://www.bootheglobalperspectives.com/article.asp?IDarticle=14

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The pride of every Indian – the dream of every trekker – the great Himalayas has kindled our imagination in every possible way - in all art forms.
Rishikesh, Bandrinath, Kedarnath, Manasa Sarovar, Mt. Kailash, Nanda Devi and other holy places, deeply embedded in India’s heart-beat are situated in these great mountains.

India is a land of stories - Katha . . . which is evident in our epics - Ramayana and the Mahabharata. As children we have grown up on these tales of heroism and valour …. of fantasy and family bondage.

Kala Ramesh

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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way

A Haibun by Kala Ramesh
August 2006

SUMMER SNOW

caught unaware-
the thickness of rain
on the road

I see her pack the bare minimum . . . "I don't need more, Ma," she says emphatically. "I need to carry that load, you understand?"

It's a Himalayan trek of 12 days; you need to take some medicines-- some energy food. What do you think the organizers will provide?

She keeps packing--almost nothing

I get a call from her from the base camp at Kulu Manali. In spite of bad connectivity, I can sense her excitement. She's at 4,500 ft. "It's tough; I hope I have the will-power," she says haltingly.

Next, she calls from 11,000 ft. "Ma, I'm holding snow in my hands."
"Ho!" She says casually, "It's just like our freezer box!"

She calls from 13, 500 ft. "Ma, we've reached Saurkundi Pass. From here I can see the highest peak of the Himalayas. I've climbed 13,500 ft. above sea level, Ma. It's snow everywhere."

She calls from 8,000 ft. "Ma, we slid down the snow. It was such fun that five of us climbed up again to slide down once more!"

I see the great Himalayas through her eyes.

mango moon--
a squirrel's half eaten fruit
nestles in the earth

First appeared in Simply Haiku - Autumn 06

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HAIKU

whiff of clouds
in my morning tea ~
Himalayan summer


Himalayan valley ~
another mountain grows
autumn clouds ~

Narayanan Raghunathan

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Himalayan peaks
Jagged, smooth, twinned, all unique.
Like people who trek.



Read a great photo journal about a Himalaya trip
by Karen Rusiniak
http://www.mtsobek.com/features/Himalaya/p_journals/t_bhutan/photoJournal2.htm

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great mountains . . .
stand in lofty heights
alone

Kala Ramesh

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Himalayan Foothills -
the Dalai Lama
within hand's reach

Gabi Greve, McLeoud Ganj, 1979
(at the performance of the Tibetan opera in his honour, when we had the opportunity to sit just one row below His Holiness.)

prayer flags
in thin air
trembling lips in worship

prayer wheels
in wrinkled hands -
Himalayan bus ride

Parts of the Indian Himalaya are inhabited by Tibetan tribes, for example Ladakh and Lahaul.
I remember a pass of more than 5000 meters, climbed slowly by a weak old bus full of local people with prayer wheels ratteling ... and we all made it safely down to the other side of the moon ...



Gabi Greve, Keylong, November 1979

Keylong is located on a fertile plain and is a place to break the journey from Leh to Manali. Keylong is the capital of Lahaul & Spiti.
http://www.indyahills.com/hp/lahaulspiti.html

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falling snow flakes
ready to melt
in my open arms

© Photo and Haiku : N.K.SINGH, India, 2006

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Haiku about Ladakh

Pacsoo's haibun ON TOP OF THE WORLD, where the writer ends a brilliant piece of sustained prose about a visit to Ladakh with the following haiku:

Flour blows where we
can't go towards mountains
which guard Tibet

http://home.clara.net/nhi/mg0084.htm

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This one was born during a trip in Ladakh:

temple drums
small children play
with a bottle

Andrea
http://tinywords.com/haiku/2006/08/30/?comments=all



Festivals in Ladakh, all are KIGO
The Ladakh Times 　

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Related words

***** Ganges, the Holy River Ganga flowing down from the Himalaya

***** Prayer Flags, a Haiku Topic



***** Sierra Nevada, North America

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Gabi Greve
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