Unfolding the mysteries of Tibet - Ngawang Tenpa Ratutsang Devotees and culture enthusiasts travel from all over the world to catch a glimpse of the Jokhng Temple , Potala the Winter palace, and Norbulingka the summer palace of Tibet. The Rooftop of the World, the true abode of the Dalai Lama, Tibet is famous all over the world as the destination for people in search of spirituality and true peace of mind. Even after Tibet was invaded by China and the Dalai Lama was forced into exile in Dharamsala forcing thousands of Tibetans to flee as refugees to Nepal and other neighboring countries, Tibetans have managed to cling to their rich culture. Nestled in the Himalayas, Tibet has many topographical wonders to boast of. It is composed largely of mountains, southern and northern Tibet plateau lake areas, and eastern Tibet high mountain valley areas. The region boasts of more than 50 peaks each with a height of over 7000 meters and five over 8000 meters. Tibet is also home to three world class nature reserves, namely Qomolangma (Mount Everest), Northern Tibet Changtang and Eastern Tibet Yarlung Zangbo (Tsangpo in Tibetan) Grand Canyon Nature Reserve. Devotees and culture enthusiasts travel from all over the world to catch a glimpse of the Jokhng Temple established in the 7th Century, Potala-the Winter palace, and Norbulingka, the summer palace of Tibet.

The Sherpa People of Illam - Utsav Shakya A sizeable community of Sherpa people lives in Illam, Nepal’s tea district that borders on India. They are fine examples of how a community is defined as much by the conditions they live in as by time-tested traditions. A huge tree, unearthed, lay inclined in the middle of the road, a part of its roots still in the ridge that had followed us on our left. Our vehicle, an old Land Rover, slowed down and then stopped a few feet away from the tree. The tree was too heavy to be lifted and there were not enough people to even try such an option. It was decided that we would walk the rest of the way to Khopi. I had been trekking with a photographer friend on assignment in the scenic, mountain villages of Illam in Eastern Nepal and our travels so far had been problem free. But soon, another, graver problem presented itself. The only space the Land Rover had to make an about turn and head back after leaving us was a little ahead of the fallen tree. On our right, a sheer drop of at least fifty feet into a small rocky river added to the tension. There was no way Raju, our driver, could back the huge four wheel drive to another space about a kilometer behind us. But inch by inch Raju turned the vehicle until it lay sideways; covering almost the entire width of the road and then all turned it all the way around. When we finally got to a misty, cold Khopi later that afternoon, a warm Sherpa family awaited us. We would spend our first night in the hills there. In fact, every day for the seven days that we trekked through the hills of Illam, we took refuge in the homes of local Sherpas. How did so many Sherpas, indigenous to Solukhumbu district end up here? What had brought so many of them here and for what purpose? When had they come here? Although my knowledge about Sherpas was not confined to just their fame as trustworthy porters and guides, rather shamefully, I did not know a lot about them either.

The Philosophical Concept of Mha Puja The omnipotent and omnipresent existential moment of life is embossed upon performing Mha Puja by the Newar community in Nepal. Mha puja is a grand celebration observed every year in recognition of existential moments of life on the first day of Nepal Sambat; the new year’s day of the Newar community. The New Year brings with it the lush and fresh fruiting season, the autumn; when life comes in bloom with the products of mother earth. This is a celebration that recognizes human worth, dignity, and prestige. Mha puja bears a deep sense of blessing the self for right conscience and right performance for all righteousness to disseminate inner light. This Vedic version is the conceptual essence of mha puja. The light of life glows from within us, this warmth entails all along the existential moments. It needs to be energized through continuous effort at all turns of life. The blazing oil fed wick is lighted in manifesting self existence. Mandap The mandap drawn in front of a person during the festival represents the luminous bodies in the universe and our planet earth in particular. All beings inclusive of human beings are the honey of the earth while the earth itself is a hive of all beings. Before the mandap is drawn, a mark is made with water which is then dressed up on top with mustard oil, colorful decoration using vermilion powder being added later on. The tracing of this mandap with water is to purify the ground and oil is used to impress the event for a longer period of time. The illumination that is made over the mandap signifies enlightenment inherent inside each person.

Walking On Thin Ice - By Dave Matthews My first night in Ngadj brought to me, the reality of what true Himalayan cold feels. During the day the sun was hot and even in shorts and a t-shirt, I still sweated like a beast of burden. Yet as soon as that bright sun dipped behind the ice capped mountains it became eerily cold. I had brought only one pair of thin quick dry pants, three shirts, one fleece, one windbreaker, a scarf, three pairs of socks and three pairs of underwear. This was not good. I wasn’t expecting the terrific views to start so soon. But a bright sun over a wind-swept mountain-scape soon put that right. By Jagat, we passed a truly massive pass where people were hammering away on the rock face with chisels and hammers in an effort to construct a road. It felt like a scene from an ancient explorer movie as we walked the four foot wide pass, rocks tumbling down into the raging aqua marine coloured river several thousand feet below us. We made it to Chamje that evening with the air rapidly cooling and I realised how terrible a squat toilet can be without foot wear. In just a single day’s walking, ice capped mountains started to appear larger and more majestic as we continued our forested ascent. We trudged up high narrow ledge passes leading to Timang Besi. The sun was setting and the mountains were showing off their pink shades of explosive colours. We sat ourselves into the smoke filled kitchen of our hotel for warmth. The local women were making buff momo, a sort of steamed or fried pastry dumpling with meat, for a celebration. I then remembered it was New Year’s Eve. I decided to try Yak Cheese momo as a treat and looked on as the Himalayas treated us to a mini light show. The mornings often felt the coldest; too cold for an essential squat position, though apple pancakes beforehand help! For the first time along the trek, it was obvious there were less people around. We were also walking across frozen ground into a snowy fantasy land. Wonderful frozen waterfalls soon became a regular occurrence as did streams frozen in time. At 3000 meters, Bhratang was a ghost town of a place with a bitter, cold wind whipping though it. A solitary crow cawed at us over lunch and Narayan took it as a bad omen. Dark clouds were moving in. The snow was coming. We only had days to make it to the top. My head was aching slightly due to the cold, though subconsciously I suspected worse. What also did not feel good was that there was no more toilet paper available. So I went the Nepalese way of the left hand and a bucket of water. I can confirm that at 6 am, water is frozen solid and cleaning yourself with ice is a strange and not a very enjoyable experience!