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Religions in Himalayas
The
people living in the inner dry valleys of Garhwal are mainly Hindus, although
followers of other religions such as Buddhism and Christianity are also present.
These people worship the local or village deity along with Durga and Shiva.
They celebrate all religious occasions that are followed by Hindus living in
other parts of India. The population living in this region is also superstitious
and has a firm belief in spirits and other supernatural powers.
Gods and Goddesses
Nanda Devi is the patron Goddess of both Kumaon and Garhwal. Known since ancient
times as Uttarakhand, the combined terrain between Nepal's western border and
the Tons River has featured prominently in the Puranas (Hindu scriptures) as
the playground of the gods. Her idols are worshipped in villages and taken out
in large processions during certain parts of the year. Also, there are many
other gods and goddesses worshipped in different villages. Almost all hill provinces
claim to be "dev bhumi" -- the land sacred to the deities of Hinduism.
But Garhwal is the only region that can truly claim to be so. One reason is
that Garhwal possesses the "char dham", the quartet of sacred Himalayan
shrines. Moreover, the sacred Ganga river flows exclusively through Garhwal
before descending to the plains.
The Nepalese community, which repesents over two-thirds of thepopulation, follow
Hinduism. The Lepchas continue to have theirtraditional beliefs. They have faith
in spirits and in theshamans who cure illnesses and preside over ceremonies
duringbirth, marriage and death. The Bhutias practise Buddhism andwere responsible
for converting the Lepchas to MahayanaBuddhism.
Buddhism was introduced in Sikkim primarily due to a strifeamong the Buddhists
of Tibet in the 15th and 16th centuries.The root of this strife was the reformation
brought about inTibetan Buddhism by Dipankar Srijana or "Atisha".
He was anIndian monk who visited Tibet in the 10th century. He led amissionary
journey in 1042 and preached celibacy and moralabstinence and opposed the tantric
arts.
The
Gelugpa or thereformed order, headed by the Dalai Lama, originated duringthis
period of time. The unreformed or the old order was theNyingmapa, whose source
of inspiration were the great mysticyogis of the time. The Nyingmapa trace their
origins to thegreat yogi Milarepa. They resisted the reform of the Gelugpaand
maintained their beliefs in the tantric practises.
The gap between the followers of the two sects deepened. Intime, the Gelugpa
sect, headed by the Dalai Lama, became theprominent influence in Tibet, while
the Nyingmapa sought refugein Sikkim.
The major festival in Sikkim is the Phanglhapsol festival. Onthis occasion,
masked dances are performed by the people inhonour of Kanchenjunga, the presiding
deity and the mountain.This festival lasts for two days.
The Namgyal Institute of Tibetology in the region has afantastic collection
of Tibetan books -- the largest in thispart of the world. Most of the Buddhist
monasteries are bigrepositories of artifacts, wall paintings, tankas (religiouspaintings)
and bronze images.
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People & Tribes of Himalayas
The
population, settlement, and economic patterns within the Himalayas have been
greatly influenced by the variations in topography and climate, which impose
harsh living conditions and tend to restrict movement and communication. People
living in remote, isolated valleys have generally preserved their cultural identities.
However, improvements in transportation and communication, particularly satellite
television programs from Europe and the United States, are bringing access from
the outside world to remote valleys. These outside influences are affecting
traditional social and cultural structure.
Nearly 40 million people inhabit the Himalayas. Generally, Hindus of Indian
heritage are dominant in the Sub-Himalayas and the Middle Himalayan valleys
from eastern Kashmir to Nepal. To the north Tibetan Buddhists inhabit the Great
Himalayas from Ladakh to northeast India.
In central Nepal, in an area between about 1830 and 2440 m (between about 6000
and 8000 ft), the Indian and Tibetan cultures have intermingled, producing a
combination of Indian and Tibetan traits. The eastern Himalayas in India and
nearby areas of eastern Bhutan are inhabited by animistic people whose culture
is similar to those living in northern Myanmar and Yunnan province in China.
People of western Kashmir are Muslims and have a culture similar to the inhabitants
of Afghanistan and Iran.
The economy of the Himalayas as a whole is poor with low per capita income.
Much of the Himalayas area is characterized by a very low economic growth rate
combined with a high rate of population growth, which contributes to stagnation
in the already low level of per capita gross national product. Most of the population
is dependent on agriculture, primarily subsistence agriculture; modern industries
are lacking.
Mineral resources are limited. The Himalayas has major hydroelectric potential,
but the development of hydroelectric resources requires outside capital investment.
The skilled labor needed to organize and manage development of natural resources
is also limited due to low literacy rates. Most of the Himalayan communities
face malnutrition, a shortage of safe drinking water, and poor health services
and education systems.
Agricultural land is concentrated in the Tarai plain and in the valleys of the
Middle Himalayas. Patches of agricultural land have also been carved out in
the mountainous forested areas. Rice is the principal crop in eastern Tarai
and the well-watered valleys. Corn is also an important rain-fed crop on the
hillsides.
Other cereal crops are wheat, millet, barley, and buckwheat. Sugarcane, tea,
oilseeds, and potatoes are other major crops. Food production in the Himalayas
has not kept up with the population growth.
The
major industries include processing food grains, making vegetable oil, refining
sugar, and brewing beer. Fruit processing is also important. A wide variety
of fruits are grown in each of the major zones of the Himalayas, and making
fruit juices is a major industry in Nepal, Bhutan, and in the Indian Himalayas.
Since 1950 tourism has emerged as a major growth industry in the Himalayas.
Nearly 1 million visitors come to the Himalayas each year for mountain trekking,
wildlife viewing, and pilgrimages to major Hindu and Buddhist sacred places.
The number of foreign visitors has increased in recent years, as organized treks
to the icy summits of the Great Himalayas have become popular. While tourism
is important to the local economy, it has had an adverse impact on regions where
tourist numbers exceed the capacity of recreational areas.
Historically, all transport in the Himalayas has been by porters and pack animals.
Porters and pack animals are still important, but the construction of major
roads and the development of air routes have changed the traditional transportation
pattern.
Major urban centers such as Kathmandu, Simla, and Srinagar, as well as important
tourist destinations, are served by airlines. Railways link Simla and Darjiling,
but in most of the Himalayas there are no railroads. The bulk of goods from
the Himalayas, as well as goods destined for places within the Himalayas, generally
come to Indian railheads, located in the Tarai, by road. The pack animals and
porters transport goods from road heads to the interior and back.
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