In the northern quarter is divine Himalaya,
The lord of the mountains,
Reaching from Eastern to Western Ocean,
Firm as a rod to measure the earth…
There demigods rest in the shade of clouds,
Which spread like a girdle below the peaks,
But when the rains disturb them
They fly to the sunlit summits….
Kalidas, 5th century AD Sanskrit poet
For thousands of years Indians, and especially the Hindus, have looked upon the mighty Himalayas with awe and reverence. For them it is the abode of the gods. There Shiva, the great god of destruction (belonging to the holy Trinity of Creator-Preserver-Destroyer), sat in deep meditation until Parvati, the himalaya-putri (daughter of the mountains), succeeded in winning his love. Temples of Shiva and Parvati abound in these mountains and thousands of pilgrims from the plains make their arduous climb to them each year
