We have selected some pretty nice pieces of music from the Himalayan Region for you. There will be frequent update, hope you enjoy.
Please click to play.
If Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is “the Roof World”, then Ngari, holding numbers of peaks, glaciers and rivers of its west, can be called ‘Roof of World Roof’. The greatest and well-known Himalaya, Kangdese Mountains, Korum Mountains, and Karakorum Mountains lie across Ngari Area. Therefore, it forms a plateau of plateau, averagely 4,000 meters above sea level. Sharp mountains, dry and low oxygen environment, no-man area, Holy Mountain—Kailash and Holy Lake---Manasarovar with full-bodied religious color sceneries, and the mysteriously disappeared Guge Kingdom add mystifications to Ngari. From of old, Ngari has been a hot destination for pathfinders from all over the world. Nowadays, it is a heaven for travel, adventure, and photographing. Especially, for photographers, it is an ideal place to call inspiration. (Tibet Entry Permit and Alien’s Travel Permit is a must for foreign travelers)
The Guge Relic
The Guge Kingdom is a wonder of Ngari. In the mid nineth century, the Tubo imperial court came to an end. The offsprings of the King Namdam established their own kingdoms and Gyede Nyinmagong became the king of Ngari. The second son of his three sons occupied Zarang and established the Guge Kingdom.
In the main ruins of the Guge Kingdom in Zarang, the destroyed city walls and the natural earthen forests exist harmoniously. More than 400 houses and 800 caves scatter on the 300 - meter - high mountain slope. As the capital of the Guge Kingdom, the Zarang Ruins cover an area of 720,000 square meters. It is the second largest building complexes in Tibet next to the Potala Palace.
The main buildings include the Red Temple, White Temple and Mandala Hall. More than 1,000 square meter murals on the walls of the Samsara Hall are most precious. In addition to the images of Buddha, murals demonstrate such seldom images as other living things and the snakes with a human head. The caves around the temples still house some weaponry and hamlets used by the ancient soldiers.
Kailash
A great mass of black rock soaring to over 22,000 feet, Mt. Kailash has the unique distinction of being the worlds most venerated holy place at the same time that it is the least visited. The supremely sacred site of four religions and billions of people, Kailash is seen by no more than a few thousand pilgrims each year. This curious fact is explained by the mountains remote location in far western Tibet. No planes, trains or buses journey anywhere near the region and even with rugged over-land vehicles the journey still requires weeks of difficult, often dangerous travel. The weather, always cold, can be unexpectedly treacherous and pilgrims must carry all the supplies they will need for the entire journey.
How long have people been coming to this sacred mountain Kailash? The answers are lost in antiquity, before the dawn of Hinduism, Jainism or Buddhism. The cosmologies and origin myths of each of these religions speak of Kailash as the mythical Mt. Meru, the Axis Mundi, the center and birth place of the entire world. The mountain was already legendary before the great Hindu epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, were written. Indeed, Kailash is so deeply embedded in the myths of ancient Asia that it was perhaps a sacred place of another era, another civilization, now long gone and forgotten.
Mapam Yumco
One of the three sacred lakes in Tibet, Lake Mapam Yumco is a place respected by the Tibetan people. Lake Mapam Yumco is 4,587 meters above sea level. The lake covers an area of 412 square kilometers and is 77 meters deep. On the slope of the mountain by the lake stands the Jiniao Monastery, a best place to overlook the lake.
Banggong Co
Banggong Co is a famous border lake. It lies to the north of the Ritog County and extends westward across the border. “Banggong” comes from the Indian language, meaning “a patch of meadow.” In the Tibetan language, this lake is called “Cuomu Angla Renbo Co,” which means “Long-Necked Crane Lake.” Most part of the Banggong Co lies in China, with only a small part in Kashmir. From east to west, the Banggong Co lake is 155 kilometers long, with an average breadth of 2-5 kilometers. The broadest place from north to south is only 15 kilometers. The 593-square-kilometre lake is 4242 meters above sea level, with the deepest point reaching 57 meters. Its eastern part inside China is fresh water, while the western part in Kashmir is salt water. Although the fresh water part is crystal clear and the water tastes sweet, there is only sparse vegetation on the bank. On the contrary, the salty water part has reared lush meadows on the bank.
The Banggong Co is famous for the schizothoracin, a kind of carp unique in Tibet. The fish in the Banggong Co is known as “Crack-Bellied Fish” among the locals because at its anus and anal fins line large scales that appears like a long crack along the belly. This fish has evolved to meet the harsh conditions of the Tibet Plateau. At the lake centre is a small island at 300 meters long and 200 meters broad. Bar-headed goose, brown-headed gull, blak-necked crane and nearly 20 other species of birds dwell on this ideal resort. When they all gather, the sky is throbbing with wings and ringing with songs. This bird island is at the world’s highest elevation. Nearby the lake’s banks are sites of some prehistoric tribes.
Tholing Monastery
Tholing Monastery is located in the northeast of Zhada County, Ngari. Tholing Monastery was built in eleventh century by the king of Guge. The king also invited famous Indian monks to teach Buddhist logics in Tholing Monastery. It played an important role on the renaissance of Tibetan Buddhism and became very powerful throughout Ngari. The construction styles of Nepal and Indiastyles influenced Tholing Monastery, but the layout is just like that of Samye Monastery. The Main Hall, which is the only part well-preserved, enshrined many gold-plated sculptures of Buddha. Murals inside are also in good condition. About one hundred Stupas are situated outside the Tholing monastery. Whats more, it is a perfect place to view the charming sunrise and sunset in Zhada County.
Zanda Earthen Forests
The orogenic movement of the Himalaya has made the bottom of the lake ascend. And the undulating earthen forest of dozens of kilometers were formed by the flushing of water subsidence and long years of weathering. Walking in these narrow earthen forests seems like walking in the ruins of an ancient kingdom, desolate but magnificent.
Zhada, which means in Tibetan the place where there are grass in the lower reaches of river, is a County under the administration of Ngari Prefecture. Famous Toling Monastery and relic Guge Kingdom stand there. In the Zhada County, the clay forest standing on both sides of Elephant Spring River winding over more than five kilometers. Some clay are like the warrior defending the mountain top, some like thousands of horses galloping, and some like devout followers of a religion cultivating themselves, standing there quietly. From different view, you can get different wonderful scenery.
The clay forest is called in Geology the Level Terrane Physiognomy, which is formed by erosion of water. It is the sediment stratum of lakes and rivers, mainly composed by sandstone and clay. Because the Level Terrene is easy to develop its upright quality and the sandstone like flour is qualified with uprightness, the valley is deep. Even a canaliculus can reach 100 to 200 meters.
This peculiar and mystic physiognomy densely covers the whole Zhada County. During the Xiangxiong and Guge Kingdom, people made caves to live using this kind of natural resource. Now, more than 400 caves made by Tibetan forebears are found in the clay forest, which forms the old building group.
The Guge Kingdom is a wonder of Ngari. In the mid nineth century, the Tubo imperial court came to an end. The offsprings of the King Namdam established their own kingdoms and Gyede Nyinmagong became the king of Ngari. The second son of his three sons occupied Zarang and established the Guge Kingdom.
A great mass of black rock soaring to over 22,000 feet, Mt. Kailash has the unique distinction of being the worlds most venerated holy place at the same time that it is the least visited. The supremely sacred site of four religions and billions of people, Kailash is seen by no more than a few thousand pilgrims each year. This curious fact is explained by the mountains remote location in far western Tibet. No planes, trains or buses journey anywhere near the region and even with rugged over-land vehicles the journey still requires weeks of difficult, often dangerous travel. The weather, always cold, can be unexpectedly treacherous and pilgrims must carry all the supplies they will need for the entire journey.
One of the three sacred lakes in Tibet, Lake Mapam Yumco is a place respected by the Tibetan people. Lake Mapam Yumco is 4,587 meters above sea level. The lake covers an area of 412 square kilometers and is 77 meters deep. On the slope of the mountain by the lake stands the Jiniao Monastery, a best place to overlook the lake.
Banggong Co is a famous border lake. It lies to the north of the Ritog County and extends westward across the border. “Banggong” comes from the Indian language, meaning “a patch of meadow.” In the Tibetan language, this lake is called “Cuomu Angla Renbo Co,” which means “Long-Necked Crane Lake.” Most part of the Banggong Co lies in China, with only a small part in Kashmir. From east to west, the Banggong Co lake is 155 kilometers long, with an average breadth of 2-5 kilometers. The broadest place from north to south is only 15 kilometers. The 593-square-kilometre lake is 4242 meters above sea level, with the deepest point reaching 57 meters. Its eastern part inside China is fresh water, while the western part in Kashmir is salt water. Although the fresh water part is crystal clear and the water tastes sweet, there is only sparse vegetation on the bank. On the contrary, the salty water part has reared lush meadows on the bank.
Tholing Monastery is located in the northeast of Zhada County, Ngari. Tholing Monastery was built in eleventh century by the king of Guge. The king also invited famous Indian monks to teach Buddhist logics in Tholing Monastery. It played an important role on the renaissance of Tibetan Buddhism and became very powerful throughout Ngari. The construction styles of Nepal and Indiastyles influenced Tholing Monastery, but the layout is just like that of Samye Monastery. The Main Hall, which is the only part well-preserved, enshrined many gold-plated sculptures of Buddha. Murals inside are also in good condition. About one hundred Stupas are situated outside the Tholing monastery. Whats more, it is a perfect place to view the charming sunrise and sunset in Zhada County.
The orogenic movement of the Himalaya has made the bottom of the lake ascend. And the undulating earthen forest of dozens of kilometers were formed by the flushing of water subsidence and long years of weathering. Walking in these narrow earthen forests seems like walking in the ruins of an ancient kingdom, desolate but magnificent.