Using seventeenth and eighteenth century sources from the former Himalayan kingdom of Sikkim, this book examines the construction of Sikkimese historiography and presents an interpretation of the history of state formation of Sikkim.

The Hidden Land has a lot of twists and turns, the story starts with a peaceful land called Cassandra. Soon, Cassandra`s residents begin to be abducted by creatures known as Gangrians. A giant with a short temper and to make things worse they have pets called Thorax`s. Now when four teenagers end up in the Gangrians land, Gryon, things get messy and confusing. Two of them are taken by the Gangrians and the other two have to safe them, luckily, a little Gangrian comes to their aid with the ability to speak. With it`s help and the Betrayer`s who was the Leader of this land, the two teenagers set out to rescue their friends and also get back the Leadership for the Betrayer who was betrayed himself.

Hidden Lands in Himalayan Myth and History showcases recent scholarship, photo essays, maps, and translations about hidden lands (sbas yul) across the Himalaya, from historical and contemporary perspectives.

This book analyses the social, political and religious life of the Hyolmo people of Nepal. Highlighting patterns of change and adaptation, it addresses the Shamanic-Buddhist interface that exists in the animated landscape of the Himalayas. Opening with an analysis of the ethnic revival of Nepal, the book first considers the Himalayan religious landscape and its people. Specific attention is then given to Helambu, home of the Hyolmo people, within the framework of Tibetan Buddhism. The discussion then turns to the persisting shamanic tradition of the region and the ritual dynamics of Hyolmo culture. The book concludes by considering broader questions of Hyolmo identity in the Nepalese context, as well as reflecting on the interconnection of landscape, ritual and identity. Offering a unique insight into a fascinating Himalayan culture and its formation, this book will be of great interest to scholars of indigenous peoples and religion across religious studies, Buddhist studies, cultural anthropology and South Asian studies.

The myth of Shangri-la originates in Tibetan Buddhist beliefs in beyul, or hidden lands, sacred sanctuaries that reveal themselves to devout pilgrims and in times of crisis. The more remote and inaccessible the beyul, the vaster its reputed qualities. Ancient Tibetan prophecies declare that the greatest of all hidden lands lies at the heart of the forbidding Tsangpo Gorge, deep in the Himalayas and veiled by a colossal waterfall. Nineteenth-century accounts of this fabled waterfall inspired a series of ill-fated European expeditions that ended prematurely in 1925 when the intrepid British plant collector Frank Kingdon-Ward penetrated all but a five-mile section of the Tsangpo’s innermost gorge and declared that the falls were no more than a “religious myth” and a “romance of geography.” The heart of the Tsangpo Gorge remained a blank spot on the map of world exploration until world-class climber and Buddhist scholar Ian Baker delved into the legends. Whatever cryptic Tibetan scrolls or past explorers had said about the Tsangpo’s innermost gorge, Baker determined, could be verified only by exploring the uncharted five-mile gap. After several years of encountering sheer cliffs, maelstroms of impassable white water, and dense leech-infested jungles, on the last of a series of extraordinary expeditions, Baker and his National Geographic–sponsored team reached the depths of the Tsangpo Gorge. They made news worldwide by finding there a 108-foot-high waterfall, the legendary grail of Western explorers and Tibetan seekers alike. The Heart of the World is one of the most captivating stories of exploration and discovery in recent memory—an extraordinary journey to one of the wildest and most inaccessible places on earth and a pilgrimage to the heart of the Tibetan Buddhist faith.

This book-a contribution towards South and Inner Asian Studies, focuses on the socio-political history of the Mon region (Mon yul), comprising Tawang and West Kameng districts in the state of Arunachal Pradesh, India. While exploring the historical developments of the region within Tibet and Bhutan during the 16th and 17th centuries, this book examines how the region, also known simply as Mon, was incorporated into Tibet via an edict issued in 1681 and the subsequent reiterating edict in 1731 by the Lhasa's Tibetan Government. The book also provides an analysis of the term Mon, its etymology and not least its usage on a broader scale. The monograph is based on critical textual research, investigating Tibetan legal documents and the historical texts including auto-/biographies. A number of those sources are presented along with their annotated translations and the facsimile editions. The detailed study of the region is essential and timely. It is not only offering a historical overview of the region but also a wider context and background for understanding the current Sino-Indian border relations. That relation is very much concentrated on this historical Indo-Tibetan border region. Lobsang Tenpa (Ph.D.) is a post-doctoral researcher and visiting fellow at the Center for Development Studies, Shimla, India. His research focuses on the socio-cultural history of the Tibeto-Himalayan region in the framework of mowdern South and Inner Asian Studies.