HISTORY & MYTHOLOGY

The Indus Valley civilization is the oldest civilization in the history of the Himalaya. Archeological findings point to the fact that one of the earliest organized cultures in the Himalaya flourished from Mohenjodaro and Harappa, situated along the banks of the Indus River. With the passage of time, these places gradually turned into trading hubs, especially for trans-Himalayan trade. This, to a great extent, was contributed by the Silk Route, which brought together traders from central and south Asia and many other regions to the Himalaya. The Silk Route assumed an even more significant role as a thoroughfare for traders during China’s rule under the Han dynasty (206 BC to 8 AD). Besides, the route also helped in bonding people from Nepal, India, China, Bhutan, Pakistan and Afghanistan topographically, socially, culturally, and religiously while, at the same time, it served as an important conduit for the exchange of ideas and philosophies as well.

Incidentally, the Himalaya gained religion significance especially with the coming of the Aryans, a people who migrated from Persia and Asia Minor to northern India around 1500 BC, who used to regard the Himalaya as divine images of gods ever since the genesis of the Hindu religion, and, along with it, the emergence of nature worship.