A blind man's journey from peak to peak at 18,000 ft

A visually impaired 42-year-old man, Atul Ranjan Sahay is a mountaineer now preparing to take on a difficult terrain above 18,000 ft this mid-year. Last year he had taken up a treacherous 70-km Mangti-Adi Kailash (16,300 feet) trek in Uttarakhand. This year it would be above 18000 ft, Sahay said. Read more.........................A blind man's journey from peak to peak

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Elopement Marriages -'Gandharva Vivah'

People in Himachal Pradesh state of India are known for keeping alive many traditions that find mention in ancient indian scriptures. "Gandharva Vivah", mentioned in epic Mahabharata, exists here in the form of an elopement marriage.

The custom has it that the young couples eager to perform "Gandharva Vivah" are expected to elope and, later, settle for a proper marriage as per traditional rituals.

In Kullu's Gramang Village, the prospective brides and bridegrooms have the liberty to choose their life partners of their choice. Following the custom, the lovers elope and on return to their homes, they are married off as per the local rituals in the presence of their Village deity.

"It has been going on since the times of the 'Pandavas' (victorious clan in the legendary Mahabharata war). We bring the girls here after running off with them and marry them. This is our tradition and everyone celebrates it with great zeal and enthusiasm," said Arun Kumar, a resident.

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Frozen bodies found in Himalayas 40 years later

Himalayan ranges in India are almost covered with snow & in these snowy ranges, Indian soldiers have discovered the frozen bodies of three victims half-buried in snow on a glacier at an altitude of 17,500 feet (5,300 metres). The snow-preserved body of an Indian soldier Mahendranath Phukan was given to his family, nearly 40 years after he died in a plane crash in the Himalayas.

"The body is intact and not decomposed," said an army commander, who asked not to be named in keeping with army protocol.

The corpses were discovered close to where an army plane crashed in 1968 in the mountains of Himachal Pradesh state, but the army has not yet disclosed the identity of the other two victims.

Only one other body has even been found following the crash, in which all 102 passengers are believed to have been killed.

Phukan's body, wrapped in the Indian flag, was given to his family on Tuesday morning in Deodhai Gaon Deuri Chuk village in Assam, a state in north-eastern India, the commander said.

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God has disappeared

Amarnath is one of the most famous of Hindu shrines / temples. It is dedicated to Lord Shiva & is located in Jammu and Kashmir state of India. It is said that this temple is around 5000 years old. Every year about 400,000 people visit the temple during the 45 day season around the festival of Shravani Mela in July-August, coinciding with the Hindu holy month of Shravan. It is located in the mountains of Himalayas & inside the Amarnath Cave lies the ice Shiva Lingam, a natural formation of an ice stalagmite in the form of lingam.

This year the annual pilgrimage to Amarnath commenced on First of July with nearly 13000 devotees leaving for the cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas. But to the disappointment of the devotees, the naturally-formed ice Shiva lingam at the holy cave shrine of Amarnath in Jammu and Kashmir has completely melted. It is said that stalagmite that is worshipped as a Hindu god has melted away because of the body heat of thousands of people visiting it.

The CEO of the Amarnath Shrine Board, Arun Kumar has also confirmed that main shivling at Amarnath has melted away.

Is it the result of Global Warming or due to the body heat of thousands of people visiting it? May be its a result of both or else God is annoyed with the devotees / humanity & has disappeared just before the pilgrimage has started!!!

Why it disappeared?

As per on Star News TV report today, in the month of April -May much before the annual pilgrimage to Amarnath yatra / pilgrimage began, many Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), jawans / personnel, visited the Ice Lingam / Stalagmite & in the religious fervor went near to it, touched it, hugged it & even lighted Diyas ( Diya is a contracted form of deep or light given by small earthen pots, with wick made of cotton and dipped in ghee) just below the Ice Lingam / Stalagmite.

It is also learnt that around 55,000 people have visited the shrine much before the annual pilgrimage to Amarnath yatra began.

It is quite evident that heat of Diyas & the activities of hugging etc. of CRPF, jawans / personnel might have caused the melting of Ice Lingam / Stalagmite. Such acts of CRPF personnel are not as per the rules of the shrine board as board does not allow any person to go near the Lingam, touch it, hug it or light any flammable object near it which can cause harm to it. Such acts of CRPF personnel need to be investigated so that it cannot cause injury to the faith of hundreds of thousands of pilgrims who devotedly visit it every year.

It also needs to be investigated how "Amarnath Shrine Board" has allowed these CRPF personnel & other people to visit the shrine before the annual pilgrimage started.

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