The crash of the Indian plate into Asia is the biggest known collision in geological history, and it continues today. The result is the Himalaya and Karakoram - one of the largest mountain ranges on Earth. The Karakoram has half of the world's highest mountains and a reputation as being one of the most remote and savage ranges of all. In this beautifully illustrated book, Mike Searle, a geologist at the University of Oxford and one of the most experienced field geologists of our time, presents a rich account of the geological forces that were involved in creating these mountain ranges. Using his personal accounts of extreme mountaineering and research in the region, he pieces together the geological processes that formed such impressive peaks.

Presents and describes 187 Hindu and Buddhist artworks of the Himalayas from the sixth through the nineteenth centuries; geographically themed essays; and translations and interpretations of several Nepali, Kashmiri, and Tibetan inscriptions.

The Eastern Himalaya -- land of Gods, of ancient mountain kingdoms, of icy peaks and alpine meadows -- is like no other place on Earth. The life and landscapes of the region are as diverse, spectacular, and fragile as the mountains themselves. Even today, these mountains hold many mysteries: unnamed species, primeval cultures, and the promise of magical cures to heal all of humanity. This book takes us on a journey of biocultural discovery -- from the great canyon of Yarlung Tsangpo and the Siang Gorge in the east to the Kali Ganda ki Gorge in the west. Along the way, the book demonstrates, in breathtaking imagery and words, why the preservation of this heritage is so important -- not just for us, but for the future of all life on Earth.

'Magnificent ... this book is unlikely to be surpassed' Telegraph This is the first major history of the Himalaya: an epic story of peoples, cultures and adventures among the world's highest mountains. SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2020 DUFF COOPER PRIZE An epic story of peoples, cultures and adventures among the world's highest mountains: here Jesuit missionaries exchanged technologies with Tibetan Lamas, Mongol Khans employed Nepali craftsmen, Armenian merchants exchanged musk and gold with Mughals. Featuring scholars and tyrants, bandits and CIA agents, go-betweens and revolutionaries, Himalaya is a panoramic, character-driven history on the grandest but also the most human scale, by far the most comprehensive yet written, encompassing geology and genetics, botany and art, and bursting with stories of courage and resourcefulness. 'Magisterial' The Times 'His observations are sharp...his writing glows' New York Review of Books SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2021 BOARDMAN TASKER AWARD FOR MOUNTAIN LITERATURE

RELIGION. The cultural foundation of life in much of the Himalayas remains Tibetan Buddhism. This esoteric offshoot of the Buddha's teaching developed from the 7th century onwards but was only discovered by explorers and scholars a thousand years later. The first tale is about a remarkably different type of reality, how its mysteries were unravelled, and how it continues to survive despite political repression. SCIENCE, The Himalayas are the highest mountain range in the world, but also the youngest. The peaks continue to grow, and earthquakes remain an ever present danger. The struggle to understand how these giant mountains formed began in the mid-19th century. Now we know that its the plates that do the talking. The second tale is one of intrpid exploration and science discovery. POLITICS, The Chinese takeover of Tibet is the latest power play in the Himalayas region. Long ago, the Tibetans were the empire builders. In the 19th century, strongman Gulab Singh gobbled up parts of the Wester Himalay to create Jammu and Kashmir.

The collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates 50 million years ago created the Himalaya, along with massive glaciers, intensified monsoon, turbulent rivers, and an efflorescence of ecosystems. Today, the Himalaya is at risk of catastrophic loss of life. Maharaj Pandit outlines the mountain’s past in order to map a way toward a sustainable future.

Thoroughly researched, engagingly written, and lavishly illustrated, "Himalaya" provides a compelling account of the natural history and cultural diversity of the awe-inspiring mountain range. 73 photos & maps.

Two young Americans take us to Humla, an ancient territory at the edge of Nepal where no Westerner has ever lived before. In breathtaking photographs and evocative prose, Thomas Kelly and Carroll Dunham capture Humla's limitless vistas and disclose intimate details of the lives of its extraordinary people: yak herders, caravan drivers, shamans, and brides who are shared among brothers. Here is a land of eternally snow-capped mountains and sweeping valleys. A land as eerie and forbidding as the landscape of some distant moon, its people all but forgotten by the rest of the world. Their lives are a struggle -- the alpine soil metes out sustenance grudgingly, and long winters threaten to banish the warmth of life forever. Yet these lives yield untold riches. As if the splendid isolation and sheer altitude of the hidden Himalayas bring them closer to the gods, the peopleof this land are possessed of a spirituality few Westerners will ever know. Kelly's extraordinary photographs are accompanied by Dunham's evocative and lyrical account of life as the people of Humla conceive it: a cycle of fall, winter, spring, and summer. In a world made easy, accessible, and all too familiar by supersonic travel, television, and communication at the click of a mouse, here is an enlightening glimpse into the lives of a virtually untouched people.

A deep dive into understanding India-China relations Why did India and China go to war in 1962? What propelled Jawaharlal Nehru's 'vision' of China? Why is it necessary to understand the trans-Himalayan power play of India and China in the formative period of their nationhoods? The past shadows the present in this relationship and shapes current policy options, strongly influencing public debate in India to this day. Nirupama Rao, a former Foreign Secretary of India, unknots this intensely complex saga of the early years of the India-China relationship. As a diplomat-practitioner, Rao's telling is based not only on archival material from India, China, Britain and the United States, but also on a deep personal knowledge of China, where she served as India's Ambassador. In addition, she brings a practitioner's keen eye to the labyrinth of negotiations and official interactions that took place between the two countries from 1949 to 1962. The Fractured Himalaya looks at the inflection points when the trajectory of diplomacy between these two nations could have course-corrected but did not. Importantly, it dwells on the strategic dilemma posed by Tibet in relations between India and China-a dilemma that is far from being resolved. The question of Tibet is closely interwoven into the fabric of this history. It also turns the searchlight on the key personalities involved-Jawaharlal Nehru, Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai and the 14th Dalai Lama-and their interactions as the tournament of those years was played out, moving step by closer step to the conflict of 1962.