Himalayan Gazetteer

The Himalayan Gazetteer aims at a position differing from and some-what higher than that of an ordinary Gazetteer. The Gazetteer is complete in itself and contains an account of all historical, geographical statistical, physiographical, ethno-graphical etc; etc; of each district of the entire Himalayan region. From of through the Himalayas came the pre-Aryans and Aryan races now inhabiting India, as well as the successive waves of Bactrian, Scythian, and Musalman invaders who have conquered India in historical times. As we shall see in these volumes, the forms of belief having their origin in or beyond the Himalayas have influenced the religious systems of India from the earliest ages to the present day and for the political, geographical and religious history of the plains, and adequate concept of the Himalaya-Tibetan tract is a necessary preparation. The Gazetteer is a nucleus of a complete index to our knowledge of the people of the whole Himalayan region of the North Western India, their Physiographic, products, day to day life & their institutions. Much remains to be done & explored in the Himalayas but at the same time very much more has been accomplished than in generally known. Scientific Mineralogy leaves little to be desired and those on Meteorology, Physical Geography and Geology adds much to our knowledge. The Himalayan Gazetteer is being reissued in its complete form after a long time to meet the needs of scholars, administrators and the public. It is only book of reference on the entire region. “The Himalayas have ever been an intimate part of the life of India. Their grandeur and mystery nurtured the belief that they were the abode of the Gods, an association that has made them such a rich source of cultural inspiration through the ages. Kalidasa lovingly described Himalayas as the Supreme lord of the mountains, possessed of a divine soul.”