Tales from the Himalaya

  RELIGION "The cultural foundation of life in much of the Himalayas remains Tibetan Buddhism. Th is esoteric off shoot 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 it's the plates that do the talking. The second tale is one of intrepid exploration and scientific discovery." POLITICS "The Chinese takeover of Tibet is the latest power play in the Himalayan region. Long ago, the Tibetans were the empire builders. In the 19th century, strongman Gulab Singh gobbled up