(TibetanReview.net, Jul26’26) – Two books just published on India’s forgotten civilizational geography in and beyond the Himalayas are stated to trace the ancient roads, Buddhist centres, caravan towns and cultural networks that once connected the Indian subcontinent with Tibet, Xinjiang and Central Asia. But thanks to China’s occupation rule in Tibet since the middle of the last century, the entire region has become a forbidden zone, known by blockades, permits, and military camps.
The first book, Beyond the Himalayas: Rediscovering India’s Forgotten Geography, is the latest work by Jammu-based author, geopolitical analyst and technology professional Bharat Nanda. It was formally unveiled by Kavinder Gupta, Governor of Himachal Pradesh, at a function held in Jammu, reported the dailyexcelsior.com Jul 26.
Drawing upon historical maps, manuscripts, archaeological evidence and travel accounts, the book presents the Himalayas not as barriers but as bridges through which ideas, faith, knowledge and commerce travelled across Asia for centuries, the report said.
Speaking on the occasion, the Governor has appreciated the effort to bring attention to an important yet often overlooked chapter of India’s civilisational history.
The author has noted that the book seeks to encourage readers to rediscover India’s historical connections with the wider trans-Himalayan world through rigorous research presented in an accessible style.
Written for general readers, students and history enthusiasts, the book is stated to highlight the historical significance of places such as Khotan, Kucha, Agni-desa, Turpan, Aksu, Yarkand, Kashgar, Aksai Chin, Demchok and Taklakot, offering a fresh perspective on India’s enduring cultural influence across Asia.
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The second book, The Forest of Snow written by Swami Ramananda Bharati, a wandering ascetic, arrives as a reminder that the currently forbidding Himlayan mountains once connected instead of divided people, reported thetribuneindia.com Jul 26.
The book is an account of Swami Ramananda Bharati’s 1898 journey from Uttarakhand’s Garhwal region towards Mount Kailash and Manas Sarovar in Tibet, first serialised in Bengali as Himaranya. It is an elegy for a world of open frontiers and cultural confluence that has since vanished, the report said.
The book is stated to chronicle the author’s pilgrimage at a time when the high mountain passes between India and Tibet were not barriers but bustling arteries of life, when Hindu pilgrimage, Tibetan Buddhist practice, lamas, shrines and local rituals appeared side by side because they shared a landscape and a traffic of people.
The author travels through a landscape where commerce, culture, and religion flowed freely. His account brings to life the thriving cross-border trade that sustains the remote communities in Uttarakhand and Tibet, the report said.
“As we read about the vibrant exchange that once defined these regions, one cannot help but reflect on the modern-day outmigration from the hills. Perhaps the decline of these ancient trade routes, sealed by conflicts and modern geopolitics, is a significant yet overlooked factor in the economic and social shifts seen today,” the report noted.
The book is a historical document that captures a moment in time when the Himalayas represented a bridge between civilisations, a reminder of a not-so-distant past when human connection transcended political boundaries, the review concluded.