Ancient Lahul and Himalaya

Contents: Preface. 1. Ancient Lahul and Chandrabhaga in the Himalaya. 2. The Four Great Rivers of the Himalaya in Jambudvipa. 3. Chanda Kinnara Játaka and the Chanda-Parvata. 4. Asoka’s Mission to Suvanna-bhumi: An Ancient State in the High Central Himalaya. 5. Lha-rgyas : The Song of Auspiciousness. 6. Chhodpa Festival: An Ancient Mask Dance of Folk Tradition. 7. Gepang: The Spiritual King of Lahul. 8. Temples and Monasteries of Lahul. 9. Tradition of Tantric Practices in Lahul. 10. sTag-tshang Ras-pa’s Visit to Urgyan and His Hindi Conversation. 11. Genealogical Lists of the Thakurs of Lahul and the Style of Writing Their Titles. 12. rKyang-chhu Thang : The Meeting Point of the Territories of Lahul and Ladakh. 13. Two Little Known Languages of Western Pahari Group from Kinnaur. 14. Traditional Methods of Distribution of Irrigation Water in Lahul. 15. Ancient Trade Routes and Wool Markets in Himachal Pradesh. 16. Revenue System of Lahul and the Socio-economic Classes in sTod. 17. Pungyin: A Brahminic Tradition of Ancestor Worship in Lahul. Bibliography. Index. Plates.

The present work concerns the tiny tract of Lahul in the wide perspective of the geography and history of the great Himalaya. The Pali Literature referring to the river Chandrabhaga - which originates from Lahul and its inhabitants, introduces to an important moment in the ancient history of Lahul, stating that there live Kinnaras on the banks of Chandrabhaga. Lahul is situated at the headwaters of Chandrabhaga. The river received this name at its head. Firstly its two heads were named viz. Chandra and Bhaga and the combination of the two became the name of the main river. As against this, its former name Asikni, Vedic, was received at its last end. Of its other two names one is the earliest and the second the latest.