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SHAMBHALA VALLEY OF THE IMMORTALS SHAMBHALA IMMORTALS ‘ALLEY THE Legends of the mysterious Himalayan kingdom of Shambhala have permeated world history for centuries, and several extraordinary incidents add to the mystique surrounding this exotic realm. Part 1 of 2 The Jade Tower n Tibetan scriptures and in Far Eastern tradition, there is an ancient and | wsespees belief in a Secret Kingdom of Wise Men living in seclusion in inaccessible mountainous parts of Asia. Orientalists call this mysterious place Chang Shambhala, or Northern Shambhala (sometimes spelled Shamballa). Tibetan monks insist that there is an enigmatic valley of great beauty, surrounded by a circle of snowy mountains extending from northern Tibet into Mongolia, that is inaccessible to travellers without experienced or mystical guidance. It is said in tradition that this hidden land is unreachable except to initiates or persons dedicated to the spiritual resurrection of mankind. Its centre is highlighted by the famous Jade Tower that stands in an ancient city which monks claim is heated by warm water rising from underground streams, and the steam generated rises into the atmosphere to form a natural temperature inversion. This valley is not seen from the air because the phenomenon produces a high, light, misty cover that conceals the underlying landscape. Various exploratory teams journeying in the Himalayas claimed to have camped by hot thermal springs that nourished rich vegetation in areas outside of which there was nothing but desolation, rock and ice. Like the Tibetans, Russians and Chinese, the people of India also believe in the reality of an abode of perfect men and women which they call the Kalapa (sometimes Katapa) of Shambhala, who live in the constant presence of other-worldly energies. Professor Nicholas K. Roerich, an eminent Russian author, painter and explorer (1874-1947), spent five years, from 1923 to 1928, trekking through all seven Tibetan prefectures. He wrote in his book Himalayas — Abode of Light _K. Roerich, Nalanda Publications, Bombay, 1947) that this secret valley is beyond great lakes and the snow-covered peaks of the highest mountains in he world. It seems that Professor Roerich actually reached Shambhala, and or this reason his books and paintings were thoroughly analysed for this article, as were the works of his son, Dr George Roerich (1902-1960), an outstanding orientalist, philologist, art critic and ethnographer with degrees tom Harvard and the Sorbonne. The Roerich family lived in the Kulu Valley of northern India, in close proximity to the border of western Tibet, and from here organised several major expeditions into unexplored areas of the Tibetan Plateau, the highest land on Earth. These expeditions were manned by dozens of Norwegian, Sherpa, Tibetan, Mongol and Chinese assistants, and at times their missions endured for many months. Another renowned researcher, Andrew Tomas, author of Shambhala: Oasis of Light (Sphere Books, London, 1977), spent many years in Tibet, where he earned that the realm of Shambhala is situated in a valley sheltered on every side by mighty snowy ranges and that its residents retreat into huge subterranean catacombs. Website: NEXUS ¢ 55 by Tony Bushby © June 2009 http://www.tonybushby.com AUGUST — SEPTEMBER 2009 www.nexusmagazine.com