The Himalayas have some of the highest inhabited regions in the world, and perhaps some of the oldest as well. Regions like Tibet, Ladakh, Kashmir, Nepal, Bhutan, north-east India, north Pakistan, have acted as wombs for the gestation of unique cultures, each with its own tapestry of beliefs, customs, art, architecture, crafts, cuisines, and so on. Much of Himalayan art, especially architecture, paintings, sculpture are rooted in religious practices, rituals, and beliefs. Buddhism, Hinduism, Bon Shamanism, and different tribal cultures form the major wisdom traditions that have nurtured singular art forms. Himalayan Art showcases art from the culturally rich and diverse Himalayan regions. From glowing thangkas (scroll paintings), ritual daggers, fierce masks to serene stupas, majestic monasteries, and palaces to impermanent sand mandalas. The art traditions of the Himalayas is extensively documented in this book. Alongside, there is the everyday art of handmade fabrics, finely woven shawls, exquisite embroidery, intricate wood and stone carving. In this book, the sacred unites with the secular to make for a stunning, enriching, and magical experience. Himalayan Art also showcases and provides information on the unique art traditions of the Himalayas - a rare glimpse into a world that is fast becoming extinct due to the pressures of modernity, insensitive development, and a loss of the livelihoods.
Himalayan Art, Swati Chopra, Lustre Press, Hardcover, 2011, 144 pages full color, $25.00

Swati Chopra is a New Delhi-based writer whose work explores spirituality and religion, and their engagement in contemporary life. She is author of 'Dharamsala Diaries' (Penguin, 2007) which is a travelogue of the spirit, and 'Buddhism: On the Path to Nirvana' (Mercury Books, London; Brijbasi Art Press, New Delhi, 2005), a modern introduction to Buddhism.