December 17, 2016 at 11:44 pm

Through most of history, people climbed mountains only when they had to out of necessity. They climbed to hunt game, to rescue a lost or strayed animal, or to gain a military advantage over an enemy.

But in India since ancient times there have be mythological stories of mountains being the abode of Gods like Shiva and Goddess Parvati named Mount Kailasa. Many other Gods like God Subrahmanya and Dattatreya used to travel from one mountain to another as the place was ideal with no disturbance which was a right place to do deep penance.

Many munis, seers and rishis also found the mountains a right place to do penance and connect with God or the Supreme being, In many other cultures also it is found that peaks and mountain ranges are associated as a place to be with or to reach out to God. Many ranges also have temples built on the top like Kailash Mansorvar, Vaishnovdevi and many others and the list goes on.

But in general, mountains were avoided by the ordinary people, not only because they were dangerous, but because men often considered them to be the home of demons and fearsome beasts, in many other they considered it a place where God resides or they had the fear of the unknown as very few would venture there as the climate was harsh and there was constant fear of death due to accidents. The elusive snowman is also once such belief.

In Western Europe after the industrial revolution and the start of exploring new lands and places mountain ranges also came on their radar as they wanted to ways to earn more wealth, however, at about the beginning of the 19th century, mountain climbing began to be regarded as a sport. In 1786, and again a year later, Mount Blanc was ascended. The conquest of this peak, the highest in Western Europe at 15,771 feet or 4,807 meters, undoubtedly gave great impetus to mountain climbing as a sport. Now Winter Olympics and a number of championships and a lot of tourist and adventure activities are being held regularly in these areas.

By the middle of the 19th century, large number of English climbers were taking their holidays in the Swiss Alps, and the great tradition of the Swiss mountain climbing guide was established. By 1900 every important peak in Europe had been climbed and explorations were already reaching out to other great mountain systems and ranges of the world including the Rockies, the Andes and the Himalayas which are the largest ranges in the world has the Mount Everest which is the highest peak in the world. It was conquered by Tenzing Norway and Edmund Hillary. Later many others followed from all over the world.

Now due to increase in the population of humans in the mountains a large amount of garbage and trash is being dumped by the travelers which is resulting in environmental damage to the ranges. Now due to growing awareness this trend is trying to be reduced by the governments, green organisations and other hill development councils of the respective countries.

December 18, 2016 at 6:59 pm

Mountain climbing in my country is all about adventure. People climb mountains for one reason to explore and make a name. Its usually a very heavybtasks gor most people so when someone decides to go and climb a mountain he is usually well prepared for you dont know what you will find up there. if it is anything spiritual people take to the foreata and caves where they can find solace, peace and quiet.

December 18, 2016 at 7:09 pm

Happy to hear your views on the subject and thank you for reading the topic that is true, even in India people like to go to the places mentioned by you for spiritual solace. While some prefer mountains too.