Behind every landscape are lives being lived, knowledge being passed on, places changing and stories being told. We bring these stories together, in many forms and through many voices.
Nestled at the foothills of gigantic mountains, my village Gue is located south – east of Spiti near the Indo-China…
After the snow melts on the high peaks around the villages of Spiti, the hard working people start their annual summer works – livestock are taken to the grasslands for grazing and people get busy preparing for agriculture season.
Two years ago, during a winter vacation, I took my four-year-old daughter, Gyanzin Yeeyong Wangmo, to a Shangdong, an ancient…
Shukpa or Juniper (Juniperus spp.) is a distinct evergreen tree, sometimes a shrubby tree, that belongs to the conifer group…
Growing up in Spiti, a place so beautiful and serene was a heavenly experience with valleys and rivers that enchants…
There’s an air of celebration when the agricultural season begins in my village. It is time to end the dormancy…
Building with an earthen material is a craft, a philosophy where nature is at the center of the entire life…
Insights from Ane Butith Zangmo, Kalzang Dolma with complimentary reading from Tobtan’s book “Spiti: A socio-cultural traditions” Spiti’s oral literature…
– A Spitian Proverb –
Books, guides, posters, toolkits and other resources from across the Himalaya.
HimKatha began in 2020, during the Covid-19 lockdown, when isolation and limited connectivity made it difficult for people across Spiti’s villages to stay in touch. We wondered if a print publication could help keep local conversations alive and create space for stories from the region.
The first print edition appeared in November 2020. Since then, HimKatha has grown in scope, format and reach, bringing more voices into the conversation as the Himalayan region continues to change. These early editions mark the beginning of the archive.
HimKatha brings together stories, knowledge and perspectives from across the Himalaya. We believe these stories deserve to be shared with care, grounded in the places and communities they come from, and open to different ways of seeing and understanding the world. These values shape how we work with contributors, tell stories and make them accessible to everyone.
Stories should make room for people who know these places because they live there and carry their stories and knowledge.
The Himalaya is not a single landscape or culture. We tell stories with care for the places, histories, and communities.
Knowledge lives in research and archives, but also in memory, practice, observation, craft and everyday lived experience.
Himkatha is freely accessible because stories and knowledge should be shared widely, without barriers or a paywall today.
