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.
Winters are a time when most women in the mountains work with wool. Knitting and weaving woollens for family and…
Some of my earliest childhood memories are of running across the grasslands, chasing pikas, and catching
Life in the mountains is tough. In addition to physical fitness, it demands a great deal of mental fortitude. This…
Sincerity of Saryan peeks into the world of Preeti Saryan, a young ecologist from Mebar village in Kinnaur. Always fascinated…
Several communities follow traditional belief systems. Many mountain communities have faith in mystical entities like mountain spirits and deities, who…
People of the high mountains have traditionally gathered plants and herbs from the wild, which would then be carefully stored…
Dhankar is a historical village of Spiti which used to be its capital in ancient times. Where the Namgyal dynasty…
The Indian State of Himachal Pradesh produces apples worth INR 5000 Crores (USD 600 million) annually. Himachali apples are popular…
– 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.
