Himalayan Caves May Be Shangri-La
The remote Mustang caves of Nepal are yielding treasures and artworks that lead explorers to think it may be the legendary Shangri-La. Expeditions in 2007 and 2008 found 15th-century paintings, religious texts, and skeletons. The expeditions were led by US researcher Broughton Coburn and veteran mountaineer Pete Athans.
The unusual treasures have led Coburn and his team to suggest that the Mustang caves could be linked to “hidden valleys” thought to represent the Buddhist spiritual paradise known as Shambhala.
“Shambhala is also believed by many scholars to have a geographical parallel that may exist in several or many Himalayan valleys,” Coburn said.
“These hidden valleys were created at times of strife and when Buddhist practice and principals were threatened,” Coburn said. “The valleys contained so-called hidden treasure texts.”
Elaine Brook, author of Search for Shambhala, said the hidden valleys of Mustang indeed “have some of the characteristics of the mythical land of Shambhala.”
For his 1933 novel, Hilton used the concept of Shambhala as the basis for his “lost” valley of Shangri-La, an isolated mountain community that was a storehouse of cultural wisdom.
PBS will air two specials about the Mustang caves tonight. Link
(image credit: Kris Erickson)
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Nepalese Teenager Turns Human Hair into Solar Panels
Eighteen-year-old Milan Karki of Nepal has invented a new type of solar panel that uses human hair as a conductor:
The hair replaces silicon, a pricey component typically used in solar panels, and means the panels can be produced at a low cost for those with no access to power, he explained….The solar panel, which produces 9 V (18 W) of energy, costs around £23 to make from raw materials.But if they were mass-produced, Milan says they could be sold for less than half that price, which could make them a quarter of the price of those already on the market.
Melanin, a pigment that gives hair its colour, is light sensitive and also acts as a type of conductor. Because hair is far cheaper than silicon the appliance is less costly.
Link (Photo: Tom Van Cakenberghe/Barcroft Media) – via Gizmodo
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World's Smallest Man-to-be
Khagendra Thapa Magar of Nepal is waiting for his chance at a world record. Magar is only two feet tall and weights ten pounds! But he can’t be classified as the world’s smallest man until he officially becomes an adult.
Excitedly awaiting his 18th birthday in October of this year, Khagendra and his family are in contact with Guinness to take the official crown from 2ft 5in He Ping Ping of China.
Weighing only 10lbs, Khagendra has become something of a celebrity in his native Nepal, where politicians have joined the clamour to see him recognised as the smallest man in the world and villagers have dubbed him ‘little Buddha’.
Doctors believe Magar’s size is due to a malfunctioning pituitary gland, but no definitive diagnosis has been reached. Link -via Buzzfeed
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