Mountain of the Mahabharata
Himavat
हिमवत्
King of mountains; road of the final journey
Himavat (Representative point in the high Garhwal Himalaya): King of mountains; road of the final journey, located at coordinates 31.10°N, 78.30°E.
Key Facts
| Type | Mountain |
|---|---|
| Sanskrit name | हिमवत् |
| Coordinates | 31.10°N, 78.30°E |
| Modern location | Representative point in the high Garhwal Himalaya |
| Significance | King of mountains; road of the final journey |
About Himavat
The Himalaya personified, king of mountains and father of Ganga and Uma. The Pandavas crossed his ranges to reach Badari and Gandhamadana, and on the Mahaprasthanika journey they climbed him one last time toward heaven.
Why it matters: King of mountains; road of the final journey
Details
- Parva
- Vana and Mahaprasthanika Parvas
On the Map
Himavat sits at 31.10°N, 78.30°E, in Representative point in the high Garhwal Himalaya.
View on the full mapEvents at Himavat
- The Treasure of MaruttaYear -11To fund the Ashvamedha after the ruinous war, Vyasa reveals that the gold of the ancient king Marutta's sacrifice lies buried in the Himalayas. The Pandavas march north and bring it home on thousands of beasts.
- The Birth of the War-GodYear -6The demon Taraka wins a boon making him unslayable by every being then in existence - and forgets to guard against one not yet born. To make a son of the celibate ascetic Shiva, the gods pass his fiery seed from Agni to the Ganga to the six star-mothers, the Krittikas, who nurse the six-faced child Skanda. Made commander of heaven, the war-god slays the unkillable demon and frees the worlds.
- The Fish and the FloodYear 3The sage-king Manu takes pity on a tiny fish that begs his protection - and the fish, growing impossibly large, reveals itself as the Lord and warns him of a flood that will drown the world. Manu builds a boat, gathers the seeds of all life and the seven sages, and is towed by the fish's horn to a Himalayan peak above the deluge, to father the world anew.
- The Elephant and the CrocodileYear 8Gajendra, the mighty lord of elephants, is seized by a crocodile while bathing and struggles for an age, his great strength slowly failing and his herd abandoning him. Only when his own power is utterly spent does he cry out in true surrender to the Lord - who comes at once and saves him. The very picture of the helpless soul calling out to God.
- The Sage in the WellYear 66The gifted sage Trita, envied by his elder brothers, is abandoned in a deep dry well and left to die for the sake of their cattle. With no materials at all, he performs a whole sacrifice by the power of his mind, summons the gods, and is raised from the pit - an undefeated spirit turning helplessness into deliverance.
- The Maiden Named DeathYear 71When undying beings overburden the earth, the Creator brings forth Death as a weeping maiden who refuses to slay the innocent. Consoled that she bears no sin and acts through the natural order, with her very tears becoming the body's ailments, she takes up her gentle work - a consolation for the grieving.
- The King Who Was BothYear 72A king straying into Shiva's enchanted wood is turned into a woman; unable to undo the spell fully, the divine power grants that he live as man and woman by turns. As a woman he bears a son who founds the lunar dynasty - a tale of fate's strange turns and the acceptance of what cannot be changed.
- The Serpent Who Bears the WorldYear 82Shesha, the virtuous eldest of the serpents, cannot bear his brothers' wickedness and leaves them for severe penance. Brahma grants his wish to abide ever in virtue, then sets him to bear the unsteady earth upon his hood; and the steadfast serpent becomes both the support of the world and the couch of Vishnu.
- Tapati and Samvarana - The Daughter of the SunYear 87King Samvarana wins Tapati, daughter of the sun god, through twelve days of prayer and the embassy of the sage Vasishtha - then forgets his kingdom for twelve years of happiness while the rains abandon his land. Their son is Kuru, who gives his name to the dynasty and to the field of Kurukshetra.
Stories Set at Himavat
The Curse That Killed a King
Pandu's Arrow, Kindama's Curse, and the Birth of the Pandavas
Adventures in the Forest
Twelve Years of Pandava Exile
The Great Departure
Krishna's Death, the End of the Yadavas, and the Pandavas' Climb to Heaven
The Great Journey
Book 17 - The Pandavas Walk North to Die, and the Dog Who Followed
The Horse Sacrifice
Arjuna Follows a Wandering Horse, and Dies at His Own Son's Hand
The Descent of the River
Bhagiratha and the Sons of Sagara
The Birth of the War-God
Skanda and the Slaying of Taraka
The King Who Became a Sage
Vishvamitra's Long Ascent
The Slaying of Vritra
Dadhichi's Bones and Indra's Sin
The Fish and the Flood
Manu and the Great Deluge
The Elephant and the Crocodile
Gajendra's Surrender
The Boy Who Became the Pole Star
Dhruva's Penance
The Warrior With the Axe
Parashurama, Jamadagni, and the Long Vengeance
The Sage in the Well
Abandoned by his brothers, he made a sacrifice from the pit
The Maiden Named Death
How Death came into the world, weeping and without sin
The King Who Was Both
Changed from man to woman, ancestor of a great line
The Serpent Who Bears the World
Shesha leaves his wicked kin and upholds the earth
Tapati and Samvarana
The Daughter of the Sun