Shangri-La: Legend of a paradise

 Is this the gateway to the real 'paradise'?

Where is 'Heaven'?

Various myths revolve around "heaven on Earth", but its name comes from James Hilton's 1933 novel Lost Horizon.

The kingdom of Shambhala, or Shangri-La, is said to be in the place of white crystal mountains.

In this work, the writer renames a paradise in Tibet, Shambhala, to Shangri-La. The name and concept of Shangri-La became so well known that today people associate it with a lost paradise, or wonderland that many people are still searching for.

What Hilton describes is not entirely his imagination, as details have been borrowed from ancient Tibetan myths about Shambhala. But what is the reality behind the legends and how can one get to this heaven on Earth? Where is its real location?

Some say it is the modern city of Shangri-La in China, although the name dates back to 2001. Others claim that this "paradise" is the Hunza valley in Pakistan.

They believe that Hilton once stayed in this beautiful oasis for a short time and relied on the scenery here to describe the details of his work. However, according to many, Hunza can only be an inspiration for the novelist, not "heaven on Earth".

According to legend, the Shangri-La valley or "kingdom of Shambhala" originated in Tibet, a sacred site of South Asian culture and spirituality. It is believed that the most accurate location of Shangri-La is near the Indo-Tibetan border, in the Arunachal Pradesh region.

Nestled among the majestic Himalayas, protected by cloud-covered peaks, this land is spiritually important to India and Tibet. It's no surprise that Hilton chose such a poetic landscape as the setting for her famous novel.

Kingdom of peace and wisdom

The ancient myth of Shambhala with the earliest forms was recorded in India in 962 AD. The origin of this story comes from a Buddhist text handed down and preserved in Tibet.

The story goes that, there is a high land in the back of the mighty Himalayas, blessed with peace and harmony. The people here live separately from the outside world and do not care about worldly matter. They hold the ancient secret key to long life and the purest Buddhist teachings of peace.

It is said that the monks and people here are waiting for the day when the world is tired of violence, ready to live in peace. Only then will the monks reveal the location of "heaven" and their true identities.

The myth also says that this "paradise" is ruled by a clan of enlightened "kings" who are waiting for the evils and violence in the world to reach their peak. At that time, they will appear with a powerful army and destroy anyone who likes to wage war and greed.

No matter what, the myth of the Himalayas is hiding a secret paradise, separate and safe from the outside world, believed by many. This mysterious place is said to be the source of all knowledge, wisdom and enlightened peace in the world.

Even the name Shambhala comes from the Sanskrit word for place. Inspired by this, many Western travelers have tried to find the true location of Shangri-La or Shambhala, with the desire to discover the true meaning of peace and knowledge.

How to find Shangri-La?

The famous work written about Shangri-La by writer James Hilton.

The first attempts to find Shangri-La may have come in the late 1500s or early 1600s, when Western visitors came to the court of Akbar the great of the Mughal kingdom to hear stories of a heavenly paradise. The mystical road lies beyond the Himalayas.

Many people believe that the kingdom of Shambhala flourished in the shadow of a white crystal mountain, where a palace stood by a clear lake.

In this palace, there are many wise monks who help the king to protect the sanctity of wisdom and world peace. Many travelers from ancient to medieval times have tried to find the mystical land of Shambhala but to no avail.

Since then, it is believed that this place can only be found by those with pure hearts and clear minds. Only when one follows the spiritual path, giving up all his material possessions and desires, can Shangri-La be found.

The first king of Shambhala is said to have met the Buddha and was taught about the Kalachakra or "Wheel of Time". Higher teachings and understandings related to the "Wheel of Time" were then given to the king for the purpose of protection.

Many people believe that the mythical Shangri-La still preserves the teachings of the "Wheel of Time", protecting the texts containing secrets, against external evil. This gives rise to the theory that Shangri-La could be a place in another world inhabited by supernatural beings other than ordinary humans.

An enlightened person must use his mind's eye to find Shambhala in its true form. As few people today can complete such a difficult journey, Shangri-La remains shrouded in mystery. Does it really exist? Maybe! But whether we can access it or not, according to religious historians, depends on ourselves.