Brahma Kamal
A blogging friend of mine
BendtheRulz is
a bohemian,
a nomad by nature
a free spirit who loves the Himalayas.
She has posted photographs of
Himalayan flowers on her blogspage.
And (lucky her 🙂 ) will be visiting the
“Valley of Flowers” again! and very soon.
I tried to find photos of my visit from decades ago.
Most of my slides, I now remember, were borrowed
by friends and true to the norm, were never returned,
of the few that are left, most have faded, like all flowers do,
except these, of a flower known to us as Brahma Kamal
Brahma Kamal
Botanical name: Saussurea obvallata Family: Asteraceae
The Brahma Kamal: the state flower of Uttarkhand, India.
A flower of the Himalayas,
that blooms in the alpine habitats
at the upper reaches of the mountain ranges between (approx) 11,000 to 17,000 feet.
The flowers bloom in mid monsoons (July – August)
amongst the rocks and grass of the hillsides in places
like The Valley of Flowers and Hemkund Lake at Sapta Shringa.
The flowerheads are purple,
but are hidden from view in layers of yellowish green, papery bracts
which provides the necessary protection from cold mountain environment.
These flowers looks gorgeous, but they smell awful,
perhaps that explains why we do not bring them home, but
have been offering them with devotion in the hill temples at Kedarnath and Badrinath.
[Photographs: © 2007: little indian
Top: at Hemkund,
Middle: Valley of Flowers National Park
Agfa Silette II ! on Kodachrome 64;
September 1981, Uttaranchal, India]
Himalayas
flowers
brahma kamal
Valley of Flowers
travels
memories
rocky said this on July 10th, 2007 at 13:47
nice picture of the flower.
little indian said this on July 10th, 2007 at 14:38
Thanks rocky
for stopping by and your comment.
I guess it survived all these years
to serve its purpose to bring back memories,
not just the flower but also the trek and the place,
but also of my old friend, my travel companion, the camera.
earthpal said this on July 10th, 2007 at 15:48
That’s beautiful Little Indian.
We have an abundance of natural beauty and it’s lovely to see some of it growing free and unhindered by human hands.
little indian said this on July 10th, 2007 at 16:13
thanks earthie,
Human’s destructive hand did visit the valley,
it was closed to public for about a decade.
Now it is a a protected national park, a world heritage site
with legislation in place to prosecute any vandalism.
During the flowering season,
it is said from a distance it looks like a colourful carpet.
When i visited the Valley,
it was towards the end of the flowering season.
(getting time of work never coincides with our wishes, does it?)
We promised ourselves we would return someday to the valley,
to see it in full bloom, that someday never came.
earthpal said this on July 10th, 2007 at 16:59
It sounds heavenly.
Yes, work commtiments are such a bind.
I’m happy to hear that your park is now protected but I’m sorry that you never got to revisit the valley. Perhaps one day….
There are so many places on this good Earth that I would love to see. Maybe in my dreams.
Pinki said this on July 10th, 2007 at 18:06
Its beautiful.I belong to uttrakhand but never knew so much about kamal.Thanks for sharing this information…its gr8!!
little indian said this on July 10th, 2007 at 18:25
Thanks Pinki
for stopping by and your comment.
You are from Uttarkhand!
I envy you. Its beautiful country.
I spent many days at Gangotri and beyond
on high altitude treks and expeditions.
Warm gulab jamoon for breakfast in the morning
at Uttarkashi is one of my many cherished memories. 🙂
bendtherulz said this on July 12th, 2007 at 06:24
Thankuuuu 🙂
little indian said this on July 12th, 2007 at 09:01
You’re welcome, rulzbender.
Will look forward to your photoblog of your trip.