Mountains in Indian Mythology

The Sun, the Moon, and the Stars rotate constantly around the holy peak of the golden Mount Meru. Its snow-capped and rugged kiss against the clouds is the home of the Gods, the divine beings casting fortunes down to Earth. Meru is the center of all, residing in the middle of all three plains: the physical, metaphysical, and spiritual beings on Earth circling its mighty stature. Brahma, the Creator himself, sleeps in the pit of Meru's iron heart. Meru cannot be seen or touched by mortal eyes and hands, for it remains in a plane of divinity.

At the bottom of Mount Meru is the legendary forest of Himmavanta, and it is there the Himalayas lie. The Himalayas are the physical foothills of the great celestial mountain, and they are composed of other peaks and mountains that hold cultural significance and religious symbolism. The mountains scattered around Mount Meru are the homes to other Gods and divinities.

Mountains hold great places in the hearts of the Indian peoples, whether as homes to Indian divinities or as something divine themselves. Their peaks remain untouched by the desire of their followers to mar the white snow with heavy boot prints, for there is a sacredness curled around their rock. In myth, mountains may evoke the spirituality of their audience. In India, mountains are honored from the ground. People walk their slopes to praise them like divinities, crossing into their valleys but leaving the colder heights of the mountains for the Gods.