Whenever there is the mention of Hermit in the Himalayas the first thing that come to our mind is the famous book that was written by Paul Brunton. The book was basically an experience that the author had while travelling in and around the mighty Himalayas. It is like an experience that unfolds and becomes a book. The book is still very popular. It is a good way to understand the lives of those who live in the Himalayas.

Who is a Hermit?

Hermit in the Himalayas are normal human beings who have given up the lives of pleasure and desires. They have gone to the Himalayas to pray and meditate. They follow rigorous lifestyles and look very feeble. Yet they have a strength and power that can take anyone by surprise. They are also called Sadhu, yogi and even babaji. You can call them whatever you feel like.

These yogis specialise in spiritual knowledge and in yoga. They have been meditating in the Himalayas for years now. Some are believed to be there even for thousands of years. It is said that the body grows old the soul doesn’t. If we can find some medicine or chemical that will ensure that the organs of the body can regenerate then the human body will never die. It is said that in Ayurveda. Which is the oldest medical journal that was ever found in the Indian subcontinent mentions about some magical herbs that can protect the body from growing old? Unbelievable but true. Some experts believe that these yogis, who spend years in the Himalayas, know about these herbs and perhaps they have these herbs too.

The lone traveller

The hermit in the Himalayas wear bear minimum clothing and they sit in meditation. The temperature in the Himalayas is always in the negative. If we look at it logically it is a temperature where normal human cannot even survive. It is said that with yoga you can reach a position where you can control the temperature of the body. This is perhaps the technique that these yogis use.

So travellers who have gone to the Himalayas have spotted yogis who look hundreds of years old. The scientists belive, that the ice in the Himalayas helps to preserve the bodies of the Hermits. All those hermits who have visited these mountains have been mummified after death. As the temperature is so low the bodies are still intact even after so many years.

This may be true.  The believers say that these yogis have taken samadhi. They have willingly let their souls leave the body. These souls are now the part of the divine power. The other yogis whom you will spot in the Himalayas will tell you similar stories. They will tell you that they are meditating for the universe and for the betterment of the mankind.

Way and life of hermits

These hermits can spend years of their lives in the Himalayas.  Searching for the unknown and meditating. Many yogis and gurus have attained enlightment in the Himalayas. They have achieved it after years of meditation. One of the prominent names is of Baba Lokenath. He got enlightment in the Himalayas and later he came to India and preached his leanings. There are many more names like these that can be discussed.

Hermit in the Himalayas eat very little food and water. They don’t have any shelter to stay. They wear the bare minimum clothes. Some of them don’t even wear shoes or slippers. We don’t know how they survive that terrain and the weather there. Perhaps that’s a mystery too. There are thousands of hermits and yogis who have made Himalayas their home.

Some of them do come to attend the kumbh mela that happens in some parts of India once a year. After the mela they again go back to the Himalayas. We will be discussing about the kumbh mela in our next article. Many devotees seek blessings from these yogis. It is said that they have immense powers.

When questioned about how they survive the weather in Himalayas they say that it comes from yoga and meditation.  Perhaps it’s these yogis who still make us belive in god and religion. They make us have faith in that power that we cannot see.