Shangri- La

I have always wanted to know if this place really exists and was wondering if anyone has any knowledge on it? I don't see any mod threads on it so if any anyone has any CREDIBLE sources, links or articles I would truly appreciate. Who really know what goes on in the hidden reaches of the Himalayas? What kind of knowledge do the lamas and monks of the region possess that western civilization probably could not fathom to understand? These people live in the most forboding outreaches of our planet and have so for thousands of years. Through them could we gain a deeper understanding of the mysteries which elude us today i.e. Mayan/Egyptian societies. I have a feeling that they know far more than what they care to reveal to the outside world.

No.

It was invented by James Hilton for his novel, LOST HORIZON. Just as J.K. Rowling invented the school, Hogwarts and a land of wizards.

www.bbc.co.uk...

Actually if you read further in your source it states that the legend first came to western attention a few centauries ago in Calcutta. I think the second or third page of the link.

Originally posted by Infra_red
Actually if you read further in your source it states that the legend first came to western attention a few centauries ago in Calcutta. I think the second or third page of the link.

Actually, that's Shambalah. Not Shangri-La (hey, I'm a scholar! We're picky! )

Shambalah is a pretty cool concept, but it's strictly a myth. (Okay, so how do we know? Simple -- when a land existed, the people around it knew of it and called it by a similar name. It has a geography and directions (even if fairly vague). An example would be "the Tin Isles" (Britain) which were written about by a number of ancient cultures.

Lost worlds of paradise tales are actually pretty common (the ancient Greeks believed that the Ethiopians had such a paradise that was SO favored that the gods themselves would go spend time among the Ethiopians.) Occasionaly someone (or some group) would go out to find them -- the kingdom of Prester John (a fascinating legend) is another one of those persistant legends of "favored lands."

I wouldnt be suprized if it existed in the past. Perhaps its Tibet. However i really doubt it still exists today.

I think Shangri-La could still exist even today, if it ever did at all. My understanding of legend and folklore is that the towers are always taller, the beasts are always bigger and everything is always made of gold. *lol*

Tibet sounds like a likely place. It's probally some little temple/town with a hot spring nested in a valley below the cloud line...

Shambhala may very well have existed though I dont think it would have been magical. It could have merely been a remote lush green valley in that remote wilderness of the Himalaya which could have seemed magical to earlier people.

Its been awhile since I read the myths but there was a interesting underworld aspect too Shambhala a subterranean extension if you will, Agharti or Agharta. It was suppose to extend into vast underground cities.