“Shiv was the first hippie among us, he was no god. Peep within and you will find a bit of Shiv in you.”  Something like this was the beginning of a piece I wrote for the college magazine in the final year. The subject was ‘Counterculture – the hippie movement’. I stand by the words and believe it stronger than ever. Having spent a lot of time in the Himalayas I have known the cult of Shiv very closely. Being an atheist, mythological sites and temples for me, are a source of beauty and have art and architectural importance. A Shiv wasting milk won’t even fit him if he was around and even Shiv would never submit to the idea of God. Tonight is the night of cosmic orgy. Shiv will be in unison with his partner and love. You too make love – with the one you love. At 17,800 feet this is supposedly the highest Shiv adobe – it is Dolma La on Mount Kailash. Tonight will be colourful there. The other picture is of Baleshwar temple (13th century) complex in Champawat, Pithoragarh district. Do go and see them for their amazing stonework. <1 March 2022>