Shangri La Overview
Shangri la resort is located in Kachura village , Skardu Gilgit Baltistan in Northern Pakistan. The resort is built on the bank of Lower Kachura Lake after insipiration from 1933 novel lost horizon of James Hilton. Shangrila resort was first founded by Muhammad Aslam Khan Brig (Retd) who was the first commander of Northern Scouts. Due to its spectacular beauty, stunning views and peaceful environment. Today Shangri la resort is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Pakistan.
Shangri La Novel
The name Shangri la is derived from Tibetan language. Shang is a place in Tibet, “ri” means mountains and “la” means pass. The name is first used by James Hilton in his novel The Lost horizon. In 1933 British author James Hilton wrote a novel namely The Lost Horizon. James Hilton narrates about a plane which was crash landed in a place near a river bed in 1920’s. The Buddhist monks then taken the surviving passengers to a beautiful place with full of fruits and flowers. The monks claimed to be 100 of years old but they looked young. This place was called Shang rila. The late Brig (Retd) Aslam took this idea from this novel and built a resort in Kachura Lake in Skardu, Gilgit Baltistan northern Pakistan. A PIA crashed plane then placed here. Today it is known as Shangrila resort.
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Original Shangri la
The original Shangrila which Hilton mentioned in his book is often cited to be the Yunnan Province, Sichuan Province and Tibet in China. But the exact location could not be found. Some people suggests Hunza Valley but Hunza lacks Buddhist culture which Hilton mentioned in his book. The original Shangrila is definitely located in Tibet as the name suggests ,but the exact location is not known yet. Besides this it is also suggested that Shangrila is derived from Tibetan word Shambhala a mythical kingdom in Tibetan Buddhist religious scripts.
The Lost Horizon Novel
The Lost Horizon is a English novel book written by James Hilton in 1933. In May 1931 due to revolution while evacuating the 80 white residents of Baskul China to Peshawar a plane is hijacked and crash landed into the mountains to Tibet. The pilot dies after the crash landing, other four members took shelter in a nearby place. The exact place is unknown, but Conway believes the plane has landed far beyond the mighty ranges of western Himalayas . A monk taken the four people there. He speaks English. He took them to a near monastery hidden in a valley also called”the valley of the blue moon” — a land of mystery and matchless beauty where life is lived in tranquil wonder, beyond the grasp of a doomed world. This place is called is here, in Shangri-La, which is a depiction of paradise on Earth.
A British diplomat Hugh Conway, a veteran of the Great War narrated novelist a great story. He told that he and other three members while escaping from Baskul to Peshawer were kidnapped and forced to crash land near a mountains of Himalayas in Tibet. Later they were carried to a stunning and beautiful place covered by orchards and flowers. This place is called Shangrila in local language.
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