Nepal - Pokhara

Nischal Mishra - Nepal - 21.01.2011

The Annapurna Himalayan Range with Phewa Lake, Pokhara

Annapurna is a section of the Himalayas in north-central Nepal that includes 8,091m Annapurna I, thirteen additional peaks over 7,000m and 16 more over 6,000m. This section is a 55 km-long massif.

Annapurna is a Sanskrit name which literally means "full of food" (feminine form), but is normally translated as Goddess of the Harvests. In Hinduism, Annapurna is "... the universal and timeless kitchen-goddess ... the mother who feeds. Without her there is starvation, a universal fear: This makes Annapurna a universal goddess ... Her most popular shrine is located in Kashi, on the banks of the river Ganga." Her association with the giving of food (wealth) led her in time to be transformed into Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth.