The highest peaks of the world were shrines for many peoples. The Karakorum Range was passed by the Roerichs’ expedition in 1925. The Roerichs first saw one of its highest peaks – Nanga Parbat (Diamir – The Mount of Gods), a sacred peak of the Hindu Kush peoples – from Baramula in March 1925. “At noon, the expedition passed through a small town of Baramula. The day was clear, and it seemed that the peak of Nanga Parbat (26,900 feet) was close at hand.”

In his essay “Ascent to the Tops”, the artiste wrote: “Many expeditions compete for the magnificent peaks of the Himalayas. Unconquered giants severely meet fearless discovers. Again, Everest refused to accept new arrivals. And Nanga Parbat does not give up. And the peak of Kanchenjunga is not even contested. From all over the world, different peoples flock to the sparkling peaks of the Himalayas. This procession turns into the pilgrims’ worship of the tops of the world”.