The landscapes of ‘triangles’ visible in Mountains

Perspective

The world around us is merely how we see it. And the ways of seeing could be myriad, depending on one’s respective cognition. Here I would share an interesting perception of mine ushered during my recent Himachal Pradesh Visit. Most of among us knows Himachal Pradesh in terms of its specialties like tourism, heritage, adventure etc. but irrespective of it my eyes were finding the ‘formal’ landscape in each perusal. ‘Formal’ here is assortment of a three angler shape ‘triangle’ which I was seeing in almost every building from restaurants to spas, castles to small shops and in various objects around. Or I should say every structure which had a ‘roof’ at top was having a ‘triangle’ as a part of architecture. Albeit the reason of it simply the snow fall, which takes place heavily in Himachal during winters. To prevent the roofs from snow congealing the roofs are designed and made up in sliding shape instead of flat platformic style. But despite of buildings and other concrete objects, the triangle has seen prevalent in trees, mountains and other scenic sights as well. Therefore, it led me to connect the triangle with its philosophical meanings too.

A ‘triangle’ has multiple meanings as a symbol, but differently or somewhere connected in both eastern and western society. Some keywords associated with triangle meaning include gender, creativity, harmony, proportion, ascension, manifestation, illumination, integration, subjectivity and culmination. This sort of versatility captures themes of magic, wonder and creativity in the triangle meaning. In geometry it means a triangle, in geology it means a mountain, in symbology it means a lot of different stuff, in road-hoardings it indicates to various directions, for occultists it’s a summoning symbol, in pop-culture it symbolizes LGBT through a pink triangle and in mathematics it has a Greek name called ‘delta’ which means a change in one variable compare to the other. And in European unions, a black down-pointing triangle indicates to a system to identify medicines that are being monitored particularly closely by regulatory authorities, described under Black Triangle Scheme. 

The orientation of a triangle is also important to its meaning. None of other basic shapes offer this kind of inherent duplicity. When we turn a square on its side, the symbol meaning remains the same. Same with the circle-rolling it down, it’s still a circle but the triangle proposes variable meanings when tipped top from bottom. For example a point-up triangle represents a strong foundation or stability, as it rooted to the ground through a solid base. It also symbolizes male energy, considered as solar, lingam, Shakta, active, mountain, up, father; and fire and air are the masculine elements. Oppose to it the point-down triangle represents female energy, lunar, yoni, Shakti, passive, cave, down, mother; thus forms the elements of earth and water. Point-up triangle can also represent ascension toward the spiritual world, while the point-down triangle can represent a descent into the physical world.

Any discussion about triangle meaning cannot be completed without connecting it with the number three. All the mystic teachings incorporate the power of three within their folds. Three represents the union of the number prior to it (one and two). Numerologically speaking, if one represents force, and two represents an opening, than three is the birthing of true wisdom. There are other triads proposed by esoteric triangle which represent the historical and cultural trinities like ‘spirit, mind, body’, ‘mother, father, child’, ‘past, present, future’, ‘power, intellect, love’, ‘thought, feeling, emotion’, ‘mother, maiden, crone’, ‘love, truth, wisdom’, ‘creator, destroyer, sustainer’ and ‘creation, preservation, destruction’. This is represented in Indian mythology as ‘Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh’ and similarly in western society the Christian God is trinity- ‘father, son and holy ghost’ united in a single godhead, represented by a triangle. This trinity is clearly visible in ‘banner of peace’ initiated by Russian Artist Nicholas Roerich. It symbolizes religion, art and science encompassed by the circle of culture which can be seen everywhere at Nicholas Art Gallery, Museum and in its premises at Naggar, Himachal Pradesh. Here, one cannot deny remembering Egyptian Pyramids consisting 2-D triangles into it. This Pyramidal structure is much evident in structure of Hadimba Devi Temple situated at Manali, Himachal Pradesh.

The Banner of Peace at one of the Entrance
 at Urusvati, Himalayan Folk & Tribal Arts Museum

A 1932 Work of Nicholas Roerich 'Medonna Oriflamma'
having Banner of Peace in hands

Hadimba Devi Temple, Manali

The triangular geometrical landscapes of Himachal Pradesh were surely reminding me of early cubist landscapes of Artist Paul Cezanne. Although triangles are there in the works of artist Nicholas Roerich having the plenty of hills and mountains into landscapes, but they are not consciously created cubes. So, the purposes may be different, but eyes were feasting the geometry; its meaning, philosophy and the spirituality, speaking silently into Himalayan Valleys. By seeing this existing geometry, one may begin to personalize the potential of an overwhelming subject of triangle meaning and its association with circle. All the found triangles seemed the resting energies into Himalayas where the helicoidally carved paths were not less than the springs of circles.

Some Scenic Beauty from Aleo, New Manali

Some Scenic Beauty on the way to Solang

Houses on the way to Solang

The Skiing Center at Solang

A Recently opened Ropeway at Solang Valley

Solang Valley

Solang Power House & other Triangular Architecture in Solang

In Dhundi

The Resting Triangles on the way from Solang to Manali

A Temple on the way from Solang to Manali

A Tent Shop on the way from Solang to Aleo

The Beas Hostel, ABVIMAS, Manali

Inside the Club House

Tribes India Showroom in Manali

Bus Stop in Main Market, Manali

Resting Places in Main Market, Manali

The Gaurd's den in a House, New Manali

A Nascafe Cofee Shop in Main Market, Manali

SBI ATM in Main Market, Manali

Police Station in Main Market, Manali

Taxi Operators Place in Main Market, Manali

In Main Market, Manali

State Electricity Board Building, Himachal Pradesh

Pubic Toilets 'Sulabh Shochalayas' in Main Market, Manali

A Restaurant in Roerich Gallery Premises, Naggar

A Stage for Performances in Roerich House Premises

Nar Singh God's Temple at Naggar

The Inside Scenes of Urusvati,
Himalayan Folk & Tribal Arts Museum

A P.C.O. Booth cum Wine Shop at Naggar

A Temple at Aleo, New Manali

At the end, I hope that you enjoyed these perspectives. But don’t stop at my cognition. Find triangle in your life, in nature, in books, connect them if you had previous visits to Himachal or let them stay in mind if you go to Himachal in future. See them in life around and incorporate them into life experiences. As I believe, our lives are not less than ‘giant lab experiments’. We can introduce triangles and other symbols in our daily practices to record the results of our findings or to make alive a travel to hilly place. Ultimately this perception is for leading to a bizarre phenomenon of ‘Travel’ and to ‘Deal’ differently with the destination.