Here are two verses from a long poem by Kalidasa, who lived at least 1,500 years ago and is often considered to be the greatest poet of ancient India. The poem, Kumarasambhava, begins with an invocation to the Himalayas. (This is a simplified translation from Sanskrit.)
In the North rises Himalaya, the Lord of mountains, like a living god, who measures the Earth and stretches from the Western to the Eastern oceans. From it the wind comes down, carrying spray from descending Ganga, shaking the deodar trees, opening the peacocks' tail feathers and cooling the mountain people after they hunt deer. Discuss the verses and the following questions in class.
(a) What are the 'Western to the Eastern oceans'? Can you locate them as well as the 'Lord of mountains' on given figure?

(b) Why is Ganga river mentioned?
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Hint: There could be several reasons.)