“The local seers, the rshi, easily identifiable by their dreadlocks or matted hair, and being dressed in nothing but bark. They filled their days in meditation or uttering mantras to find spiritual release. In the early mornings, these rshi walked to the villages in the valley to collect rice, betelnuts and vegetables the villagers shared with them because, after all, the spiritual welfare of the whole valley depended on these devout worshippers.  They continued through forests of lush foliage that protected them from the beating sun. Later, when the sun lost its strength, Prapanca and his two servants followed a narrow, steep path into the hills. They were getting closer”