The inaugural Miss Himalaya Pageant was held in McLeod Ganj, India, on 12–13 October 2012.[1][2] The purpose of the annual event is "to bring women from the entire Himalayan region onto one platform to celebrate the beautiful cultures, people, and nature of the Himalayan region."[3]
The pageant is produced and directed by Lobsang Wangyal of Lobsang Wangyal Productions, which has also been producing the Miss Tibet Pageant since 2002. Lobsang Wangyal has been producing events since 2000 "to promote art, culture, and understanding."[4]
The idea of "Miss Himalaya" was conceived by Lobsang Wangyal in 2010, and the work for the event started soon after. The domain misshimalaya.com was registered on 23 February 2010, and domain misshimalaya.org was registered on 13 December 2011. The event was publicly announced on 5 June 2011.[5]
The Pageant accepts applications from women from the entire Himalayan region—the ten Indian states of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura; the hill regions of Assam and West Bengal; and Bhutan, Nepal, and Tibet.[6]