Nanda Parbat (Hindi: नन्दा पर्बत, romanized: nandā parbat, lit. 'the mountain of delight') is a fictional city in the DC Comics universe. It first appeared in Strange Adventures #216 (February 1969), created by Neal Adams.
Nanda Parbat | |
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First appearance | Strange Adventures #216 (February 1969) |
Created by | Neal Adams |
In-universe information | |
Type | Hidden city |
Locations | Hindu Kush |
Publisher | DC Comics |
Nanda Parbat is a hidden city nestled high in the mountains of Hindu Kush.[1][2] It is said to be a place of healing and enlightenment watched over by the goddess-like figure Rama Kushna and her monks. As in Shangri-La, time moves differently in Nanda Parbat; one can leave the city to find that less time has passed in the outside world.
Rama Kushna is most famous as the entity responsible for turning aerialist Boston Brand into the ghostly Deadman. As her spiritual agent, Brand wanders the Earth possessing the bodies of the living and doing good works, in the hopes of finding eventual access to paradise. Deadman has returned to Nanda Parbat on occasion to defend it against attackers such as the Sensei of the League of Assassins, an aged warrior at one time possessed by Jonah, another of Rama's former agents.
A map had been used to reach this place in the story arc The Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul written by Grant Morrison and Paul Dini. The so-called "invisible map" is supposedly composed of seven pieces, including a tattoo, a scrap of parchment, a poem and a birthmark.
Rama Kushna and Nanda Parbat have also played a role in the lives of other DC Comics characters:
In Batman: Soul of the Dragon, students of O-Sensei - Shiva, Rip Jagger, Richard Dragon, Jade, Ben Turner, and Batman - are stationed in Nanda Parbat. It is also the home of a gateway that the villains Kobra plan to unleash their god, Nāga from his prison.