Shambhala within the Soviet intelligence service, as well as rival efforts of the Soviet Foreign Commissariat that sent its own expedition to Tibet in 1924. French Buddhist Alexandra David-Néel associated Shambhala with Balkh in present-day Afghanistan, also offering the Persian "Sham-i-Bala", "elevated candle" as an etymology of its name. In a similar vein, the Gurdjieffian J. G. Bennett published speculation that Shambalha was "Shams-i-Balkh", a Bactrian sun temple. Shambhala may have been the inspiration for Shangri-La, a paradise on Earth hidden in a Tibetan valley, which features in the 1933 novel "Lost Horizon" by British author James Hilton. Shambhala In Hinduism
James Hilton (novelist) next eleven years were difficult for him, and it was not until 1931 that he had success with the novel "And Now Goodbye". Following this, several of his books were international bestsellers and inspired successful film adaptations, notably "Lost Horizon" (1933), which won a Hawthornden Prize; "Goodbye, Mr. Chips" (1934); and "Random Harvest" (1941). After this, he continued to write, but the works were not regarded as of the same quality as his best-known novels. Hilton's books are sometimes characterised as sentimental and idealistic celebrations of English virtues. This is true of "Mr. Chips", but some of his novels had