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Mount Kailash
LOCATION :- Transhimalayas
Mount Kailash (also known as Mount Kailas) is a peak in the KAILAS range (Gangdise mountains) which are a part of Transhimalayas in Tibet. It lies near the source of some greatest rivers including the Indus river, Satluj river (a major tributary of Indus river), the Brahmaputra river & the Karnali river (a tributary of Ganga). It is considered a sacred place in 4 religions namely :-
- Bon
- Buddhisism
- Hinduism
- Jainism
- NOMENCLATURE, ORTHOGRAPHY & ETOMOLOGY :- The mountain is known as Kailasa in Sanskrit. It can be derived from the word 'kelasa' which means crystal. In his Tibetan dictionary Chandra identifies the entry for kai la sha which is a loan word in Sanskrit 'kailasa'. The Tibetan name for the mountain is 'GANGS RIN-PO CHE'. Gangs or kangs is aTibetan wordfor snow peak which means is an honourific meaning 'precious stone'. So the combined word may be translated as'precious jewels of snow'."Tibetan Buddhists call it Kangri Rinpoche; 'Precious Snow Mountain'. Bon texts have many names: Water's Flower, Mountain of Sea Water, Nine Stacked Swastika Mountain. For Hindus, it is the home of the mountain god Shiva and a symbol of his power symbol om; for Jains it is where their first leader was enlightened; for Buddhists, the navel of the universe; and for adherents of Bon, the abode of the sky goddess Sipaimen'' Another local name is Tise mountain which derives from ti tse meaning 'water peak' or 'river peak' in Zhang-Zhou language connoting the mountain status as the source of mythical lion, Horse. Peacock & elephant rivers. In fact, the Indus, Yarlug-Tsangpo/Dihang/Brahmaputra, Karnali & Satluj all begin at the Kail
- ash- Mansarovar region.
- RELIGIOUS SIGNIFICANCE :-
- In Hinduism :- According to Hinduism, Lord Shiva- the destroyer of ignorance & illusion resides at the summit of the legendary mountain KAILASA, where he sits in perpetual meditation along with his wife Parvati. According to Charles Allen, one description in 'Vishnu Purana' states that its 4 faces are made up of ruby, crystal, gold & lapiz lazuli. It is the pillar of the world at the heart of 6 mountain ranges. The ancient 'Koneshwaram temple' is heralded as 'Dakshin Kaliasam'because it lies in the same longitude as Mount Kailash & due to its pre-eminence in Saivite belief. Koneshwaram early black granite cut architectural shared similarities between to the famous Kailashnathar temple.Many of the Kailasanathar temples sculptures and reliefs depict episodes relating to Lord Shiva and Maa Parvati, including Ravana's tale. (Ravana was a devotee of Lord Shiva. Ramayana does not document Ravana shaking the mountain.) Ravana's mother had fallen ill. As they were great Lord Shiva devotees, he had attempted to carry the temple on his back to bring it closer to his mother. Shiva, being stunned by his boldness, had blessed him with immortality as Ravana had passed Lord Shiva's test of devotion.
- IN JAINISM :- IKailash is also known as Meru Parvat or Sumeru. Ashtapada, the mountain next to Mt.Kailash is the site where the first Jain TIRTHANKARA, 'Rishabdeva' attained Nirvana (moksh).
- IN BUDDHISM :- Tantric Buddhists believes that Mount Kailash is the home Buddha Demchok also known as Demchog (or Chakrasamvara). There are numerous sites in this region depicting & associated with Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava) whose tantric sites around Tibet are finally credited with establishing Buddhism as main religion of the country in 7th- 8th century CE.
- IN BON :- The Bon, a religion which predates Buddhism in Tibet, maintain that the entire mystical region & nine- story 'Swastika' mountain are the'SEAT OF ALL SPIRITUAL POWER'.
- PILGRIMAGE :- Every year thoysands make a pilgrimage to Kailash, following a tradition going back thousands of years. Pilgrims of several regions believe that circumbalating Mount Kailash on foot is a holy ritual that will bring good fortune. The peregrination is made in a clockwise direction by Hindus & Buddhists. Followers of Jain & Bongpo religions circumbalate in anti-clockwise direction. The path around Mount Kailash is 52 km (32mi)long.Some pilgrims believe that the entire walk around Kailash should be made in a single day, which is not considered an easy task. A person in good shape walking fast would take perhaps 15 hours to complete the 52 km trek. Some of the devout do accomplish this feat, little daunted by the uneven terrain, altitude sickness and harsh conditions faced in the process. Indeed, other pilgrims venture a much more demanding regimen, performing body-length prostrations over the entire length of the circumambulation: The pilgrim bends down, kneels, prostrates full-length, makes a mark with his fingers, rises to his knees, prays, and then crawls forward on hands and knees to the mark made by his/her fingers before repeating the process. It requires at least four weeks of physical endurance to perform the circumambulation while following this regimen. The mountain is located in a particularly remote and inhospitable area of the Tibetan Himalayas. A few modern amenities, such as benches, resting places and refreshment kiosks, exist to aid the pilgrims in their devotions. According to all religions that revere the mountain, setting foot on its slopes is a dire sin. It is claimed that many people who ventured to defy the taboo have died in the process. It is a popular belief that the stairways on Mount Kailash lead to heaven.Following the political- border differences in India & China , pilgrimage to the legendary abode of Lord Shiva was stopped from 1954 to 1978. Thereafter, a limited number of Indian pilgrims have been allowed to visit the place, under the supervision of the Chinese and Indian governments either by a lengthy and hazardous trek over the Himalayan terrain, travel by land from Kathmandu or from Lhasa where flights from Kathmandu are available to Lhasa and thereafter travel over the great Tibetan plateau by car. The journey takes four night stops, finally arriving at Darchen at elevation of 4,600 m (15,100 ft), small outpost that swells with pilgrims at certain times of year. Despite its minimal infrastructure, modest guest houses are available for foreign pilgrims, whereas Tibetan arriving at pilgrims generally sleep in their own tents. A small regional medical center serving far-western Tibet and funded by the Swiss Ngari Korsum Foundation was built here in 1997.
Tibetan Thangka depicting Mount Kailash :-
Satellite view with lake Mansarovar & Lake Rakshastal :-
KAILASH :- SOUTH FACE :- 
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