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For most travellers to Far-West Tibet (Ngari) in Purang county, the prime focus of their journey is the sacred peak of Mount Kailash (6714 m), Tibetan name is Gang Ti Se. This extraordinary mountain is regarded as the `heart of the world`, the àxis mundi`,the centre of Asia, by Buddhists, Hindus, Jains and followers of other spiritual traditions. Of all the special destinations for the traveller to reach, Mount Kailash is surely one of the most sublime and sacred. Its geographical position as the watershed of South Asia is unique and it is this which gives it a cosmic geomantic power. From its slopes flow four great rivers in the four cardinal directions - the Senge Tsangpo སེང་གཙང་པོ་ (Indus River) north, the Yarlung Tsangpo ཡར་ཀླུངས་གཙང་པོ་ (Brahmaputra) east, Karnali south into the Ganges གང་ག་, and the Langchen Tsangpo གཙང་པོ་ ( Sutlej River) west.
Mount Kailash itself is known in the Tibetan language as Gang Ti-se and informally as Gang Rinpoche ("Precious Snow Mountain"), to the Bon as Yungdrung Gutsek ("Nine stacked Svastikas").
For most travellers to Far-West Tibet (Ngari) in Purang county, the prime focus of their journey is the sacred peak of Mount Kailash (6714 m), Tibetan name is Gang Ti Se. This extraordinary mountain is regarded as the `heart of the world`, the àxis mundi`,the centre of Asia, by Buddhists, Hindus, Jains and followers of other spiritual traditions. Of all the special destinations for the traveller to reach, Mount Kailash is surely one of the most sublime and sacred. Its geographical position as the watershed of South Asia is unique and it is this which gives it a cosmic geomantic power. From its slopes flow four great rivers in the four cardinal directions - the Senge Tsangpo སེང་གཙང་པོ་ (Indus River) north, the Yarlung Tsangpo ཡར་ཀླུངས་གཙང་པོ་ (Brahmaputra) east, Karnali south into the Ganges གང་ག་, and the Langchen Tsangpo གཙང་པོ་ ( Sutlej River) west.
Mount Kailash itself is known in the Tibetan language as Gang Ti-se and informally as Gang Rinpoche ("Precious Snow Mountain"), to the Bon as Yungdrung Gutsek ("Nine stacked Svastikas").
Chos sku monastery The monks of ChökuChos sku (4850 m) report that their monastery was founded circa 1250 CE by a disciple of Gyelwa Götsangpa-Rgyal ba rgod tshang pa named Sanggyé Nyenpo-Sangs rgyas gnyan po. The current assembly hall (dükhang’dus khang) and protector chapel (tsenkhangbtsan khang) were rebuilt in the same place as their pre-modern predecessors. This Drugpa Kagyü’brug pa bka’ brgyud monastery is renowned for its talking statue of Chöku PakpaChos sku ’phags pa, which was once a protector of the Buddhist kings of GugéGu ge. This sacred image is said to have been brought from India to the monastery with the aid of the wily god Gang Ri LhatsenGangs ri lha btsan. Extensive monastic ruins are found on the slopes below the ChökuChos sku monastery. At this lower site there were at least one dozen sizable buildings and a number of smaller ones as well. The size of the rooms and characteristic constructional features of the structures demonstrate that most if not all were made with timber roofs. In aggregate, these ruins constitute a much larger monumental presence than that of the contemporary monastery. These lower structures are somewhat susceptible to rockslides originating from the couloir above and this may have had something to do with their abandonment. Cultural luminaries such as Sherap ZangpoShes rab bzang po (the head lama of sag thil monastery in GertséSger rtse) report that a large contingent of monks inhabited these ruins some 800 years ago. The monks of ChökuChos sku say that the 19th century CE lama Padma DegyelPadma bde rgyal reoccupied some of the structures below their monastery with his many followers. Also below Chöku-Chos sku monastery there are a series of caves in the cliffs, the most famous of which is Langchen Puk-Glang chen phug (Elephant Cave). Guru Rinpoché-Gu ru rin po che is supposed to have meditated in this cave. Langchen Puk-Glang chen phug is 6 m in length and has several collateral chambers. Two other caves in the vicinity associated with Guru Rinpoché-Gu ru rin po che are Chöpuk-Chos phug (Buddhism Cave) and Padma Puk-Padma phug (Lotus Cave). Another cave, Khyung Puk-Khyung phug (located below the Guru Drupchu-Gu ru sgrub chu spring), is thought to have a self-formed Khyung-khyung (horned eagle) on the ceiling. རས་ཆེན་ཕུག་དང་གཉན་པོ་རི་རྫོང་། ras chen phug dang gnyan po ri rdzong > Rechen Puk Dang Nyenpori Dzong - Mighty Mountain Fortress/ མྱང་པོ་རི་རྫོང་། myang po ri rdzong - Nyangpori Dzong Read more: places.thlib.org/features/iframe/16648#ixzz1mdDJ7Cyp
Mount Kailash itself is known in the Tibetan language as Gang Ti-se and informally as Gang Rinpoche ("Precious Snow Mountain"), to the Bon as Yungdrung Gutsek ("Nine stacked Svastikas"). Though only 6714 m high, it stands quite alone like a great white sentinel guarding the main routes into Tibet from India and Nepal in the south and west.
Traditionally a pilgrim undertakes the 52-km trekking cirquit or cicumambulation (khorlam) around Mount Kailash commencing at Darchen (4575 m) and crossing the 5630 m Dolma La pass on the second day of the three-day walk. This is followed by a trek of the same duration around the beautiful turquiose Lake Manasarovar known in the Tibetan language as Mapham Yutso མ་ཕམ་གཡུ་མཚོ།
<a href="http://www.footprinttravelguides.com/c/2848/tibet/&Action=pr...www.footprinttravelguides.com/c/2848/tibet/&Action=pr...
For most travellers to Far-West Tibet (Ngari) in Purang county, the prime focus of their journey is the sacred peak of Mount Kailash (6714 m), Tibetan name is Gang Ti Se. This extraordinary mountain is regarded as the `heart of the world`, the àxis mundi`,the centre of Asia, by Buddhists, Hindus, Jains and followers of other spiritual traditions. Of all the special destinations for the traveller to reach, Mount Kailash is surely one of the most sublime and sacred. Its geographical position as the watershed of South Asia is unique and it is this which gives it a cosmic geomantic power. From its slopes flow four great rivers in the four cardinal directions - the Senge Tsangpo སེང་གཙང་པོ་ (Indus River) north, the Yarlung Tsangpo ཡར་ཀླུངས་གཙང་པོ་ (Brahmaputra) east, Karnali south into the Ganges གང་ག་, and the Langchen Tsangpo གཙང་པོ་ ( Sutlej River) west.
Mount Kailash itself is known in the Tibetan language as Gang Ti-se and informally as Gang Rinpoche ("Precious Snow Mountain"), to the Bon as Yungdrung Gutsek ("Nine stacked Svastikas").
Tichung ཏི་སེ་ ཆུང་ (Small Kailash) 6200m
For most travellers to Far-West Tibet (Ngari) in Purang county, the prime focus of their journey is the sacred peak of Mount Kailash (6714 m), Tibetan name is Gang Ti Se. This extraordinary mountain is regarded as the `heart of the world`, the àxis mundi`,the centre of Asia, by Buddhists, Hindus, Jains and followers of other spiritual traditions. Of all the special destinations for the traveller to reach, Mount Kailash is surely one of the most sublime and sacred. Its geographical position as the watershed of South Asia is unique and it is this which gives it a cosmic geomantic power. From its slopes flow four great rivers in the four cardinal directions - the Senge Tsangpo སེང་གཙང་པོ་ (Indus River) north, the Yarlung Tsangpo ཡར་ཀླུངས་གཙང་པོ་ (Brahmaputra) east, Karnali south into the Ganges གང་ག་, and the Langchen Tsangpo གཙང་པོ་ ( Sutlej River) west.
Mount Kailash itself is known in the Tibetan language as Gang Ti-se and informally as Gang Rinpoche ("Precious Snow Mountain"), to the Bon as Yungdrung Gutsek ("Nine stacked Svastikas").
For most travellers to Far-West Tibet (Ngari) in Purang county, the prime focus of their journey is the sacred peak of Mount Kailash (6714 m), Tibetan name is Gang Ti Se. This extraordinary mountain is regarded as the `heart of the world`, the àxis mundi`,the centre of Asia, by Buddhists, Hindus, Jains and followers of other spiritual traditions. Of all the special destinations for the traveller to reach, Mount Kailash is surely one of the most sublime and sacred. Its geographical position as the watershed of South Asia is unique and it is this which gives it a cosmic geomantic power. From its slopes flow four great rivers in the four cardinal directions - the Senge Tsangpo སེང་གཙང་པོ་ (Indus River) north, the Yarlung Tsangpo ཡར་ཀླུངས་གཙང་པོ་ (Brahmaputra) east, Karnali south into the Ganges གང་ག་, and the Langchen Tsangpo གཙང་པོ་ ( Sutlej River) west.
Mount Kailash itself is known in the Tibetan language as Gang Ti-se and informally as Gang Rinpoche ("Precious Snow Mountain"), to the Bon as Yungdrung Gutsek ("Nine stacked Svastikas").
For most travellers to Far-West Tibet (Ngari) in Purang county, the prime focus of their journey is the sacred peak of Mount Kailash (6714 m), Tibetan name is Gang Ti Se. This extraordinary mountain is regarded as the `heart of the world`, the àxis mundi`,the centre of Asia, by Buddhists, Hindus, Jains and followers of other spiritual traditions. Of all the special destinations for the traveller to reach, Mount Kailash is surely one of the most sublime and sacred. Its geographical position as the watershed of South Asia is unique and it is this which gives it a cosmic geomantic power. From its slopes flow four great rivers in the four cardinal directions - the Senge Tsangpo སེང་གཙང་པོ་ (Indus River) north, the Yarlung Tsangpo ཡར་ཀླུངས་གཙང་པོ་ (Brahmaputra) east, Karnali south into the Ganges གང་ག་, and the Langchen Tsangpo གཙང་པོ་ ( Sutlej River) west.
Mount Kailash itself is known in the Tibetan language as Gang Ti-se and informally as Gang Rinpoche ("Precious Snow Mountain"), to the Bon as Yungdrung Gutsek ("Nine stacked Svastikas").
A footbridge now crosses the river Lha-chu and above it, nestling in the cliff face is the rebuilt Kagyu monastery of Choku Gonpa (4770 m), which was originally founded by Nyepo Drubtob in accordance with a prophesy of Gotsangpa.
The manastery was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution as whas 99% of all monasteries in Tibet.
The view of the south face of Gangs Rinpo Che, Gangs Ti Se or Kailash mountain, if clear, is striking. Below the monastery, but not discernible, is the Langchen Bepuk (Hidden Elephant Cave) where Padmasambhava stayed and meditated when he came to Mount Kailash
A footbridge now crosses the river Lha-chu and above it, nestling in the cliff face is the rebuilt Kagyu monastery of Choku Gonpa (4770 m), which was originally founded by Nyepo Drubtob in accordance with a prophesy of Gotsangpa.
The manastery was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution as whas 99% of all monasteries in Tibet.
The view of the south face of Gangs Rinpo Che, Gangs Ti Se or Kailash mountain, if clear, is striking. Below the monastery, but not discernible, is the Langchen Bepuk (Hidden Elephant Cave) where Padmasambhava stayed and meditated when he came to Mount Kailash
Also on this photo: (bottom right) 4 Tibetan gazelles "Goa དགོ་བ " (Procapra picticaudata)
For most travellers to Far-West Tibet (Ngari) in Purang county, the prime focus of their journey is the sacred peak of Mount Kailash (6714 m), Tibetan name is Gang Ti Se. This extraordinary mountain is regarded as the `heart of the world`, the àxis mundi`,the centre of Asia, by Buddhists, Hindus, Jains and followers of other spiritual traditions. Of all the special destinations for the traveller to reach, Mount Kailash is surely one of the most sublime and sacred. Its geographical position as the watershed of South Asia is unique and it is this which gives it a cosmic geomantic power. From its slopes flow four great rivers in the four cardinal directions - the Senge Tsangpo སེང་གཙང་པོ་ (Indus River) north, the Yarlung Tsangpo ཡར་ཀླུངས་གཙང་པོ་ (Brahmaputra) east, Karnali south into the Ganges གང་ག་, and the Langchen Tsangpo གཙང་པོ་ ( Sutlej River) west.
Mount Kailash itself is known in the Tibetan language as Gang Ti-se and informally as Gang Rinpoche ("Precious Snow Mountain"), to the Bon as Yungdrung Gutsek ("Nine stacked Svastikas").
Between Chiu Gompa and Kailash is 33km (straight line)
Chiu Gompa lies near the lake Mapham Yutso (Tibetan name) or Manasarovar tso (Hindi name)
The ancient Chiu Gompa Monastery, which has been built right onto a steep hill. It looks as if it has been carved right out of the rock.
In the background Mt Kailash or as Tibetans cal it Gangs Rin-po-che, meaning "precious jewel of snows" གངས་རིན་པོ་ཆེ།
Chiyu Gonpa also spelled Jiu Gonpa (`Sparrow Monastery`) at the lake`s western gateway sits atop a conical outcrop of red rock. Originally founded by the Drukpa Kagyu lama Kyapgon Gangriwa, inside there is a small shrine and cave where Padmasambhava meditated with his consort Yeshe Tsogyel before leaving this world. Various revered objects are to be found inside the cave, such as the granite rocks with clear imprints of Padmasambhava`s hands and feet. Above the cave there is a small temple containing (L-R): the reliquary stupa of Tsewang Lama who was responsible for rebuilding the complex during the 1980s, images of Vajrasattva, Padmasambhava, surmounted by a small Avalokiteshvara, and an old Padmasambhava, flanked by Mandarava and Yeshe Tsogyel. The spiritual practices followed here combine the termas of the Dudjom Tersar tradition and those of Jatson Nyingpo with Drukpa Kagyu liturgies. Above the temple there is a small protector chapel.
At Jiu Gon there is the source of the Sutlej River, known as the Ganga-chu or Langchen Khabab. When the fortunes of Tibet are low, it is almost dry, as is the present situation. The only water that remains is the brackish cusp of hot springs behind Jiu Gonpa, where a glass-roofed bathhouse has been constructed. The Tibetans have also created several open-air stone bath where you can wash yourself and your clothes in the clean hot water.
This is one impression i made in 2007 sept.
Kailash Kora is the best impression jou will ever get.Well dont forget the rest of Tibet.
Morning sun,Tibet:Mount Kailash (Kang Rinpoche) 6638m
གངས་རིན་པོ་ཆེ།
Slideshow Kailash Kora Set www.flickr.com/photos/reurinkjan/sets/72157603355495127/s...
Every year, thousands make a pilgrimage to Kailash, following a tradition going back thousands of years. Pilgrims of several religions believe that circumambulating Mount Kailash on foot is a holy ritual that will bring good fortune. The peregrination is made in a clockwise direction by Hindus and Buddhists. In the Hindu tradition the spiritual centre of the Universe is represented by Mount Kailas - a magnificent summit in the Himalayas with an altitude of more than 22,000 ft. The Buddhist tradition calls the Sacred Mountain Mount Meru which again is a symbol of the highest point in the spiritual Universe from where the whole of Creation can be contemplated. It is called Meru or Sumeru, according to the oldest Sanskrit tradition. Followers of the Jain and Bönpo religions circumambulate the mountain in a counterclockwise direction. The path around Mount Kailash is 52 km (32 mi) long.
Some pilgrims believe that the entire walk around Kailash should be made in a single day. This is not easy. 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.
Location of Mt Kailash Following the Chinese army entering Tibet in 1950, and political and border disturbances across the Chinese-Indian boundary, pilgrimage to the legendary abode of Lord Shiva was stopped from 1959 to 1980. 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 Tibet and thereafter travel over the great Tibetan plateau (ranging 10,000 to 16,000 feet) by car. The journey takes four night stops, finally arriving at Darchen (4600 m).
Walking around the holy mountain (a part of its official park) has to be done on foot, pony or yak; it takes three days of trekking starting from a height of around 15,000 ft to crossing the Dolma pass (19,000 ft) and encamping for two nights en route. First, near the meadow of Dirapuk gompa—2 or 3 km before the pass and second, after crossing the pass and going downhill as far as possible (viewing Gauri Kund in the distance).
Between Chiu Gompa and Kailash is 33km (straight line)
! འབྲོག་པ། བོད། / ཁྱེད་ཚོ་ང་ཚོའི་པར་རིས་དྲ་ཚིགས་སུ་ཕེབས་པར་དགའ་བསུ་ཞུ།
If you can not see Tibetan writing and you want to; Go to this site : www.flickr.com/groups/tibetanenvironment/
And if you want to learn more about Tibet བོད། ,Than join this group even when you do not have photo`s of Tibet. We try to answer all your searching questions about Tibet.
Maybe it is your next travel destination!"
Chiyu Gonpa also spelled Jiu Gonpa (`Sparrow Monastery`) at the lake`s western gateway sits atop a conical outcrop of red rock. Originally founded by the Drukpa Kagyu lama Kyapgon Gangriwa, inside there is a small shrine and cave where Padmasambhava meditated with his consort Yeshe Tsogyel before leaving this world. Various revered objects are to be found inside the cave, such as the granite rocks with clear imprints of Padmasambhava`s hands and feet. Above the cave there is a small temple containing (L-R): the reliquary stupa of Tsewang Lama who was responsible for rebuilding the complex during the 1980s, images of Vajrasattva, Padmasambhava, surmounted by a small Avalokiteshvara, and an old Padmasambhava, flanked by Mandarava and Yeshe Tsogyel. The spiritual practices followed here combine the termas of the Dudjom Tersar tradition and those of Jatson Nyingpo with Drukpa Kagyu liturgies. Above the temple there is a small protector chapel.
At Jiu Gon there is the source of the Sutlej River, known as the Ganga-chu or Langchen Khabab. When the fortunes of Tibet are low, it is almost dry, as is the present situation. The only water that remains is the brackish cusp of hot springs behind Jiu Gonpa, where a glass-roofed bathhouse has been constructed. The Tibetans have also created several open-air stone bath where you can wash yourself and your clothes in the clean hot water.
Darchen (4,575 m),more properly known and still signposted as Lhara, was formerly an important sheep station for the nomads and their flocks. Until the late 1980s it still consisted at that time of only two permanent buildings.
One survived the mass destruction of religious shrines during the Cultural Revolution, since it was said to have belonged to the Bhutanese government through the Drukpa Kagyu tradition, Which still claimed jurisdiction over it.
More recently, Mount Kailash has become a popular destination for tourists and trekkers, and Darchen has correspondingly chanced out of all recognition. Sleaze, garbage and prostitution are the hallmarks of this once tranquil pilgrims'trailhead. Consequently many visitors and pilgrimage groups now prefer to camp further west at Darpoche or to stay at Jiu Gonpa beside Lake Manasarovar, and send their guide on ahead to make the final preparations for the circuit of the sacred mountain.
> ལྷ་ ར་ . དར་ཆེན་ long prayer flag, sail, long prayer flag; a sail. standard; great flag. Darchen, Darpoche (dar po che), the Great Flag, at Mount Kailash.
Like to see these pictures as LARGE as your screen? Just click on this Slideshow : www.flickr.com/photos/reurinkjan/sets/72157627765541022/s...
Also visible is Tichung (Small Kailash) 6200m, it is that small snow cone on the left shoulder.
Mount Kailash itself is known in the Tibetan language as Gang Ti-se and informally as Gang Rinpoche ("Precious Snow Mountain"), to the Bon as Yungdrung Gutsek ("Nine stacked Svastikas"). Though only 6714 m high, it stands quite alone like a great white sentinel guarding the main routes into Tibet from India and Nepal in the south and west.
Traditionally a pilgrim undertakes the 52-km trekking cirquit or cicumambulation (khorlam) around Mount Kailash commencing at Darchen (4575 m) and crossing the 5630 m Dolma La pass on the second day of the three-day walk. This is followed by a trek of the same duration around the beautiful turquiose Lake Manasarovar known in the Tibetan language as Mapham Yutso མ་ཕམ་གཡུ་མཚོ།
Mount Kailash or Tibetan name Gang Rinpoche the source of some of the longest rivers in Asia: the Indus River, the Sutlej River (a major tributary of the Indus River), the Brahmaputra River, and the Karnali River (a tributary of the Ganges River).
There have been no recorded attempts to climb Mount Kailash; it is considered off limits to climbers in deference to Buddhist and Hindu beliefs. It is the most significant peak in the world that has not seen any known climbing attempts.
Every year, thousands make a pilgrimage to Kailash, following a tradition going back thousands of years. Pilgrims of several religions believe that circumambulating Mount Kailash on foot is a holy ritual that will bring good fortune. The peregrination is made in a clockwise direction by Hindus and Buddhists. Followers of the Jain and Bönpo religions circumambulate the mountain in a counterclockwise direction. The path around Mount Kailash is 52 km (32 mi) long.
This is one impression i made in 2007 sept.
Kailash Kora is the best impression jou will effer get.Well dont forget the rest of Tibet.
Sunset Drira Gompa and Mount Kailash (Kang Rinpoche)
Mount Kailash or Tibetan name Gang Rinpoche the source of some of the longest rivers in Asia: the Indus River, the Sutlej River (a major tributary of the Indus River), the Brahmaputra River, and the Karnali River (a tributary of the Ganges River).
There have been no recorded attempts to climb Mount Kailash; it is considered off limits to climbers in deference to Buddhist and Hindu beliefs. It is the most significant peak in the world that has not seen any known climbing attempts.
Every year, thousands make a pilgrimage to Kailash, following a tradition going back thousands of years. Pilgrims of several religions believe that circumambulating Mount Kailash on foot is a holy ritual that will bring good fortune. The peregrination is made in a clockwise direction by Hindus and Buddhists. Followers of the Jain and Bönpo religions circumambulate the mountain in a counterclockwise direction. The path around Mount Kailash is 52 km (32 mi) long.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Kailash
Slideshow Kailash Kora Set www.flickr.com/photos/reurinkjan/sets/72157603355495127/s...
Every year, thousands make a pilgrimage to Kailash, following a tradition going back thousands of years. Pilgrims of several religions believe that circumambulating Mount Kailash on foot is a holy ritual that will bring good fortune. The peregrination is made in a clockwise direction by Hindus and Buddhists. Followers of the Jain and Bönpo religions circumambulate the mountain in a counterclockwise direction. The path around Mount Kailash is 52 km (32 mi) long.
Some pilgrims believe that the entire walk around Kailash should be made in a single day. This is not easy. 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.
Location of Mt Kailash Following the Chinese army entering Tibet in 1950, and political and border disturbances across the Chinese-Indian boundary, pilgrimage to the legendary abode of Lord Shiva was stopped from 1959 to 1980. 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 Tibet and thereafter travel over the great Tibetan plateau (ranging 10,000 to 16,000 feet) by car. The journey takes four night stops, finally arriving at Darchen (4600 m).
Walking around the holy mountain (a part of its official park) has to be done on foot, pony or yak; it takes three days of trekking starting from a height of around 15,000 ft to crossing the Dolma pass (19,000 ft) and encamping for two nights en route. First, near the meadow of Dirapuk gompa—2 or 3 km before the pass and second, after crossing the pass and going downhill as far as possible (viewing Gauri Kund in the distance).
Mount Kailash or Tibetan name Gang Rinpoche the source of some of the longest rivers in Asia: the Indus River, the Sutlej River (a major tributary of the Indus River), the Brahmaputra River, and the Karnali River (a tributary of the Ganges River).
There have been no recorded attempts to climb Mount Kailash; it is considered off limits to climbers in deference to Buddhist and Hindu beliefs. It is the most significant peak in the world that has not seen any known climbing attempts.
Every year, thousands make a pilgrimage to Kailash, following a tradition going back thousands of years. Pilgrims of several religions believe that circumambulating Mount Kailash on foot is a holy ritual that will bring good fortune. The peregrination is made in a clockwise direction by Hindus and Buddhists. Followers of the Jain and Bönpo religions circumambulate the mountain in a counterclockwise direction. The path around Mount Kailash is 52 km (32 mi) long.
Like to see these pictures as LARGE as your screen? Just click on this Slideshow : www.flickr.com/photos/reurinkjan/sets/72157627765541022/s...
Mount Kailash itself is known in the Tibetan language as Gang Ti-se and informally as Gang Rinpoche ("Precious Snow Mountain"), to the Bon as Yungdrung Gutsek ("Nine stacked Svastikas"). Though only 6714 m high, it stands quite alone like a great white sentinel guarding the main routes into Tibet from India and Nepal in the south and west.
Traditionally a pilgrim undertakes the 52-km trekking cirquit or cicumambulation (khorlam) around Mount Kailash commencing at Darchen (4575 m) and crossing the 5630 m Dolma La pass on the second day of the three-day walk. This is followed by a trek of the same duration around the beautiful turquiose Lake Manasarovar known in the Tibetan language as Mapham Yutso མ་ཕམ་གཡུ་མཚོ།
Kangni Chorten with a wall of mani stones.
Mani stone are stone plates, rocks and/or pebbles, inscribed with the six syllabled mantra of Avalokiteshvara (Om mani padme hum, hence the name "Mani stone"), as a form of prayer in Tibetan Buddhism. The term Mani stone may also be used in a loose sense to refer to stones on which any mantra or devotional designs (such as ashtamangala) are inscribed. Mani stones are intentionally placed along the roadsides and rivers or placed together to form mounds or cairns or sometimes long walls, as an offering to spirits of place or genius loci. Creating and carving mani stones as devotional or intentional process art is a traditional sadhana of piety to yidam. Mani stones are a form of devotional cintamani.
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Before Mount Kailash lie the twin lakes of Manasarovar (4600 m) and Rakshas Tal (4584 m).South face
Mount Kailash itself is known in the Tibetan language as Gang Ti-se and informally as Gang Rinpoche ("Precious Snow Mountain"), to the Bon as Yungdrung Gutsek ("Nine stacked Svastikas"). Though only 6714 m high, it stands quite alone like a great white sentinel guarding the main routes into Tibet from India and Nepal in the south and west.
Traditionally a pilgrim undertakes the 52-km trekking cirquit or cicumambulation (khorlam) around Mount Kailash commencing at Darchen (4575 m) and crossing the 5630 m Dolma La pass on the second day of the three-day walk. This is followed by a trek of the same duration around the beautiful turquiose Lake Manasarovar known in the Tibetan language as Mapham Yutso མ་ཕམ་གཡུ་མཚོ།
Every year, thousands make a pilgrimage to Kailash, following a tradition going back thousands of years. Pilgrims of several religions believe that circumambulating Mount Kailash on foot is a holy ritual that will bring good fortune. The peregrination is made in a clockwise direction by Hindus and Buddhists. Followers of the Jain and Bönpo religions circumambulate the mountain in a counterclockwise direction. The path around Mount Kailash is 52 km (32 mi) long.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Kailash
The yak (Bos grunniens)(Tibetan: གཡག་; Wylie: g.yak) is a long-haired bovine found throughout the Himalayan region of south Central Asia, the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and as far north as Mongolia. In addition to a large domestic population, there is a small, vulnerable wild yak population. In Tibetan, the word gyag refers only to the male of the species; a female is a dri or nak. In most languages which borrowed the word, including English, yak is usually used for both sexes. The first Yaks were descended from European Ox.
Yaks are herd animals. Wild male yaks stand about 2 to 2.2 metres (6.6 to 7.2 ft) tall at the shoulder and average 1,000 kg (2,200 lb); the females weigh about one third of this. domesticated yaks are much smaller, males weighing 350 to 580 kg (770 to 1,300 lb) and females 225 to 255 kg (500 to 560 lb). Both types have long shaggy hair to insulate them from the cold. Wild yaks can be brown or black. Domesticated ones can also be white. Both males and females have horns.
Domestic yaks mate in about September; the females may first conceive at about 3–4 years of age, calving April to June about every other or every third year, apparently depending upon food supply. This gestation period is approximately 9 months. In the absence of more data, wild animals are assumed to mirror this reproductive behavior. Calves will be weaned at one year and become independent shortly thereafter. Yaks may live to somewhat more than 20 years.
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Mount Kailash itself is known in the Tibetan language as Gang Ti-se and informally as Gang Rinpoche ("Precious Snow Mountain"), to the Bon as Yungdrung Gutsek ("Nine stacked Svastikas"). Though only 6714 m high, it stands quite alone like a great white sentinel guarding the main routes into Tibet from India and Nepal in the south and west.
Traditionally a pilgrim undertakes the 52-km trekking cirquit or cicumambulation (khorlam) around Mount Kailash commencing at Darchen (4575 m) and crossing the 5630 m Dolma La pass on the second day of the three-day walk. This is followed by a trek of the same duration around the beautiful turquiose Lake Manasarovar known in the Tibetan language as Mapham Yutso མ་ཕམ་གཡུ་མཚོ།
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On a raised rock platform at the Kailash kora is a sky burial site, visited by many Tibetan pilgrims even though it is a detour.
Traditionally a pilgrim undertakes the 52 km trekking circuit or kora (khorlam) in a three-day walk.
The traveller who is prepared to undergo the rigours of this journey will come into contact with a way of life that has undergone little change for centuries, and experience the wonder of a unique wilderness and culture largely untouched by the modern world. Therefore, despite all drawbacks and hardships, to participate in a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash or simply to travel in this unique and stunningly beautiful and unpolluted natural environment can be one of life`s most rewarding experiences.
Sunset Drira Gompa and Mount Kailash (Gang Rinpoche) 6638m in between runs the river Lha chu.
Mount Kailash or Tibetan name Gang Rinpoche the source of some of the longest rivers in Asia: the Indus River, the Sutlej River (a major tributary of the Indus River), the Brahmaputra River, and the Karnali River (a tributary of the Ganges River).
There have been no recorded attempts to climb Mount Kailash; it is considered off limits to climbers in deference to Buddhist and Hindu beliefs. It is the most significant peak in the world that has not seen any known climbing attempts.
Every year, thousands make a pilgrimage to Kailash, following a tradition going back thousands of years. Pilgrims of several religions believe that circumambulating Mount Kailash on foot is a holy ritual that will bring good fortune. The peregrination is made in a clockwise direction by Hindus and Buddhists. Followers of the Jain and Bönpo religions circumambulate the mountain in a counterclockwise direction. The path around Mount Kailash is 52 km (32 mi) long.
Between Chiu Gompa and Kailash is 33km (straight line)
Chiu Gompa lies near the lake Mapham Yutso (Tibetan name) or Manasarovar tso (Hindi name)
The ancient Chiu Gompa Monastery, which has been built right onto a steep hill. It looks as if it has been carved right out of the rock.
.Manasarovar Lake lies at 4,556 m (14947.5 ft) above mean sea level. It is one of the highest fresh-water lakes in the world.Lake Manasarovar is relatively round in shape with a circumference of 88 kilometres (55 mi). Its depth is 90 m (300 ft) and its surface area is 320 square kilometres (120 sq mi). The lake freezes in winter and melts only in the spring. It is connected to nearby Lake Rakshastal by the natural Ganga Chu channel. Manasarovar is the source of the Sutlej River which is the easternmost large tributary of the Indus. Nearby are the sources of the Brahmaputra River, the mainstem Indus River, and the Karnali River (Ghaghara) which is an important tributary of the Ganges River, so this region is the hydrographic nexus of the Himalaya.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Manasarovar
Chiyu Gonpa also spelled Jiu Gonpa (`Sparrow Monastery`) at the lake`s western gateway sits atop a conical outcrop of red rock. Originally founded by the Drukpa Kagyu lama Kyapgon Gangriwa, inside there is a small shrine and cave where Padmasambhava meditated with his consort Yeshe Tsogyel before leaving this world. Various revered objects are to be found inside the cave, such as the granite rocks with clear imprints of Padmasambhava`s hands and feet. Above the cave there is a small temple containing (L-R): the reliquary stupa of Tsewang Lama who was responsible for rebuilding the complex during the 1980s, images of Vajrasattva, Padmasambhava, surmounted by a small Avalokiteshvara, and an old Padmasambhava, flanked by Mandarava and Yeshe Tsogyel. The spiritual practices followed here combine the termas of the Dudjom Tersar tradition and those of Jatson Nyingpo with Drukpa Kagyu liturgies. Above the temple there is a small protector chapel.
At Jiu Gon there is the source of the Sutlej River, known as the Ganga-chu or Langchen Khabab. When the fortunes of Tibet are low, it is almost dry, as is the present situation. The only water that remains is the brackish cusp of hot springs behind Jiu Gonpa, where a glass-roofed bathhouse has been constructed. The Tibetans have also created several open-air stone bath where you can wash yourself and your clothes in the clean hot water.
Between Chiu Gompa and Kailash is 33km (straight line)
Chiu Gompa lies near the lake Mapham Yutso (Tibetan name) or Manasarovar tso (Hindi name)
The ancient Chiu Gompa Monastery, which has been built right onto a steep hill. It looks as if it has been carved right out of the rock.
In the background Mt Kailash or as Tibetans cal it Gangs Rin-po-che, meaning "precious jewel of snows" གངས་རིན་པོ་ཆེ།
Chiyu Gonpa also spelled Jiu Gonpa (`Sparrow Monastery`) at the lake`s western gateway sits atop a conical outcrop of red rock. Originally founded by the Drukpa Kagyu lama Kyapgon Gangriwa, inside there is a small shrine and cave where Padmasambhava meditated with his consort Yeshe Tsogyel before leaving this world. Various revered objects are to be found inside the cave, such as the granite rocks with clear imprints of Padmasambhava`s hands and feet. Above the cave there is a small temple containing (L-R): the reliquary stupa of Tsewang Lama who was responsible for rebuilding the complex during the 1980s, images of Vajrasattva, Padmasambhava, surmounted by a small Avalokiteshvara, and an old Padmasambhava, flanked by Mandarava and Yeshe Tsogyel. The spiritual practices followed here combine the termas of the Dudjom Tersar tradition and those of Jatson Nyingpo with Drukpa Kagyu liturgies. Above the temple there is a small protector chapel.
At Jiu Gon there is the source of the Sutlej River, known as the Ganga-chu or Langchen Khabab. When the fortunes of Tibet are low, it is almost dry, as is the present situation. The only water that remains is the brackish cusp of hot springs behind Jiu Gonpa, where a glass-roofed bathhouse has been constructed. The Tibetans have also created several open-air stone bath where you can wash yourself and your clothes in the clean hot water.
Between Chiu (Jiu) Gonpa and Kailash is 33km (straight line)
Chiu Gompa lies near the lake Mapham Yutso (Tibetan name) or Manasarovar tso (Hindi name)
The ancient Chiu Gompa Monastery, which has been built right onto a steep hill. It looks as if it has been carved right out of the rock.
Mt Kailash 6638m,Gangs Rin-po-che, meaning "precious jewel of snows" གངས་རིན་པོ་ཆེ།
Mount Kailash (Tibetan: གངས་རིན་པོ་ཆེ, Gang Rinpoche; Sanskrit: कैलाश पर्वत, Kailāśā Parvata) is a peak in the Gangdisê Mountains, which are part of the Himalayas in Tibet. It lies near the source of some of the longest rivers in Asia: the Indus River, the Sutlej River (a major tributary of the Indus River), the Brahmaputra River, and the Karnali River (a tributary of the Ganges River). It is considered as a sacred place in five religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Ayyavazhi and the Bön faith. In Hinduism, it is considered to be the abode of Lord Shiva. The mountain lies near Lake Manasarowar and Lake Rakshastal are fresh-water lakes in Tibet .
Chiyu Gonpa also spelled Jiu Gonpa (`Sparrow Monastery`) at the lake`s western gateway sits atop a conical outcrop of red rock. Originally founded by the Drukpa Kagyu lama Kyapgon Gangriwa, inside there is a small shrine and cave where Padmasambhava meditated with his consort Yeshe Tsogyel before leaving this world. Various revered objects are to be found inside the cave, such as the granite rocks with clear imprints of Padmasambhava`s hands and feet. Above the cave there is a small temple containing (L-R): the reliquary stupa of Tsewang Lama who was responsible for rebuilding the complex during the 1980s, images of Vajrasattva, Padmasambhava, surmounted by a small Avalokiteshvara, and an old Padmasambhava, flanked by Mandarava and Yeshe Tsogyel. The spiritual practices followed here combine the termas of the Dudjom Tersar tradition and those of Jatson Nyingpo with Drukpa Kagyu liturgies. Above the temple there is a small protector chapel.
At Jiu Gon there is the source of the Sutlej River, known as the Ganga-chu or Langchen Khabab. When the fortunes of Tibet are low, it is almost dry, as is the present situation. The only water that remains is the brackish cusp of hot springs behind Jiu Gonpa, where a glass-roofed bathhouse has been constructed. The Tibetans have also created several open-air stone bath where you can wash yourself and your clothes in the clean hot water.
Smooth and smelling clean...
A lot of you requested that I spice things up a bit and do some artistic nudes of myself.
Ok... I made that up.
But I'm sure some of you were thinking that.
Right?
I heard that if you take it all off your views'll go through the roof.
Clubman is the oldest after shave sold in the United States... from France... they started selling it here in 1802. it's actually the stuff most barbers use after they give you a shave... and it leaves you with a clean... fresh smellling scent that people always ask about.
Stuffs' about as retro as you could get.
Like my hairy chest.
I took this photo before the tragic waxing 'incident.'
Thanks for all of the E-Cards and E-Flowers... I'm healing really well!
You can barely notice the skin grafts anymore!
I hope they see all of the attention this photograph gets them and they sign me up to be their spokesman.
It's also the cheapest aftershave known to man as well... some guys 'rebottle' it in order to ditch the cheesy plastic bottle.
I don't know what it is about this stuff... but it's the best... for the very best results use it with the Clubman Talc. There's some kind of synergy there.
I am completely naked in this picture.
And one very clean smelling guy.
Chöku Gompa in background and Mt Gonpo Pang
Slideshow Kailash Kora Set
www.flickr.com/photos/reurinkjan/sets/72157603355495127/s...
Every year, thousands make a pilgrimage to Kailash, following a tradition going back thousands of years. Pilgrims of several religions believe that circumambulating Mount Kailash on foot is a holy ritual that will bring good fortune. The peregrination is made in a clockwise direction by Hindus and Buddhists. Followers of the Jain and Bönpo religions circumambulate the mountain in a counterclockwise direction. The path around Mount Kailash is 52 km (32 mi) long.
The word Kailāśā means "crystal" in Sanskrit. The Tibetan name for the mountain is Gangs Rin-po-che, meaning "precious jewel of snows". Another local name for the mountain is Tisé (Tibetan: ཏི་སེ་) mountain, which derives from ti tse in the Zhang-Zhung language, meaning "water peak" or "river peak". In the Jain tradition, the mountain is referred to as Ashtapada.
Nomads ('brog pa,)crossing Lha chu Kailash kora
Kailash Kora Set : www.flickr.com/photos/reurinkjan/sets/72157603355495127/
Mount Kailash here seen some 35km away I am at Manasarowar tso.
Mount Kailash 6638m (Tibetan: གངས་རིན་པོ་ཆེ, Gang Rinpoche; Kailāśā Parvata) is a peak in the Gangdisê Mountains, which are part of the Himalayas in Tibet. It lies near the source of some of the longest rivers in Asia: the Indus River, the Sutlej River (a major tributary of the Indus River), the Brahmaputra River, and the Karnali River (a tributary of the Ganges River). It is considered as a sacred place in four religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and the Bön faith. In Hinduism, it is considered to be the abode of Lord Shiva. The mountain lies near Lake Manasarowar and Lake Rakshastal in Tibet.
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Mt Kailash Khora (Pilgrimage Circuit) - A pilgrimage to Mt Kailash involves nothing more or less than making circuits around the sacred mountain. The Outer Pilgrimage Circuit (Chikhor) is about 52km, and Tibetans can complete a circuit in a day. The majority of pilgrims try for 13 circuits, if they can. Some pilgrims do a circuit performing Kyangcha (Prostration). While the average circuit takes about 14 hours to complete, those doing prostration can take a couple of weeks. Those seeking to secure their path to enlightenment try for 108 circuits. Buddhists and Hindus travel clockwise around the mountain while Bonpos travel counter-clockwise. Most travelers take three days to complete a circuit.
Day 1 - Darchen - Drirapuk Gompa
Darchen - Chogu (Chuku) Gompa (3-4 hrs), Chogu (Chuku) Gompa - Drirapuk Gompa (3-4 hrs) Day 2 - Drirapuk Gompa - Dolma La - Zutrulpuk Gompa
Drirapuk Gompa - Zutrulpuk Gompa (7-8 hrs) Day 3 - Zutrulpuk Gompa - Darchen
Zutrulpuk Gompa - Darchen (3 hrs)
Mount Kailash 6638m(Tibetan: གངས་རིན་པོ་ཆེ, Gang Rinpoche; Kailāśā Parvata) is a peak in the Gangdisê Mountains, which are part of the Himalayas in Tibet. It lies near the source of some of the longest rivers in Asia: the Indus River, the Sutlej River (a major tributary of the Indus River), the Brahmaputra River, and the Karnali River (a tributary of the Ganges River). It is considered as a sacred place in four religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and the Bön faith. In Hinduism, it is considered to be the abode of Lord Shiva. The mountain lies near Lake Manasarowar and Lake Rakshastal in Tibet.
There have been no recorded attempts to climb Mount Kailash; it is considered off limits to climbers in deference to Buddhist and Hindu beliefs. It is the most significant peak in the world that has not seen any known climbing attempts.
Mount Kailash here seen some 35km away I am at Manasarowar tso.
Mount Kailash 6638m (Tibetan: གངས་རིན་པོ་ཆེ, Gang Rinpoche; Kailāśā Parvata) is a peak in the Gangdisê Mountains, which are part of the Himalayas in Tibet. It lies near the source of some of the longest rivers in Asia: the Indus River, the Sutlej River (a major tributary of the Indus River), the Brahmaputra River, and the Karnali River (a tributary of the Ganges River). It is considered as a sacred place in four religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and the Bön faith. In Hinduism, it is considered to be the abode of Lord Shiva. The mountain lies near Lake Manasarowar and Lake Rakshastal in Tibet.
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Before Mount Kailash lie the twin lakes of Manasarovar (4600 m) and Rakshas Tal (4584 m).South face
Mount Kailash itself is known in the Tibetan language as Gang Ti-se and informally as Gang Rinpoche ("Precious Snow Mountain"), to the Bon as Yungdrung Gutsek ("Nine stacked Svastikas"). Though only 6714 m high, it stands quite alone like a great white sentinel guarding the main routes into Tibet from India and Nepal in the south and west.
Traditionally a pilgrim undertakes the 52-km trekking cirquit or cicumambulation (khorlam) around Mount Kailash commencing at Darchen (4575 m) and crossing the 5630 m Dolma La pass on the second day of the three-day walk. This is followed by a trek of the same duration around the beautiful turquiose Lake Manasarovar known in the Tibetan language as Mapham Yutso མ་ཕམ་གཡུ་མཚོ།
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Names for the sacred Mountain:
Mt. Kailash / Mount Tise གངས་རིན་པོ་ཆེ། gangs rin po che,Kailash Snow Mountain གངས་ཏེ་སེ་ gangs tese,ri bo te se/ Ti Se snow mt རི་བོ་ཏི་རྩེ་ ri bo ti rtse, ཀེ་ལ་ཤ་ ke la sha, Precious Snow Mountain,mountain range of Mount Ti Se གངས་ཏེ་སེའི་རི་རྒྱུད gangs te se'i ri rgyud/ gangté serigyü ,Mt. Kailash ཀེ་ལ་ཤ་ ke la sha,Ti Se snow mt སྟོད་གངས་རིན་པོ་ཆེ tögang rinpoché,Nine stacked Svastikas གཡུང་དྲུང་ དགུ་ བརྩེགས་ Yungdrung Gutsek (Bon),
Names for the sacred Lake:
Manasarovar མ་ཕམ་གཡུ་མཚོ།,Mapham Yutso མ་ཕམ་གཡུ་མཚོ།,Ever-cool Lake/ another name of Manasarovar མཚོ་མ་དྲོས་པ tsoma dröpa,Divine Lotus Lake པད་མ་ལྷ་མཚོ་ padma lhatso,manasarovar eight qualities of perfect water ཆུ་ཡན་ལག་བརྒྱད་ལྡན chuyen lakgyenden,
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Before Mount Kailash lie the twin lakes of Manasarovar (4600 m) and Rakshas Tal (4584 m).South face
Mount Kailash itself is known in the Tibetan language as Gang Ti-se and informally as Gang Rinpoche ("Precious Snow Mountain"), to the Bon as Yungdrung Gutsek ("Nine stacked Svastikas"). Though only 6714 m high, it stands quite alone like a great white sentinel guarding the main routes into Tibet from India and Nepal in the south and west.
Traditionally a pilgrim undertakes the 52-km trekking cirquit or cicumambulation (khorlam) around Mount Kailash commencing at Darchen (4575 m) and crossing the 5630 m Dolma La pass on the second day of the three-day walk. This is followed by a trek of the same duration around the beautiful turquiose Lake Manasarovar known in the Tibetan language as Mapham Yutso མ་ཕམ་གཡུ་མཚོ།
See how small the Yaks and Yakdrivers are to the elements.View large on black
Every year, thousands make a pilgrimage to Kailash, following a tradition going back thousands of years. Pilgrims of several religions believe that circumambulating Mount Kailash on foot is a holy ritual that will bring good fortune. The peregrination is made in a clockwise direction by Hindus and Buddhists. Followers of the Jain and Bönpo religions circumambulate the mountain in a counterclockwise direction. The path around Mount Kailash is 52 km (32 mi) long.
Some pilgrims believe that the entire walk around Kailash should be made in a single day. This is not easy. 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.
Location of Mt Kailash Following the Chinese army entering Tibet in 1950, and political and border disturbances across the Chinese-Indian boundary, pilgrimage to the legendary abode of Lord Shiva was stopped from 1959 to 1980. 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 Tibet and thereafter travel over the great Tibetan plateau (ranging 10,000 to 16,000 feet) by car. The journey takes four night stops, finally arriving at Darchen (4600 m).
Walking around the holy mountain (a part of its official park) has to be done on foot, pony or yak; it takes three days of trekking starting from a height of around 15,000 ft to crossing the Dolma pass (19,000 ft) and encamping for two nights en route. First, near the meadow of Dirapuk gompa—2 or 3 km before the pass and second, after crossing the pass and going downhill as far as possible (viewing Gauri Kund in the distance).