Mount Kailash is part of the Trans-Himalaya in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China and situated in the Kailash Range.
Mount Kailash has a 6,638 m (21,778 ft) high peak in the Kailash Range.
Lake Manasarovar and Lake Rakshastal are close to Mount Kailash.
It is considered that Lake Rakshas, was born due to intense austerities performed by the demon King Ravana to please Lord Shiva.
The highest freshwater body in the world is Lake Manasarovar.
Mount Kailash is sacred in these four religions: Bon, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism.
In Sanskrit, the mountain is known as “Kailāsa” (कैलास).
The “Kailāsa” is derived from the word “kelāsa” (केलास), which means "crystal".
Gangs Rinpoche is the Tibetan name for the Mount Kailash is Gangs Rinpoche.
The Tibetan word analogous for snow peak to alp or Himalaya is Gangs or Kang.
Rinpoche means "precious one" so the combined translated means "precious jewel of snows".
Kangri Rinpoche is named "Tibetan Buddhists which means 'Precious Snow Mountain'.
Some of the names in Bon texts are Water's Flower, Mountain of Sea Water, Nine Stacked Swastika Mountain.
Hindus considered Mount Kailash as the home of the Hindu god Shiva and it is believed that Shiva resides here.
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According to Jains Mount Kailash is the place where their Tirthankaras was enlightened.
Tisé mountain means "water peak" or "river peak" is the local name for Mount Kailash which is derived from ti-tse in the Zhang-Zhung language. meaning "water peak" or "river peak".
Mount Kailash is also source of major Indian Rivers the Indus, Yarlung Tsangpo/Dihang/Brahmaputra, Karnali and Sutlej.
The religious significance of Mount Kailash
In Hinduism, Mount Kailash is the abode of God Shiva, who resided here along with his families such as goddess Parvati and their children, lord Ganesh and Lord Kartikeya.
In the Vishnu Purana, it is described that four faces of Mount Kailash are made up of crystal, ruby, gold, and lapis lazuli.
It is the heart of six mountain ranges and acts as a pillar of the world which symbolizing a lotus.
Rishabhadeva the first Tirthankara of Jainism is said to have attained nirvana on Mount Kailash.
Bharata Chakravart son of Rishabhdeva had constructed three stupas and twenty-four shrines of the 24 Tirthankaras with their idols after Rishabhdeva attained nirvana and named it Sinhnishdha.
According to Buddhist texts, Mount Kailash is also known as Mount Meru.
It is a major pilgrimage site for some Buddhists.
According to Vajrayana Buddhists, Mount Kailash is the home of the buddha Cakrasaṃvara (also known as Demchok).
Various sites of Mount Kailash region are associated with Padmasambhava.
Milarepa proponent of Vajrayana, also a proponent of the Bön religion of Tibet arrived in Tibet to challenge Naro Bönchung.
Bön, a religion is native to Tibet, called Mount Kailash the "nine-story Swastika Mountain" is the axis Mundi, Tagzig Olmo Lung Ring are made of crystal, ruby, gold, and lapis lazuli.
Pilgrimage to Mount Kailash
Every year, thousands of pilgrims visited Mount Kailash.
The Hindus and Buddhists hike in a clockwise direction whereas Jains and Bönpos hike the mountain in a counterclockwise direction.
Mount Kailash is 52 km (32 mi) long path.
It is considered That the entire walk around Kailash should be made in a single day, which is not an easy task.
It takes around 15 hours to complete the entire trek in possible fastest speed.
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| Mount Kailash Parikrama |
The mountain is located in a very remote and inhospitable area with a harsh climate of the Tibetan Himalayas.
In some places, resting places and shops and benches also exist to aid the pilgrims.
Mount Kailash is a stairway that leads to heaven.
Trekking
Pilgrimage to Mount Kailash was stopped from 1954 to 1978 due to the Sino-Indian border dispute.
Thereafter, a few numbers of Indian pilgrims have been allowed to visit the place.
under the supervision of the Chinese and Indian governments, Pilgrims can either travel by a lengthy and harsh trek over the Himalayan terrain by land from Kathmandu or from Lhasa.
Flights from Kathmandu to Lhasa are available and then pilgrims can go for the great Tibetan plateau by car.
The journey takes four-night stops, finally arriving at Darchen at an elevation of 4,600 m (15,100 ft), a small outpost that swells with pilgrims at certain times of the year.
Guesthouses are also available for foreign pilgrims, whereas some pilgrims sleep in their own tents.
A medical center is also there funded by the Swiss Ngari Korsum Foundation which was built in 1997.
Trekking has to be done on foot or domestic yak and takes around three days of trekking starting from the Tarboche (flagpole) to cross the Drölma pass and encamping for two nights on the route.
First stay before Drölma pass near Dirapuk gompa, some 2 to 3 km, and second stay after crossing the pass.
Mountaineering
In 1926, Hugh Ruttledge estimated the north face of Mount Kailash was 6,000 feet (1,800 m) which were very high and "utterly unclimbable".
Colonel R. C. Wilson with his Sherpa named Tseten, who was exploring another side of the mountain.
Tseten told Wilson, " Sahib, we can climb that!' ... as he too saw that the SE ridge is a feasible route to the summit."
In 1936, Herbert Tichy attempted to climb Gurla Mandhata. He asked, the Garpons of Ngari whether Kailash was climbable, the Garpon replied, "Only a man entirely free of sin could climb Kailash.
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