Sacred spaces and stunning landscapes! Magnificent temples, mountain passes, snow-capped peaks, nomad camps, pilgrims – this is truly a journey to stir the senses and nourish the soul – of all the destinations in Asia, the most sacred and sublime. The days of travel are long, the roads are dusty and bumpy – and it is a world that will take your breath away.
Buddhists dream about it, for most it is a must, not all can do it, some die while attempting to circumambulate it, above all from altitude sickness. For any adventurer, a journey to the Holy Mount Kailash is an unforgettable experience, the trek around it, a KORA, the highlight of its own. No matter how one can look at this stunning mountain, it belongs to a list of “must see and do” trips at least once in a lifetime.
Of incredible geomantic power Kailash (Sanskrit) or Kang Rinpoche (Tibetan) marks the center of the Earth for Buddhists, Hindus, Jains and Bon. To Buddhists it is the abode of Demchok, the wrathful manifestation of Buddha Sakyamuni. To Hindus it is the dwelling of Shiva, the destroyer and according to the Sanskrit tradition of Vishnu Purana it is a representation of Mount Meru, the cosmic mountain at the center of the universe. It is the place where the founder of Bon descended to Earthand where the founder of the Jain faith was spiritually awakened.
Kailash is also the geographical watershed of South Asia, here its great rivers are born – the Indus, the Sutlej, the Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra) and the Karnali / Ganges. At its foot lies the most venerated of Tibet’s lakes, Manasarovar, believed by Hindu’s to have been formed in the mind of Brahma.
Trip to Kailash is best combined with a side trip to the region that was once the heartland of Tibet, the ancient kingdom of Guge, flourishing here from the 9th to the 15thcenturies, with strong links to Ladakh and Kashmir, making it an important site in terms of Buddhist art history. The remains of this kingdom stand in a landscape so overwhelming as to defy description.
The 3-day circumambulation of Mount Kailash is challenging due to altitude, but within the capabilities of any healthy person – and timed to coincide with the full moon, it is an incredible experience.
Much of fine info on Kailash available also at Wikipedia.
It is the height rather than the terrain that makes the Kailash circuit a demanding walk. Apart from one or two steep rocky parts that require good shoes, it is fairly easy trekking.