Mount Kailash: Difference between revisions
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{{short description|Religious mountain in Tibet Autonomous Region}} |
{{short description|Religious mountain in Tibet Autonomous Region}} |
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{{ |
{{redirect2|Kailash|Kailas|other uses|Kailasha|and|Kailash (disambiguation)}} |
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{{pp |
{{pp|reason=Persistent [[WP:Disruptive editing|disruptive editing]]|small=yes}} |
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{{EngvarB|date=July 2015}} |
{{EngvarB|date=July 2015}} |
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{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}} |
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}} |
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{{Infobox mountain |
{{Infobox mountain |
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|fetchwikidata=ALL |
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|name=Mount Kailash |
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|photo=Kailash north.JPG |
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| map = China Tibet Ngari |
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|photo_caption=North face of Mount Kailash |
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| location = [[Burang County]], [[Tibet Autonomous Region]] |
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|map=China Tibet Ngari |
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| country = {{flag|China}} |
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|location=[[Burang County]], [[Tibet Autonomous Region]] |
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| label_position = right |
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|country={{flag|China}} |
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| listing = |
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|label_position=right |
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| range = [[Gangdisê Range]] |
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|listing= |
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| coordinates = {{coord|31|4|0|N|81|18|45|E|region:CN-54|display=it}} |
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|range=[[Gangdisê Range]] |
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| easiest_route = |
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|coordinates={{coord|31|4|0|N|81|18|45|E|region:CN-54|display=it}} |
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| native_name = {{ubl| |
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|easiest_route= |
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|native_name={{ubl| |
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|{{native name|bo|{{bo-textonly|གངས་རིན་པོ་ཆེ}}}} |
|{{native name|bo|{{bo-textonly|གངས་རིན་པོ་ཆེ}}}} |
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|{{native name|sa|कैलास}}}} |
|{{native name|sa|कैलास}}}} |
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|language=[[Tibetic languages|Tibetan]] |
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|map_size=300 |
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|first_ascent=Unclimbed (prohibited) |
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|elevation_m=6638<ref>{{cite web|title=The Snow Mountains of China: Kangrin Boqe Topographic Map|url=https://www.omnimap.com/catalog/int/china2.htm#p2|access-date=13 November 2023|date=1997|archive-date=13 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231113175108/https://www.omnimap.com/catalog/int/china2.htm#p2|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://opentopomap.org/#map=13/31.05808/81.31780|title=Open Topo Map|access-date=13 November 2023|archive-date=23 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160623170954/http://www.opentopomap.org/#map=13/31.05808/81.31780|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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}} |
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'''Mount Kailash''' (also '''Kailasa'''; '''''Kangrinboqê''''' or ''Gang [[Rinpoche]]''; {{lang-bo|གངས་རིན་པོ་ཆེ}}; {{zh|s=冈仁波齐峰|t=岡仁波齊峰|p=Gāngrénbōqí Fēng}}; {{lang-sa|कैलास}}, {{IAST3|Kailāsa}}) is a mountain in [[Ngari Prefecture]], [[Tibet Autonomous Region]] of China. It lies in the [[Gangdise Shan|Kailash Range]] (Gangdisê Mountains) of the [[Transhimalaya]], in the western part of the Tibetan Plateau. Mount Kailash is |
'''Mount Kailash''' (also '''Kailasa'''; '''''Kangrinboqê''''' or ''Gang [[Rinpoche]]''; {{lang-bo|གངས་རིན་པོ་ཆེ}}; {{zh|s=冈仁波齐峰|t=岡仁波齊峰|p=Gāngrénbōqí Fēng}}; {{lang-sa|कैलास}}, {{IAST3|Kailāsa}}) is a mountain in [[Ngari Prefecture]], [[Tibet Autonomous Region]] of China. It lies in the [[Gangdise Shan|Kailash Range]] (Gangdisê Mountains) of the [[Transhimalaya]], in the western part of the [[Tibetan Plateau]]. The peak of Mount Kailash is located at an elevation of {{cvt|6638|m|ft|abbr=on}}, near the [[Tripoint|trijunction]] between [[China]], [[India]] and [[Nepal]]. |
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Mount Kailash is located close to [[Lake Manasarovar]] and [[Lake Rakshastal]]. The sources of four |
Mount Kailash is located close to [[Lake Manasarovar|Manasarovar]] and [[Lake Rakshastal|Rakshastal]] lakes. The sources of four rivers: [[Indus River|Indus]], [[Sutlej]], [[Brahmaputra River|Brahmaputra]], and [[Karnali River|Karnali]] lie in the vicinity of the region. Mount Kailash is sacred in [[Hinduism]], [[Buddhism]], [[Jainism]] and [[Bon|Bon religion]]. People from India, China, Nepal and other countries in the region undertake a [[pilgrimage]] to the mountain. The pilgrimage generally involves trekking towards Lake Mansarovar and a circumambulation of Mount Kailash. |
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While the mountain has been surveyed by climbers in the past, there have been no recorded successful ascent of the mountain. The climbing of the mountain is prohibited by the [[Chinese government]] due to its religious significance. |
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Many pilgrims from India, Tibet, Nepal, and other countries journey to venerate the mountain.<ref name="KI" /> |
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==Etymology== |
== Etymology == |
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The mountain is known as "''{{ |
The mountain is known as "''{{transliteration|sa|IAST|Kailāsa}}''" ({{lang|sa|कैलास}}; var. ''{{transliteration|sa|IAST|Kailāśa}}'' {{lang|sa|कैलाश}}) in Sanskrit.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sanskrit Dictionary|url=http://www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de/cgi-bin/monier/serveimg.pl?file=/scans/MWScan/MWScanjpg/mw0311-kesaragrAma.jpg|page=311|publisher=[[Monier-Williams]]|access-date=1 December 2023|archive-date=3 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181203104301/http://www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de/cgi-bin/monier/serveimg.pl?file=%2Fscans%2FMWScan%2FMWScanjpg%2Fmw0311-kesaragrAma.jpg|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://dsal.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/getobject.pl?c.2:1:1523.apte|title=Entry for कैलासः|publisher=Apte Sanskrit-English Dictionary|access-date=1 December 2023|archive-date=8 July 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120708062933/http://dsal.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/getobject.pl?c.2:1:1523.apte|url-status=dead}}</ref> The name could have been derived from the word "''{{transliteration|sa|IAST|kelāsa}}''" ({{lang|sa|केलास}}), which means "crystal".<ref>{{cite book|title=Encyclopedia of Hinduism|author1=Constance Jones|author2=James D. Ryan|year=2006|isbn=978-0-81607-564-5|publisher=Facts On File, Incorporated|page=220|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OgMmceadQ3gC&pg=PA220}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://faculty.washington.edu/prem/mw/k.html|title=Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary|last= Williams|first= Monier|quote= kelāsa m. crystal W|access-date=10 October 2017|archive-date=31 August 2018|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180831043117/http://faculty.washington.edu/prem/mw/k.html|url-status= dead}}</ref> |
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In his [[Tibetan languages|Tibetan]]-[[English language|English]] dictionary, [[Sarat Chandra Das]] states that 'kai la ca' ({{bo|w=kai la ca}}) from Sanskrit {{transliteration|sa|IAST|Kailāsa}} is used to denote the mountain.<ref name="Sarath">{{cite book|author=Sarat Chandra Das|year=1902|title=Tibetan-English Dictionary with Sanskrit Synonyms|publisher=Bengal Secretariat Book Depot|url=https://archive.org/stream/tibetanenglishdi00dassuoft#page/32/mode/1up|page=32}}</ref> The mountain is also called as ''Gang Rinpoche'' ([[Standard Tibetan|Tibetan]]: གངས་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་; {{zh|s=冈仁波齐峰|t=岡仁波齊峰}}) or ''Gang Tise'' locally.<ref name="Sarath"/><ref name="Gan">{{cite book|title=Mount Kailash the White Mirror|author=Nyima Samkar|year=2020|isbn=978-9-38702-385-7|publisher= Library of Tibetan Works & Archives|page=3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=83r3DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA3}}</ref><ref name="Brit"/> ''Gang Rinpoche'' means "snow jewel mountain" with ''Kang'' (or ''Gang'') being the Tibetan word meaning ''white mountain'' (snow peak) and ''[[rinpoche]]'' is an honorific meaning "precious one".<ref name="Gan"/><ref>{{cite journal |last=Shakspo |first=Nawang Tsering |date=1999 |title=The Role of Incarnate Lamas in Buddhist Tradition: A Brief Survey of Bakula Rinpoche's Previous Incarnations |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/43300761 |journal=The Tibet Journal |volume=24 |issue=3 |pages=38–47 |jstor=43300761 |issn=0970-5368}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://e-pao.net/epPageExtractor.asp?src=features.Imphal_Kangla_To_Ladakh_Kangla_Postulating_A_Kang_Culture_Belt_By_Niraj_Kumar_Chingngaih_Biak.html|title=Imphal's Kangla To Ladakh's Kangla - Postulating A Kang Culture Belt|work=e-pao|access-date=1 June 2024|quote=Kang is homonym with multiple meaning like mountain white...}}</ref> ''Gang Tise'' means "mountain of ice or cool".<ref name="Gan"/> |
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In his Tibetan-English dictionary, Chandra (1902: p. 32) identifies the entry for 'kai la sha' ({{bo|w=kai la sha}}) which is a [[loan word]] from Sanskrit.<ref>Sarat Chandra Das (1902). ''Tibetan-English Dictionary with Sanskrit Synonyms''. Calcutta, India: Bengal Secretariat Book Depot, [https://archive.org/stream/tibetanenglishdi00dassuoft#page/32/mode/1up page 32].</ref> |
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{{blockquote|"Tibetan Buddhists call it Kangri Rinpoche; 'Precious Snow Mountain'. [[Bon]] texts have many names: Water's Flower, Mountain of Sea Water, Nine Stacked Swastikas Mountain. For Hindus, it is the home of the Hindu god [[Shiva]]...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."|source=[[Alice Albinia]] lists some of the names for the mountain, and its religious significance to various faiths<ref>{{cite book|author=Alice Albinia|author-link=Alice Albinia|title=Empires of the Indus: The Story of a River|pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=oOQvAQAAIAAJ&q=%22wild+mountain+god%22 288(i)], [https://books.google.co.in/books?redir_esc=y&id=oOQvAQAAIAAJ&focus=searchwithinvolume&q=Sipaimen 288(ii)]|year=2008|publisher=[[John Murray (publishing house)|John Murray]]|isbn=978-0-71956-003-3}}</ref>}} |
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The [[Tibetan languages|Tibetan]] name for the mountain is '''Gang Rinpoche''' ([[Standard Tibetan|Tibetan]]: གངས་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་; {{zh|s=冈仁波齐峰|t=岡仁波齊峰}}). ''Gang'' or ''Kang'' is the Tibetan word for ''snow peak'' analogous to [[Wiktionary:alp|''alp'']] or ''hima''; ''[[rinpoche]]'' is an honorific meaning "precious one" so the combined term can be translated "precious jewel of snows". [[Alice Albinia]] lists some of the names for the mountain, and its religious significance to various faiths: |
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== Geography and topography == |
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{{blockquote|"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 Hindu god [[Shiva]] and it is believed that Shiva resides there; 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."<ref name="Albinia2008">{{cite book|author=Alice Albinia|author-link=Alice Albinia|title=Empires of the Indus: The Story of a River|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oOQvAQAAIAAJ&q=%22wild+mountain+god%22|year=2008|publisher=[[John Murray (publishing house)|John Murray]]|isbn=9780719560033|page=288}}</ref>|sign=|source=}} |
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[[File:Mt_Kailash_sat.jpg|thumb|Topography of the region with Mount Kailash in the background and [[Lake Manasarovar|Manasarovar]] (right) and [[Lake Rakshastal|Rakshastal]] lakes in the foreground]] |
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Mount Kailash is located in [[Ngari Prefecture]], [[Tibet Autonomous Region]] of China.<ref name="Gan"/><ref name="Brit">{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Kailas-Range|title=Mount Kailas|publisher=Britannica|access-date=1 December 2023|archive-date=1 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230601185353/https://www.britannica.com/place/Kailas-Range|url-status=live}}</ref> It lies in the [[Gangdise Shan|Gangdisê Mountains]] (also called as Kailash Range) of the [[Transhimalaya]], in the western part of the [[Tibetan Plateau]].<ref name="Freeman">{{cite journal|url=https://www.alpinejournal.org.uk/Contents/Contents_2003_files/AJ%202003%20103-110%20Freeman-Attwood%20Gangdise.pdf|title=Gangdise Mountains|journal=[[Alpine Journal]]|author=Freeman Attwood|year=2003|volume=4|pages=103–109|access-date=17 March 2024|archive-date=13 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221113213210/https://www.alpinejournal.org.uk/Contents/Contents_2003_files/AJ%202003%20103-110%20Freeman-Attwood%20Gangdise.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> The peak of Mount Kailash is situated at an elevation of {{cvt|6638|m}}.<ref name="Freeman"/> The region is located north of the western [[Tripoint|trijunction]] of the border between [[China]], [[India]] and [[Nepal]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.deccanchronicle.com/opinion/columnists/claude-arpi-china-playing-new-border-games-close-to-mt-kailash-883053|title=China playing new border games close to Mt Kailash|work=[[Deccan Chronicle]]|access-date=1 March 2024|date=23 February 2024|author=Claude Arpi|archive-date=28 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240228080736/https://www.deccanchronicle.com/opinion/columnists/claude-arpi-china-playing-new-border-games-close-to-mt-kailash-883053|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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Another local name for the mountain is '''Tisé''' mountain, which derives from ''ti tse'' in the [[Zhang-Zhung language]], meaning "water peak" or "river peak", connoting the mountain's status as the source of the mythical Lion, Horse, Peacock and Elephant Rivers, and in fact the [[Indus]], [[Yarlung Tsangpo]]/Dihang/[[Brahmaputra]], [[Ghaghara River|Karnali]] and [[Sutlej]] all begin in the Kailash-Lake Manasarovara region.<ref>{{citation | last=Camaria|first=Pradeep|title=Kailash Manasarovara on the Rugged Road to Revelation| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ftuRYXyX9S4C&q=kailash%20manasarovar%20mythical%20rivers&pg=PA15 | publisher=Abhinav | location=New Delhi | year=1996 | access-date = 11 June 2010|isbn=9788170173366}}</ref> |
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The major rivers rising from the western Gangdise mountains are the [[Yarlung Tsangpo]] (which becomes the [[Brahmaputra]]), the [[Indus]], the [[Sutlej]] and the [[Karnali River|Karnali]], a tributary of [[Ganges]].<ref name="Brockman"/><ref name="Freeman"/> All these river systems originate within a {{cvt|60|km}} stretch in the region.<ref name="Freeman"/> Mount Kailash is located on the banks of [[Lake Manasarovar|Manasarovar]], the highest freshwater lake in the world.<ref name="Brockman">{{cite book|last= Brockman|first=Norbert|date=2011|title=Encyclopedia of Sacred Places, Volume 1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M8HSEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT356|publisher=ABC-CLIO|page=356|isbn=978-1-59884-654-6|access-date=4 April 2019}}</ref> Mansarovar is a high altitude fresh water lake spread over an area of {{cvt|320|km2}} and overflows into [[Lake Rakshastal|Rakshastal]], an [[Endorheic basin|endorheic]] salt water lake.<ref>{{cite book|title=Himalayas Melting and Peninsular India Wilting|author=D. Raveendranathan|year=2017|isbn=978-1-947-20244-3|publisher=[[Notion Press]]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=97QpDwAAQBAJ&dq=rakshastal+endorheic+salt&pg=PT236|access-date=1 June 2024}}</ref> |
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== Geology == |
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[[File:Kailash north.JPG|thumb|The north face of Mount Kailash.]] |
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=== Geology === |
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The region around Mount Kailash and the Indus headwaters area is typified by wide-scale [[faulting]] of [[metamorphosed]] late-[[Cretaceous]] to mid-[[Cenozoic]] [[sedimentary rocks]] which have been [[intruded]] by [[Igneous rock|igneous]] Cenozoic [[granitic]] rocks. Mount Kailash appears to be a [[metasedimentary]] [[roof pendant]] supported by a massive [[granite]] base. The [[Cenozoic]] rocks represent offshore marine [[limestone]]s deposited before [[subduction]] of the [[Tethys Ocean|Tethys oceanic]] [[Crust (geology)|crust]]. These sediments were deposited on the southern margin of the Asia block during subduction of the Tethys oceanic crust before the [[Indian Plate|collision between the Indian and Asian continents]].<ref>[http://www.shangri-la-river-expeditions.com/wchinageo/indushwgeo/kailash&indushwgeo.html Geology and Geography of the Mt. Kailash area and Indus River headwaters in southwestern Tibet] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141228172630/http://www.shangri-la-river-expeditions.com/wchinageo/indushwgeo/kailash%26indushwgeo.html |date=28 December 2014 }} Pete Winn, Science Director, Earth Science Expeditions. Retrieved January 2014.</ref><ref>[http://plate-tectonic.narod.ru/chinageo1photoalbum.html Plate Tectonic & northern Pacific] Accessed January 2014.</ref> |
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The region around Mount Kailash are remnants of large ice sheets that covered the region during the [[Quaternary]] period, the last of which retreated about 10,000 years ago. The mountain might be a large [[metasedimentary]] [[roof pendant]] supported by a base of [[granite]]. The Indus headwaters area is typified by wide-scale [[faulting]] of [[metamorphosed]] late-[[Cretaceous]] to mid-[[Cenozoic]] [[sedimentary rocks]] interspersed with [[Igneous rock|igneous]] Cenozoic [[granitic]] rocks. The Cenozoic rocks represent offshore marine [[limestone]]s deposited before [[subduction]] of the [[Tethys Ocean|Tethys oceanic]] [[Crust (geology)|crust]]. These sediments were deposited on the southern margin of the Asia block during subduction of the Tethys oceanic crust before the [[Indian Plate|collision between the Indian and Asian continents]]. It also consists of [[sand dunes]] covering [[late Eocene]] volcanic forms interspersed with [[Cretaceous]] and Eocene sediments.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.shangri-la-river-expeditions.com/wchinageo/indushwgeo/kailash&indushwgeo.html|title=Geology and Geography of the Mt. Kailash area and Indus River headwaters in southwestern Tibet|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141228172630/http://www.shangri-la-river-expeditions.com/wchinageo/indushwgeo/kailash%26indushwgeo.html|archive-date=28 December 2014|author=Pete Winn|access-date=1 January 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://plate-tectonic.narod.ru/chinageo1photoalbum.html|title=Plate Tectonic & northern Pacific|access-date=1 January 2014|publisher=Plate tectonic|archive-date=15 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140115044015/http://plate-tectonic.narod.ru/chinageo1photoalbum.html|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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=== Climate === |
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==Religious significance== |
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The weather is fairly dry during April to June with day time temperatures of {{cvt|5 to 17|°C}} and night time temperatures of {{cvt|0 to 6|°C}}. The temperature starts to reduce in October and winters have much lower day time temperatures ranging from {{cvt|-4 to 0|°C}} and further lower in the night reaching up to {{cvt|-20|°C}} with January being the coldest.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tibettour.org/tibet-weather/best-time-to-visit-kailash.html|title=Tibet Weather|access-date=1 June 2024|work=Tibet tour}}</ref> [[Monsoons]] bring rain from late June to August with cold winds.<ref>{{cite report|url=https://www.mea.gov.in/Uploads/PublicationDocs/19148_Kailash_Mansarovar_Yatra_A_Guidebook_12-05-2006.pdf|date=12 May 2006|access-date=1 June 2024|title=Kailash Yatra|publisher=[[Government of India]]|page=60}}</ref> |
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[[Image:Hindukailash.JPG|thumb|An illustration depicting the Hindu holy family of Shiva.]] |
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[[Climate change|Global warming]] is described as happening three times faster (by about 0.3 C per decade) on the Tibetan Plateau than anywhere else in the world with lesser [[snowfall]] in the winter.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Qiu|first=Jane|date=1 July 2008|title=China: The third pole|journal=Nature|volume=454|issue=7203|pages=393–396|doi=10.1038/454393a|pmid=18650887|issn=1476-4687|doi-access=free|bibcode=2008Natur.454..393Q }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/sep/15/tibetan-plateau-glacier-melt-ipcc-report-third-pole|title=The world has a third pole – and it's melting quickly|date=15 September 2019|access-date=1 June 2024|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref> According to locals, the land around Mount Kailash has been growing warmer in recent years with winters not as cold as it used to be.<ref>{{cite news|date=9 January 2019|title=Ignoring climate change in the Himalayas|url=https://www.thethirdpole.net/en/climate/ignoring-climate-change-in-the-himalayas/|access-date=6 August 2022|publisher=The Third Pole|archive-date=6 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220806214227/https://www.thethirdpole.net/en/climate/ignoring-climate-change-in-the-himalayas/|url-status=live}}</ref> The retreating [[glacier]]s and thawing of the [[permafrost]] in the Tibet region might lead to uncertain effects on water resources of the region. These effects along with population explosion and tourism has put severe stress on the fragile ecosystem around Mount Kailash.<ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1088/1748-9326/abf7f0|title=Accelerating permafrost collapse on the eastern Tibetan Plateau|date=23 April 2021|author=Tanguang Gao|journal=Environmental Research Letters|volume=16|issue=5 |doi-access=free|bibcode=2021ERL....16e4023G }}</ref><ref>{{cite report|title=Kailash Sacred Landscape Conservation Initiative: Feasibility Assessment Report|url=http://www.icimod.org/resources/528|publisher=[[ICIMOD]]|date=22 June 2009|location=Kathmandu|pages=4|access-date=1 June 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Zomer|first1=Robert|title=Kailash Sacred Landscape Conservation Initiative: Feasibility Assessment Report|last2=Oli|first2=Krishna Prasad|publisher=[[ICIMOD]]|year=2011|url=https://lib.icimod.org/record/28328/files/WP_13-1.pdf|access-date=1 June 2024|pages=39–40}}</ref> |
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===In Hinduism=== |
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In [[Hinduism]], the mountain is traditionally recognized as the abode of [[Shiva]], who resides there along with his consort goddess [[Parvati]] and their children, [[Ganesha]] and [[Kartikeya]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Chandra |first1=Suresh |title=Encyclopaedia of Hindu Gods and Goddesses |date=1998 |publisher=Sarup & Sons |isbn=978-81-7625-039-9 |page=93|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mfTE6kpz6XEC |access-date=6 September 2023 |language=en}}</ref> |
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The intergovernmental organisation [[International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development]] (ICIMOD) is involved in a trans boundary project called the Kailash Sacred Landscape Conservation and Development Initiative in the region around Mount Kailash.<ref>{{cite web|title=About KSLCDI|url=https://www.icimod.org/initiative/about-ksl/|access-date=7 August 2022|publisher=[[ICIMOD]]|date=16 December 2019|archive-date=7 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220807101857/https://www.icimod.org/initiative/about-ksl/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=KSLCDI Components|url=https://www.icimod.org/initiative/ksl-components/|access-date=7 August 2022|publisher=[[ICIMOD]]|date=16 December 2019|archive-date=7 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220807101857/https://www.icimod.org/initiative/ksl-components/|url-status=live}}</ref> The organization is involved in ongoing efforts to generate climate data, and to device sustainable ways for people.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.deccanherald.com/world/icimod-collaborates-with-nasa-to-monitor-air-quality-in-the-hindu-kush-himalayas-3012327|title=ICIMOD collaborates with NASA to monitor air quality in the Hindu Kush Himalayas|date=27 May 2024|access-date=1 June 2024|newspaper=[[Deccan Herald]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.downtoearth.org.in/amp/story/environment/khar-s-experimentation-with-himalayan-nettle-brings-recognition-57880|title=Khar's experimentation with Himalayan nettle brings recognition|date=16 May 2017|access-date=1 June 2024|work=Down to Earth}}</ref> |
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In the ''Uttara Kanda'' section of the [[Ramayana|epic ''Ramayana'']], it is said that [[Ravana]] attempted to uproot the Mount Kailash as retaliation against [[Shiva]], who in turn, pressed his right big toe upon the mountain, trapping [[Ravana]] in between.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nationalmuseumindia.gov.in/prodCollections.asp?pid=19&id=3&lk=dp3 |title=National Museum, New Delhi |website=www.nationalmuseumindia.gov.in |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130517011405/http://www.nationalmuseumindia.gov.in/prodCollections.asp?pid=19&id=3&lk=dp3 |archive-date=2013-05-17}} </ref> This representation of Shiva is also referred to as [[Ravananugraha]] (form showing favour to Ravana) while seated upon Mount Kailash.<ref>{{cite book | last = Dallapiccola | first = Anna L. | title = [[Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend]] | publisher = [[Thames & Hudson]] <!-- | location = London --> | year = 2003 | chapter =Ravananugrahamurti| isbn = 978-0-500-51088-9 | chapter-url = http://www.credoreference.com/entry/thhll/ravananugrahamurti}} {{subscription required}}</ref> |
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== Mountaineering == |
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According to the [[Mahabharata|epic ''Mahabharata'']], it is said that the [[Pandava|Pandava brothers]], along with their wife [[Draupadi]], trekked to the summit of Mount Kailash on their path to liberation, as it is considered to be a gateway to the heaven of the [[Deva (Hinduism)|devas]], [[Svarga]].{{citation needed|date=September 2020}} |
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[[File:Kailash-Barkha.jpg|thumb|Mount Kailash from the south]] |
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In 1926, [[Hugh Ruttledge]], the deputy commissioner of [[Almora]], visited the area to meet the [[Garpon]] (local Tibetan leader) of Ngari. As the Garpon was away, he circumbulated Mount Kailash while studying it.<ref name="Nyima"/> He estimated the mountain to be {{cvt|6000|m}} high and described it as "utterly unclimbable". He thought about an ascent along the northeast ridge.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Notes on a Visit to Western Tibet in 1926|author=Hugh Ruttledge|journal=The Geographical Journal|date=1928 |volume=71|issue=5|pages=431–438 |publisher=The Royal Geographical Society|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1783276|access-date=1 June 2024|doi=10.2307/1783276|jstor=1783276 |bibcode=1928GeogJ..71..431R }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Kailās-Mānasarovar|author=Swami Pranavanand|year=1983|isbn=978-9-39359-205-7|publisher=[[University of Michigan]]|access-date=1 June 2024|page=225|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uvQdAAAAMAAJ&q=rutledge}}</ref> Ruttledge had been exploring the area with Colonel R. C. Wilson, who was on the other side of the mountain with a [[Sherpa people|Sherpa]] named Tseten. As per Wilson, Tseten told him that the southeast ridge represented a feasible route to the summit. Wilson explained that although they attempted to climb the mountain, they ran into heavy snowfall, making the ascent impossible.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Kailas Mountains|journal=[[Alpine Journal]]|url=http://www.alpinejournal.org.uk/Contents/Contents_1928_files/AJ%201928%20Vol%2040%2023-37%20Wilson%20Kailas%20Parbat.pdf|author=R.C.Wilson|year=1928|volume=40|access-date=1 June 2024|page=23-37}}</ref><ref name="Snelling">{{cite book|title=The Sacred Mountain:Travellers and Pilgrims at Mount Kailas in Western Tibet, and the Great Universal Symbol of the Mountain|year=1983|first=John|last=Snelling|publisher=East-West publishers|isbn=978-0-85692-111-7|pages=15–39, 84, 114–139}}</ref> |
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One description in the [[Vishnu Purana|''Vishnu Purana'']] of the mountain states that its four faces are made of [[crystal]], [[ruby]], [[gold]], and [[lapis lazuli]].<ref name=allen>[[Charles Allen (writer)|Allen, Charles]]. (1982). ''A Mountain in Tibet'', pp. 21–22. André Deutsch. Reprint: 1991. Futura Publications, London. {{ISBN|0-7088-2411-0}}.</ref> It is a pillar of the world and is located at the heart of six mountain ranges symbolizing a [[Nelumbo nucifera|lotus]]. The ''Vishnu Purana'' talks about Shiva sitting in a lotus position, engaged in deep meditation within the confines of a mountain, and fully immersed in a state of perpetual bliss.<ref name="TSM">{{cite journal |last1=Mohan |first1=T.S. |title=Kailash Yatra |journal=Hinduism Today |date=Jan–Mar 2012 |volume=34 |issue=1 |pages=18–33 |url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=70696022&site=eds-live&scope=site |issn=0896-0801 |id=70696022}}</ref> |
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[[Herbert Tichy]] visited the area in 1936, attempting to climb the mountain.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q2tYEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA29|title=Sacred Mountains of the World|author=Edwin Bernbaum|year=2022|isbn=978-1-10883-474-2|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|access-date=1 June 2024|page=29}}</ref> When he asked the local people whether Kailash was climbable, a Garpon replied: "Only a man entirely free of sin could climb Kailash. And he wouldn't have to actually scale the sheer walls of ice to do it – he'd just turn himself into a bird and fly to the summit".<ref name="Nyima">{{cite book|title=Mount Kailash the White Mirror|author=Nyima Samkar|year=2020|isbn=978-9-38702-385-7|publisher= Library of Tibetan Works & Archives|page=95|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=83r3DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA95}}</ref> [[Italy|Italian]] mountaineer [[Reinhold Messner]] was given the opportunity by the [[Government of China|Chinese government]] to climb the mountain in the mid-1980s. But he reportedly declined, saying "If we conquer this mountain, then we conquer something in people's souls. I would suggest they go and climb something a little harder."<ref name="Nyima"/><ref name="Unilad"/><ref>{{cite web|title=Kailash: the mountain that calls|url=https://www.suunto.com/sports/News-Articles-container-page/Kailash-the-mountain-that-calls/|access-date=6 August 2022|website=Suunto|archive-date=11 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220811145738/https://www.suunto.com/sports/News-Articles-container-page/Kailash-the-mountain-that-calls/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2001, permission was denied to a Spanish team, who requested to climb the peak.<ref name="No">{{cite web|url=https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/are-there-any-mountains-left-unclimbed/|title=Are there any mountains left unclimbed?|date=23 January 2021|access-date=1 June 2024|work=[[The Spectator]]}}</ref> Chinese authorities promised that any climbing activities on Mount Kailash were strictly prohibited.<ref>{{cite news|title=China to Ban Expeditions on Mount Kailash|url=http://www.tew.org/archived/kailash.ban.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718190919/http://www.tew.org/archived/kailash.ban.html|archive-date=18 July 2011|access-date=16 September 2016|newspaper=[[The Times of India]]|date=7 June 2001}}</ref><ref name="Nyima"/> {{As of|2023}}, there have been no known successful ascents of the mountain.<ref name="No"/><ref name="Unilad">{{cite news|url=https://www.unilad.com/news/world-news/mount-kailash-everest-never-climbed-162609-20231103|title=Mountain significantly smaller than Everest has never been climbed by a human|author=Brit Jones|date=3 November 2023|work=Unilad|access-date=1 December 2023|archive-date=7 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231107195610/https://www.unilad.com/news/world-news/mount-kailash-everest-never-climbed-162609-20231103|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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===In Jainism=== |
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[[File:Photo of lord adinath bhagwan at kundalpur.JPG|thumb|Rishabhadeva attained [[nirvana]] on Mount Kailash.]] |
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According to Jain scriptures, ''Ashtapada'' is the site where the first Jain [[Tirthankara]], [[Rishabhanatha]] attained [[Moksha (Jainism)|moksha]] (liberation).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-09-21/spiritual-destinations/29739255_1_manasarovar-water-moon |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120707034645/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-09-21/spiritual-destinations/29739255_1_manasarovar-water-moon |url-status=dead |archive-date=2012-07-07 |title=To heaven and back |date=2012-01-11 |work=[[The Times of India]] |access-date=2012-03-02}}</ref> In Jain tradition, it is believed that after Rishabhantha attained nirvana, his son emperor [[Bharata Chakravartin|Bharata]] had constructed three stupas and twenty four shrines of the 24 tirthankaras over there with their idols studded with precious stones and named it ''Sinhnishdha''.<ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y4aVRLGhf-8C&q=mount+Kailash+jainism&pg=RA1-PA273 | title=Faith & Philosophy of Jainism| isbn=9788178357232| last1=Jain| first1=Arun Kumar| year=2009| publisher=Gyan Publishing House}}</ref> |
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== Religious significance == |
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The text ''[[Nirvana Kanda]]'' mentions ''Ashtapada.''<ref>{{Cite web |last=admin |title=निर्वाणकांड (हिंदी) Nirvankand (Hindi) Archives |url=http://www.jinvanisangrah.com/category/%e0%a4%a8%e0%a5%88%e0%a4%ae%e0%a4%bf%e0%a4%a4%e0%a5%8d%e0%a4%a4%e0%a4%bf%e0%a4%95-%e0%a4%aa%e0%a5%82%e0%a4%9c%e0%a4%be%e0%a4%8f%e0%a4%81-naimittik-poojayen/%e0%a4%a8%e0%a4%bf%e0%a4%b0%e0%a5%8d%e0%a4%b5%e0%a4%be%e0%a4%a3%e0%a4%95%e0%a4%be%e0%a4%82%e0%a4%a1-%e0%a4%b9%e0%a4%bf%e0%a4%82%e0%a4%a6%e0%a5%80-nirvankand-hindi/ |access-date=2022-07-13 |website=Jinvani Sangrah |language=en-US}}</ref> |
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[[Image:Hindukailash.JPG|thumb|An illustration depicting the [[Hindu]] holy family of [[Shiva]] at [[Kailasha]]]] |
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Mount Kailash is considered sacred in [[Hinduism]], [[Buddhism]], [[Jainism]] and [[Bon]] religions.<ref name="KI">{{cite journal|last1=Izu|first1=Kenro|title=Passage to Kailash|journal=World Literature Today|date=2013|volume=87|issue=2|pages=68|doi=10.7588/worllitetoda.87.2.0068|s2cid=163370522 }}</ref><ref name="kmy">{{cite web|title=Kailash Manasarovar Yatra|url=https://kmy.gov.in/kmy/?lang=en|publisher=Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India|access-date=30 July 2022|archive-date=17 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220617011329/https://kmy.gov.in/kmy/?lang=en|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="NYT">{{cite news|author1=Karen Swenson|title=A Sacred Circuit in Tibet|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/16/travel/a-sacred-circuit-in-tibet.html|access-date=30 July 2022|work=The New York Times|date=16 March 2003|archive-date=30 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220730210137/https://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/16/travel/a-sacred-circuit-in-tibet.html|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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In Jain tradition, the 24th and last Tirthankara, [[Mahavira]], was taken to the summit of Meru by [[Indra]] shortly after his birth, after putting his mother [[Trishala|Queen Trishala]] into deep slumber. There he was bathed and anointed with precious unctions.<ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MEvZaVmBQtgC&pg=PA71 | title=India: Art and Culture, 1300-1900| isbn=9780030061141| last1=Welch| first1=Stuart Cary| last2=Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York| first2=N.Y.)| year=1985| publisher=Metropolitan Museum of Art}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url=https://sites.fas.harvard.edu/~pluralsm/affiliates/jainism/ritual/shantikalash.htm | title=Jainism Literature Center - Rituals | access-date=3 December 2018 | archive-date=16 August 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190816172741/https://sites.fas.harvard.edu/~pluralsm/affiliates/jainism/ritual/shantikalash.htm | url-status=dead }}</ref> |
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=== Hinduism === |
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{{Main|Kailasha}} |
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Mount Kailash (Kailasa) is known as [[Mount Meru (Buddhism)|Mount Meru]] in Buddhist texts. It is central to its cosmology, and a major pilgrimage site for some Buddhist traditions.<ref>{{cite book|author=Robert E. Buswell|title=Encyclopedia of Buddhism: A-L|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L34YAAAAIAAJ|year=2004|publisher=Macmillan Reference |isbn=978-0-02-865719-6|pages=407–408}}</ref> |
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In [[Hinduism]], the mountain is traditionally recognized as the abode of [[Shiva]], who resides there along with his consort goddess [[Parvati]] and their children, [[Ganesha]] and [[Kartikeya]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Chandra|first1=Suresh|title=Encyclopaedia of Hindu Gods and Goddesses|date=1998|publisher=Sarup and Sons|isbn=978-8-17625-039-9|page=93|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mfTE6kpz6XEC&q=kailash|access-date=6 September 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Introduction to Hinduism|author=Sree Sree Gita Sangha|year=2015|isbn=978-1-32927-984-1|publisher=[[Lulu Press]]|page=13|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MIkRCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA13|access-date=1 June 2024}}</ref> [[Hindus]] believe Kailash to be the [[Mount Meru]], which is considered to be a stairway to [[Svarga|heaven]], where the [[Deva (Hinduism)|devas]] reside.<ref name="Kaur">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j-grEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT38|title=Kailash - faith and beyond|author=Jagdish Kaur|year=2021|isbn=978-1-63832-772-1|publisher=[[Notion Press]]|page=38}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/travel/destinations/mount-kailash-facts-mindboggling-things-you-may-not-know-about-lord-shivas-home/articleshow/61220500.cms|title=Mount Kailash facts: mindboggling things you may not know about Lord Shiva's home|date=8 November 2019|access-date=1 December 2023|newspaper=[[The Times of India]]|archive-date=9 January 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240109191200/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/travel/destinations/mount-kailash-facts-mindboggling-things-you-may-not-know-about-lord-shivas-home/articleshow/61220500.cms|url-status=live}}</ref> According to the Hindu scriptures ''[[Āgama (Hinduism)|Agamas]]'' and sculptural depictions, [[Ravana]] attempted to uproot the mountain which was in his way, which enraged Shiva, who pressed his toe upon the mountain, trapping Ravana in between. Ravana sang hymns in praise of Shiva for a thousand years before he was released. This representation of Shiva is also referred to as [[Ravananugraha]] (meaning "form showing favour to Ravana") while seated upon Mount Kailash.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/tevaram-religion-and-philosophy/d/doc421141.html|access-date=1 June 2024|title=The Religion and Philosophy of Tevaram (Thevaram)|author=M. A. Dorai Rangaswamy|year=1958|chapter=Ravana-anugraha-murti}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Anugrahamurti|date=9 February 2017 |url=https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/anugrahamurti#hinduism|publisher=Wisdom Library|access-date=1 June 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Dallapiccola|first=Anna L.|title=[[Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend]]|publisher=[[Thames & Hudson]]|year=2003|chapter=Ravananugrahamurti|isbn=978-0-50051-088-9|chapter-url=http://www.credoreference.com/entry/thhll/ravananugrahamurti}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/opinions/2022/May/19/unique-depictions-of-ravana-in-karnatakas-mahakuta-2455602.html|title=Unique depictions of Ravana in Karnataka's Mahakuta|date=20 May 2022|access-date=1 June 2022|work=[[The New Indian Express]]}}</ref> As per the ''[[Mahabharata]]'', the [[Pandavas]] along with their wife [[Draupadi]], traveled towards the summit of Mount Kailash as a means to reach the heaven but only [[Yudhishthira]], who was accompanied by a dog, was able to make it.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news24online.com/india/mysteries-of-kailash-what-are-these-9-foot-tall-entities-found-in-mansarovar-mkir/177672/|title=Mysteries of Kailash: What Are These 9-Foot Tall Entities Found In Mansarovar?|work=News24|date=4 October 2023|access-date=1 December 2023|archive-date=17 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240317113052/https://news24online.com/india/mysteries-of-kailash-what-are-these-9-foot-tall-entities-found-in-mansarovar-mkir/177672/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/358356740|title=Yudhishthira body still frozen in the glacier Kailash|date=February 2022|doi=10.13140/RG.2.2.23153.15204|journal=ResearchGate|author=Manoj Nalanagula}}</ref> |
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[[File:KailashTanka.JPG|thumb|[[Thangka]] depicting Mount Kailash]] |
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[[Vajrayana]] Buddhists believe that Mount Kailash is the home of the [[buddhahood|buddha]] [[Cakrasaṃvara Tantra|Cakrasaṃvara]] (also known as Demchok), who represents supreme bliss.{{fact|date=February 2022}} |
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While the [[Hindu epic]]s ''[[Ramayana]]'' and Mahabharata mention Kailash and Mansarovar, it is described further in the various ''[[Puranas]]'', linking Kailash to Mount Meru. The [[Vedas]] and the ''[[Vishnu Purana]]'' (2nd century BCE) state that it lies in the center of the world surrounded by six mountain ranges similar to a [[Nelumbo nucifera|lotus]]. It also states that the mountain is eight thousand [[League (unit)|leagues]] tall and the four faces were made of [[crystal]], [[ruby]], [[gold]], and [[lapis lazuli]].<ref name="Allen">{{cite book|author=[[Charles Allen (writer)|Allen, Charles]]|year=1982|title=A Mountain in Tibet|page=14|publisher=Futura Publications|isbn=978-1-40552-497-1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nCZrEg5F_XEC&pg=PT14}}</ref><ref name="Kaur"/> Shiva is described as sitting in a lotus position, engaged in meditation within the confines of a mountain.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VnHsDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA65|access-date=1 June 2024|page=65|title=Yogalosophy: Exploring Yoga and more|year=2020|publisher=Bahona|author=Pankaj Bora}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Mohan|first1=T.S.|title=Kailash Yatra|journal=Hinduism Today|date=Jan–Mar 2012|volume=34|issue=1|pages=18–33|issn=0896-0801|id=70696022}}</ref> |
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Numerous sites in the region are associated with [[Padmasambhava]], whose [[tantra|tantric practices]] in holy sites around Tibet are credited with finally establishing Buddhism as the main religion of the country in the 7th–8th century CE.<ref>''The Sacred Mountain'', pp. 39, 33, 35, 225, 280, 353, 362–363, 377–378</ref> |
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===Jainism=== |
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It is said that [[Milarepa]] ({{Circa|1052|1135}}), champion of Vajrayana, arrived in Tibet to challenge Naro Bönchung, champion of the [[Bön]] religion of Tibet. The two magicians engaged in a terrifying sorcerers' battle, but neither was able to gain a decisive advantage. Finally, it was agreed that whoever could reach the summit of Kailash most rapidly would be the victor. While Naro Bönchung sat on magic [[drum]] and soared up the slope, Milarepa's followers were dumbfounded to see him sitting still and meditating. Yet when Naro Bönchung was nearly at the top, Milarepa suddenly moved into action and overtook him by riding on [[sunlight]], thus winning the contest. He did, however, fling a handful of snow on to the top of a nearby mountain, since known as Bönri, bequeathing it to the Bönpo and thereby ensuring continued Bönpo connections with the region.<ref>''The Sacred Mountain'', pp. 31, 33, 35</ref><ref>The World's Most Mysterious Places Published by Reader's Digest {{ISBN|0-276-42217-1}} pg.85</ref><ref>''The Sacred Mountain'', pp. 25–26</ref> |
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According to ''Ashtapada'', [[Rishabhanatha]], the founder of [[Jainism]] attained [[Moksha (Jainism)|moksha]] (liberation) on Mount Kailash. It is believed by Jains that after Rishabhanatha attained nirvana, his son emperor [[Bharata Chakravartin|Bharata]] had constructed three stupas and twenty four shrines of the 24 tirthankaras in the region with their idols studded with precious stones and named it ''Sinhnishdha'' and also attained moksha from Kailash. Later in order to protect the mountain, large pits were dug around the mountain and River Ganges was made to flow through it.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y4aVRLGhf-8C&pg=RA1-PA273|title=Faith & Philosophy of Jainism|isbn=978-8-17835-723-2|last1=Jain|first1=Arun Kumar|year=2009|publisher=Gyan Publishing House}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OGsrAAAAIAAJ|access-date=1 June 2024|title=Riṣabha Deva, the Founder of Jainism|author=Champat Rai Jain|year=1929|publisher=Indian Press}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-09-21/spiritual-destinations/29739255_1_manasarovar-water-moon|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120707034645/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-09-21/spiritual-destinations/29739255_1_manasarovar-water-moon|url-status=dead|archive-date=7 July 2012|title=To heaven and back|date=11 January 2012|newspaper=[[The Times of India]]|access-date=2 March 2012}}</ref> As per Jain traditions, the 24th and the last Tirthankara, [[Mahavira]], was taken to the summit of Meru by [[Indra]] shortly after his birth, after putting [[Trishala|his mother]] into deep slumber. There he was anointed with precious unctions.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MEvZaVmBQtgC&pg=PA71|title=India: Art and Culture, 1300-1900|isbn=978-0-03006-114-1|last1=Welch|first1=Stuart Cary|last2=Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York|first2=N.Y.)|year=1985|publisher=Metropolitan Museum of Art}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://sites.fas.harvard.edu/~pluralsm/affiliates/jainism/ritual/shantikalash.htm|title=Jainism Literature Center - Rituals|access-date=3 December 2018|archive-date=16 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190816172741/https://sites.fas.harvard.edu/~pluralsm/affiliates/jainism/ritual/shantikalash.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> |
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=== Buddhism and Bon === |
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==Pilgrimage== |
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[[File:KailashTanka.JPG|thumb|A [[Thangka]] depiction of Mount Kailash]] |
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{{stack|[[File:Jains at Kailash.jpg|thumb|[[Jain]] pilgrims paying obeisance to Tirthankar [[Rishabhdev]]a, and reciting the ''[[Bhaktamara Stotra]]'' near Kailash.]]}} |
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As per Buddhist texts, Mount Kailash (Kailasa) is known as the mythological [[Mount Meru (Buddhism)|Mount Meru]].<ref name="Mckay">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l3HsCgAAQBAJ&q=kailasa+buddhism+meru|page=13|title=Kailas Histories: Renunciate Traditions and the Construction of Himalayan Sacred Geography|author=Alex McKay|year=2015|isbn=978-9-00430-618-9|publisher=[[Brill Publishers]]|access-date=1 June 2024}}</ref><ref name="Chamaria"/> Kailash is central to its cosmology, and a major pilgrimage site for some Buddhist traditions.<ref>{{cite book|author=Robert E. Buswell|title=Encyclopedia of Buddhism: A-L|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L34YAAAAIAAJ|year=2004|publisher=Macmillan Reference|isbn=978-0-02865-719-6|pages=407–408}}</ref> In Buddhism, Kailash represents the father of the world and lake Mansarovar symbolizes the mother.<ref name="Brockman"/> Numerous sites in the region are associated with [[Padmasambhava]], who is credited with establishing Tantric Buddhism in Tibet in the 8th century CE.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l3HsCgAAQBAJ&q=Padmasambhava|page=84|title=Kailas Histories: Renunciate Traditions and the Construction of Himalayan Sacred Geography|author=Alex McKay|year=2015|isbn=978-9-00430-618-9|publisher=[[Brill Publishers]]|access-date=1 June 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Padmasambhava|title=Padmasambhava|publisher=[[Britannica]]|access-date=1 June 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5Gu9M-IrLigC&dq=%22kailasa%22+Padmasambhava&pg=PA187|page=187|access-date=1 June 2024|title=Discoveries in Western Tibet and the Western Himalayas|year=2003|author=International Association for Tibetan Studies|isbn=978-9-00415-520-6|publisher=[[Brill Publishers]]}}</ref> It is also regarded as the home of the deity [[Cakrasaṃvara Tantra|Demchung]].<ref name="Chamaria"/> |
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This pilgrimage journey, called yatra, is different because there are no well built temples, shrines, or comfort facilities in the traversing path that leads to the mountain.<ref name="KI" /> |
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=== The history of the Kailash-Manasarovar pilgrimage === |
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The history of the Mount Kailash pilgrimage is closely tied with the history of the pilgrimage to Lake Manasarovar. For this history, see the section [[Lake_Manasarovar#History_and_texts|History and texts]] on the [[Lake Manasarovar]] page. |
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[[Vajrayana]] Buddhists believe that saint [[Milarepa]] ({{circa|1052|1135}}) had a challenge with Naro Böncham, a follower of [[Bön]] religion of Tibet.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qKx7EAAAQBAJ&pg=PA395|page=395|access-date=1 June 2024|title=The Fourteenth Dalai Lama's Stages of the Path, Volume 1|author=[[Tenzing Gyatso|The Dalai Lama]]|year=2022|isbn=978-1-61429-793-2|publisher=Wisdom Publications}}</ref> The two engaged in a battle of wits with neither able to gain a decisive advantage. Finally, it was agreed that whoever could reach the summit of Kailash first would be the victor. While Naro sat on his magic [[drum]] to climb up the slope, Milarepa reached the summit riding on the [[sunlight|rays of the Sun]], thus winning the contest. He also gave the nearby mountain, since known as ''Bönri'' bequeathing it to Bön.<ref name="Nyima"/><ref>{{cite book|title=The Thakali: A Himalayan Ethnography|author=Michael Vinding|year=1998|isbn=978-0-90602-650-2|publisher=Serindia Publications|page=413|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eSGmZBO_WDQC&pg=PA413|access-date=1 June 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u9gdAAAAMAAJ&q=milarepa+snow+B%C3%B6nri|page=367|access-date=1 June 2024|title=The Tibet Guide|author=Stephen Batchelor|year=1987|isbn=978-0-86171-046-1|publisher=[[Wisdom Publications]]}}</ref> |
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=== The Kailash parikrama, or kora === |
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The Sanskrit word for circumambulation of a holy site is '[[Parikrama]]', and the Tibetan word for the same act is '[https://www.tibettravel.org/blog/complete-guide-to-tibetan-kailash-kora/#:~:text=Sep%2004%2C2017%20%2F%20by%20Kunga,to%20be%20holy%20and%20sacred. kora']. Both words are widely used to describe the act of circumambulating Mount Kailash. [[Pilgrim]]s of several religions believe that doing the parikrama/kora of Mount Kailash on foot is a spiritually beneficial practice that can bring various positive effects, such as the collection of meritorious karma, the cleansing of sins from one's consciousness, and good fortune. The circumambulation is made in a clockwise direction by Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains, while Bönpos circumambulate the mountain in a counterclockwise direction.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Bubriski |first1=Kevin |title=Kailash Yatra: a Long Walk to Mount Kailash through Humla |last2=Pandey |first2=Abhimanyu |publisher=Penguin Random House |year=2018 |location=New Delhi |pages=151}}</ref> |
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For the Bon people, the mountain was the centre of the ancient Bon empire of [[Zhang Zhung]] and the location where its founder descended from heaven to the earth. As per Bon beliefs, the mountain is the source of the mythical Lion, Horse, Peacock and Elephant Rivers which flowed in the four cardinal directions.<ref name="Chamaria">{{cite book|last=Chamaria|first=Pradeep|title=Kailash Manasarovara on the Rugged Road to Revelation|date=1996 |page=19|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kMyL80uBsEUC&pg=PA19|access-date=1 June 2024|isbn=978-8-17017-336-6|publisher=Abhinav Publications}}</ref> |
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In Tibet, the Kailash parikrama/kora begins and ends at [[Darchen]], at an elevation of {{convert|4670|m|abbr=on}}, a small outpost that swells with pilgrims at certain times of the year.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last1=Bubriski |first1=Kevin |title=Kailash Yatra: a Long Walk to Mount Kailash through Humla |last2=Pandey |first2=Abhimanyu |publisher=Penguin Random House |year=2018 |isbn=978-0670091119 |location=New Delhi |pages=151}}</ref> The path around Mount Kailash is {{convert|52|km|mi|abbr=on}} long. Walking around the mountain has to be done on foot, [[pony]] or [[domestic yak]], and takes some three days of trekking. The highest point on the pilgrimage is the Drölma pass at 5,650m (18,540 feet). One camps on two nights en route: firstlly, near the meadow of Dirapuk [[gompa]], some {{convert|2|to|3|km|abbr=on}} before the pass, and secondly, after crossing the pass and going as far downhill as possible (while passing by Gauri Kund lake less than a hundred meters below the Drolma La pass). The second night halt is often at Zutulphuk. |
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==Pilgrimage== |
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Most pilgrims take three days to complete the pilgrimage. Some pilgrims, usually Tibetans or Nepali people from high altitude regions, do it in a single day. Some other pilgrims venture a very demanding regimen, performing body-length [[prostration]]s over the entire length of the circumambulation. The pilgrim bends down, kneels, prostrates full-length, makes a mark with her fingers, rises to her knees, prays, and then crawls forward on hands and knees to the mark made by her fingers before repeating the process. With this method, the pilgrimage takes at least three weeks to complete.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Bubriski |first1=Kevin |title=Kailash Yatra: a Long Walk to Mount Kailash through Humla |last2=Pandey |first2=Abhimanyu |publisher=Penguin Random House |year=2018 |isbn=978-0670091119 |location=New Delhi |pages=163–165}}</ref> Tibetan and Himalayan Buddhist pilgrims often sing 'nyelu' songs while crossing the Dolma La pass. These Tibetan songs proclaim the timeless fraternity of all pilgrims who cross paths on a Kailash pilgrimage.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pandey |first=Abhimanyu |date=2023-04-20 |title=Ancient bonds: Joining the Kailash-Mansarovar yatra |url=https://frontline.thehindu.com/other/travel/white-space-ancient-bonds-lives-of-people-in-the-remote-places-along-the-kailash-mansarovar-pilgrimage-route-by-abhimanyu-pandey/article66706198.ece |access-date=2023-04-21 |website=frontline.thehindu.com |language=en}}</ref> |
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Due to its perceived sacredness to various religions, people undertake a pilgrimage called ''yatra'' to the mountain.<ref name="UK">{{cite web|url=https://pithoragarh.nic.in/kailash-mansarovar-yatra/|title=Kailash Mansarovar Yatra|publisher=[[Government of Uttarakhand]]|access-date=1 December 2023|archive-date=8 December 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231208084651/https://pithoragarh.nic.in/kailash-mansarovar-yatra/|url-status=live}}</ref> It is one of the oldest of the oldest pilgrimage routes, which has been in existence for over a thousand years.<ref name="Brockman"/> |
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Pilgrimage to the mountain increased in the 1930s but was affected later due to both China and [[the British Empire]] claiming the region.<ref name="Mckay"/> Religious pilgrimages to Mount Kailas and Manasarovar were permitted by China after the [[Annexation of Tibet by the People's Republic of China|its occupation of Tibet]] in 1950-51. While pilgrimage from India was guaranteed by the [[1954 Sino-Indian Agreement]], access was restricted after the subsequent [[1959 Tibetan uprising]] and the borders were closed after the [[Sino-Indian War]] in 1962.<ref name="Brit"/> After nearly two decades, pilgrimage from India was allowed in 1981 after an agreement between the governments of [[Government of India|India]] and China.<ref name="UK"/> The pilgirmage was suspended for three years since 2020 due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/mansarovar-yatra-unlikely-to-resume-for-fourth-consecutive-year/articleshow/97724958.cms?from=mdr|title=Mansarovar yatra unlikely to resume for fourth consecutive year|date=8 February 2023|access-date=1 December 2023|newspaper=[[The Times of India]]|archive-date=17 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240317113052/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/mansarovar-yatra-unlikely-to-resume-for-fourth-consecutive-year/articleshow/97724958.cms?from=mdr|url-status=live}}</ref> The route was re-opened in 2023 with new regulations.<ref name="Open"/> |
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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 devotion. For varied reasons for the different faiths that revere the mountain, setting foot on Mount Kailash's slopes and attempting to climb it is forbidden.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Snelling |first=John |title=The Sacred Mountain: a Complete Guide to Tibet's Sacred Mountain |publisher=Motilal Banarsidas Publishers |year=1990}}</ref> |
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Since the reopening of the pilgrimage route from India in 1981, the numbers of pilgrims going on the annual yatra has grown considerably.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Zomer|first1=Robert|title=Kailash Sacred Landscape Conservation Initiative: Feasibility Assessment Report|last2=Oli|first2=Krishna Prasad|publisher=ICIMOD|year=2011|location=Kathmandu|pages=10}}</ref> Before the closure in 2020, several thousand pilgrims from India were going to this pilgrimage every year.<ref>{{cite news|title=Kailash Manasarovar Yatra likely to see record numbers|url=https://kathmandupost.com/money/2018/05/16/kailash-manasarovar-yatra-likely-to-see-record-numbers|access-date=4 August 2022|work=Kathmandu Post|archive-date=4 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220804220717/https://kathmandupost.com/money/2018/05/16/kailash-manasarovar-yatra-likely-to-see-record-numbers|url-status=live}}</ref> Since 2015, aspiring pilgrims from India are required to apply in advance to the [[Ministry of External Affairs (India)|Ministry of External Affairs]] and specific number of passes are issued to pilgrims post computerized selection at random.<ref>{{cite news|title=Mansarovar Yatra: First-time pilgrims get preference in computerized draw of lots|newspaper=[[The Economic Times]]|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/mansarovar-yatra-first-time-pilgrims-get-preference-in-computerised-draw-of-lots/articleshow/69344332.cms?from=mdr|access-date=4 August 2022|archive-date=4 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220804220716/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/mansarovar-yatra-first-time-pilgrims-get-preference-in-computerised-draw-of-lots/articleshow/69344332.cms?from=mdr|url-status=live}}</ref> In India, the pilgrimage is organized by the Government of India and is permitted between June and September.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/travel/destinations/mansarovar-trek-interesting-things-to-know-before-planning-for-the-pilgrimage/articleshow/103206987.cms|title=Mansarovar Trek: Interesting things to know before planning for the pilgrimage|newspaper=[[The Times of India]]|date=2 September 2023|access-date=1 December 2023|archive-date=9 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231009115402/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/travel/destinations/mansarovar-trek-interesting-things-to-know-before-planning-for-the-pilgrimage/articleshow/103206987.cms|url-status=live}}</ref> Pilgrims from India travel through two routes opened for the purpose with border crossings at [[Lipulekh Pass|Lipu Lekh pass]] in [[Uttarakhand]] and the [[Nathu La|Nathu La pass]] in [[Sikkim]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Kailash Manasarovar Yatra|url=https://kmy.gov.in/kmy/?lang=en|access-date=4 August 2022|publisher=[[Government of India]]|archive-date=17 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220617011329/https://kmy.gov.in/kmy/?lang=en|url-status=live}}</ref> Since 2020, a motorable road is available till the Lipu Lekh pass through the Indian side of the Mahakali valley, before crossing over to China.<ref>{{cite news|date=11 May 2020|title=New road to Kailash Mansarovar via Lipulekh Pass and why Nepal is objecting to it|url=https://theprint.in/opinion/new-road-to-kailash-mansarovar-via-lipulekh-pass-and-why-nepal-is-objecting-to-it/418638/|access-date=6 August 2022|work=ThePrint|archive-date=6 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220806130517/https://theprint.in/opinion/new-road-to-kailash-mansarovar-via-lipulekh-pass-and-why-nepal-is-objecting-to-it/418638/|url-status=live}}</ref> The Nathu La route was opened in 2015 and involves travelling to [[Gangtok]] before crossing the Nathu La pass into China.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/alternate-route-for-kailash-mansarovar-yatra-will-become-operational-next-month-pm-modi-763281|title=Alternate Route for Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra Will Become Operational Next Month: PM Modi|work=[[NDTV]]|date=15 May 2015|access-date=1 December 2023|archive-date=17 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240317113052/https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/alternate-route-for-kailash-mansarovar-yatra-will-become-operational-next-month-pm-modi-763281|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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== Mountaineering == |
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{{stack|[[File:2005 Kailash with moon Tibet.jpg|thumb|upright|North View of Mount Kailash.]]}} |
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In 1926, [[Hugh Ruttledge]] studied the north face, which he estimated was 6,000 feet (1,800 m) high and "utterly unclimbable"<ref>''The Sacred Mountain'', p. 120</ref> and thought about an ascent of the northeast ridge, but he ran out of time. Ruttledge had been exploring the area with Colonel R. C. Wilson, who was on the other side of the mountain with his Sherpa named Tseten. Wilson said that Tseten told him: {{" '}}Sahib, we can climb that!' ... as he too saw that this [the SE ridge] represented a feasible route to the summit."<ref>''The Sacred Mountain'', p. 116</ref> Wilson went on to explain that although he was serious about climbing Kailash, he ran into unexpected difficulties: "Just when I discovered an easy walk to the summit of the mountain, heavy snow began to fall, making the ascent impossible."<ref>Further excerpts from Wilson's article in the ''[[Alpine Journal]]'' (vol. 40, 1928)</ref> |
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Since 2015, the pilgrimage from Nepal is generally done from the nearby [[Humla District|Humla district]] in northwestern Nepal.<ref name="Yatra"/> The [[April 2015 Nepal earthquake|April 2015 Nepal Earthquake]] resulted in the closure of the border crossing at [[Tatopani, Sindhupalchok|Tatopani]]-[[Zhangmu|Zangmu]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CTYFEQAAQBAJ&pg=PT86|access-date=1 June 2024|page=86|title=Kathmandu Chronicle:Reclaiming India–Nepal Relations|author1=K.V. Rajan|author2=Atul K. Thakuir|year=2024|isbn=978-9-35708-708-7|publisher=[[Penguin Random House]]}}</ref> Pilgrims also pray to Mount Kailash from within Nepal where it is visible from the Lapcha La pass above the [[Limi|Limi valley]] on a clear day.<ref>{{cite news|title=Limi-Lapcha could be an alternative route to Kailash Manasarovar|url=https://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/limi-lapcha-could-be-an-alternative-route-to-kailash-manasarovar|access-date=9 August 2022|work=The Himalayan Times|date=13 March 2021|archive-date=28 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220528050405/https://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/limi-lapcha-could-be-an-alternative-route-to-kailash-manasarovar|url-status=live}}</ref> Another route exists through the crossing at [[Rasuwa District|Rasuwa]]-[[Kyirong Town|Gyirong]].<ref>{{cite news|title=A Personal Account of Border Crossing Reveals the Deep Ties Between Nepal, China|url=https://thewire.in/world/all-roads-lead-north-nepal-china|access-date=9 August 2022|work=[[The Wire]]|archive-date=4 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210804190739/https://thewire.in/world/all-roads-lead-north-nepal-china|url-status=live}}</ref> Pilgrims could reach [[Lhasa]] by air before the journey to Lake Manasarovar or Darchen.<ref name="Open">{{cite news|url=https://kathmandupost.com/money/2023/05/08/pilgrims-to-kailash-discouraged-by-new-chinese-regulations|title=Pilgrims to Kailash discouraged by new Chinese rules|date=8 May 2023|access-date=1 June 2024|work=Kathmandu Post}}</ref> |
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[[Herbert Tichy]] was in the area in 1936, attempting to climb [[Gurla Mandhata]]. When he asked one of the Garpons of Ngari whether Kailash was climbable, the Garpon replied: "Only a man entirely free of sin could climb Kailash. And he wouldn't have to actually scale the sheer walls of ice to do it – he'd just turn himself into a bird and fly to the summit."<ref>''The Sacred Mountain'', p. 129</ref> |
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[[File:Yaks-Kailash-Manasarovar.jpg|thumb|[[Yaks]] are often used in the pilgrimage to Mount Kailash. Pictured are yaks on the banks of [[Lake Manasarovar]] with Mount Kailash in the background]] |
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[[Reinhold Messner]] was given the opportunity by the Chinese government to climb in the mid-1980s. But he declined, saying "If we conquer this mountain, then we conquer something in people's souls."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kailash: the mountain that calls |url=https://www.suunto.com/sports/News-Articles-container-page/Kailash-the-mountain-that-calls/ |access-date=2022-08-06 |website=Suunto |language=en}}</ref> |
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The pilgrimage involves trekking towards Lake Mansarovar and a circumambulation of Mount Kailash. The path around Mount Kailash is {{convert|53|km}} long.<ref name="UK"/> The circumambulation is made in a clockwise direction by Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains, while Bönpos circumambulate the mountain in a counterclockwise direction.<ref name="Yatra">{{cite book|last1=Bubriski|first1=Kevin|title=Kailash Yatra: a Long Walk to Mount Kailash through Humla|last2=Pandey|first2=Abhimanyu|publisher=[[Penguin Random House]]|year=2018|location=New Delhi|page=151, 163-165|url=https://lib.icimod.org/record/33919/files/icimodKailashYatra.pdf?type=primary|access-date=1 June 2024}}</ref> The circumambulation usually begins and ends at [[Darchen]], a small outpost located at an elevation of {{cvt|4670|m}} with the highest point at the Drölma pass situated at {{cvt|5650|m}}.<ref name="Yatra"/><ref name="Pilgrim">{{cite book|title=The Old Ways: A Journey on Foot|first=Robert|last=Macfarlane|year=2012|isbn=978-0-241-14553-1|publisher=[[Penguin Books]]}}</ref> |
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In 2001, reports emerged that the Chinese government had given permission for a Spanish team to climb the peak, which caused an international backlash. Chinese authorities disputed the reports, and stated that any climbing activities on Mount Kailash were strictly prohibited.<ref name="tew.org">{{cite web |title=China to Ban Expeditions on Mount Kailash |url=http://www.tew.org/archived/kailash.ban.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718190919/http://www.tew.org/archived/kailash.ban.html |archive-date=18 July 2011 |access-date=16 September 2016 |publisher=tew.org}}</ref> |
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Trekking around the mountain can be done on foot with support from a [[pony]] or [[domestic yak]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0mrhIRmegJIC&pg=PA2-IA3|page=2|access-date=1 June 2024|title=In Search of Blessing at Kailash and Manasarovar|author=Trilochan Dash|publisher=Trilochan Dash}}</ref> The circumbulation takes three days on average with the first day trek from Darchen to Dirapuk [[gompa]] for about {{convert|20|km}}, followed by a journey from Dirpauk to Zutulphuk via the Drölma pass for {{convert|16|km}} and the final trek from Zutulphuk back to Darchen.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TLhCDwAAQBAJ&q=zhutulpuk|page=27|access-date=1 June 2024|title=Kailash Maha Yatra|author=Amit Bhagat|publisher=Amit Bhagat }}</ref><ref name="Pilgrim"/> The most extreme method of doing the circumambulation (called ''Kora'') in Tibetan Buddhism is performed by doing full body-length [[prostration]]s over the entire stretch around the mountain.<ref name="Brockman"/> The pilgrim bends down, kneels, prostrates full-length, makes a mark with her fingers, rises to her knees, prays, and then crawls forward on hands and knees to the mark made by her fingers before repeating the process. With this method, the pilgrimage takes three weeks on average to complete.<ref name="Yatra"/> |
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==Access== |
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[[File:KailashMani.jpg|thumb|[[Mani stone]]s on the Kailash path.]] |
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[[File:KailashMani.jpg|thumb|left|[[Mani stone]]s on the path around Mount Kailash]] |
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Since the 1980s, the numbers of pilgrims going on a Kailash pilgrimage annually has grown considerably.<ref name=":0" /> In 2007, over 70,000 people visited the area around Mount Kailash and the two holy lakes nearby. Most of them were pilgrims, and these included about 18,000 foreign visitors (foreign here implying non-Tibetan/non-Chinese).<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Zomer |first1=Robert |title=Kailash Sacred Landscape Conservation Initiative: Feasibility Assessment Report |last2=Oli |first2=Krishna Prasad |publisher=ICIMOD |year=2011 |location=Kathmandu |pages=10}}</ref> In the years just before the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], several thousand pilgrims from India were going to this pilgrimage every year, mostly through Nepal.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kailash Manasarovar Yatra likely to see record numbers |url=https://kathmandupost.com/money/2018/05/16/kailash-manasarovar-yatra-likely-to-see-record-numbers |access-date=2022-08-04 |website=kathmandupost.com |language=English}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Mansarovar Yatra: First-time pilgrims get preference in computerised draw of lots |work=The Economic Times |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/mansarovar-yatra-first-time-pilgrims-get-preference-in-computerised-draw-of-lots/articleshow/69344332.cms?from=mdr |access-date=2022-08-04}}</ref> While many more aspire to undertake this pilgrimage, it remains out of reach for most due to high expenses; the risks and difficulties posed by the remoteness of Mount Kailash and the high-altitude of the pilgrimage route, and the unpredictable closures of this pilgrimage due to adverse developments in the regional geopolitics. |
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[[Pilgrim]]s believe that doing a circumambulation of Mount Kailash is a spiritually beneficial practice that can bring various positive effects, such as the cleansing of one's sins. Each circumambulation is considered to have fulfilled a life-death cycle.<ref name="Brockman"/> There are a lot of [[stupa]]s, flag poles, [[Buddhist monasteries]] and praying stations along the route. Many of the cultural artifacts along the route was destroyed during the [[Cultural Revolution]] of China from 1966 to 1976.<ref name="Brockman"/> Hindus take a ritual bath in the Manasarovar before doing circumambulation.<ref name="Brockman"/> Hindu text ''[[Skanda Purana]]'' states that "There are no mountains like the Himalaya, for in them are Kailas and Mansarovar. As the dew is dried up by the morning Sun, so are the sins of mankind dried up by the sight of the Himalaya."<ref name="UK"/> |
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Every year, Kailash pilgrimage is possible only between April and mid-October. April-June and September-October are recommended periods for the pilgrimage; in July and August, monsoonal rains can make the circumambulation somewhat challenging. Between late October and early April, the winter conditions can be extremely severe in this high, windswept corner of Tibet, and generally make the pilgrimage impossible.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Best Time to Visit Kailash Manasarovar: New Updates for 2022 |url=https://www.tibettravel.org/tibet-travel-advice/best-time-to-visit-kailash.html |access-date=2022-08-06 |website=Tibet Travel and Tours - Tibet Vista |language=en}}</ref> |
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Tibetan Buddhist pilgrims often chant ''om mani padme hum'' (jewel in the lotus) and sing ''nyelu'' songs while crossing the Dolma La pass which are believe to proclaim a fraternity amongst all pilgrims who cross paths on a Kailash pilgrimage.<ref name="Brockman"/><ref name="Hindu">{{cite news|last=Pandey|first=Abhimanyu|date=20 April 2023|title=Ancient bonds: Joining the Kailash-Mansarovar yatra|url=https://frontline.thehindu.com/other/travel/white-space-ancient-bonds-lives-of-people-in-the-remote-places-along-the-kailash-mansarovar-pilgrimage-route-by-abhimanyu-pandey/article66706198.ece|access-date=21 April 2023|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|archive-date=21 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230421070005/https://frontline.thehindu.com/other/travel/white-space-ancient-bonds-lives-of-people-in-the-remote-places-along-the-kailash-mansarovar-pilgrimage-route-by-abhimanyu-pandey/article66706198.ece|url-status=live}}</ref> As the mountain is located in a remote area of the Himalayas, very few facilities exist to aid during the pilgrimage.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vY5iDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT282|access-date=1 June 2024|page=282|title=Ultimate Book of Adventure: Life-Changing Excursions and Experiences Around the World|author=Scott McNeely|year=2018|isbn=978-1-45216-425-0|publisher=Chronicle Books}}</ref> For varied reasons for the different faiths that revere the mountain, setting foot on the slopes of the mountain or attempting to climb it is forbidden by law.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qxr3EAAAQBAJ&pg=PT43|page=43|access-date=1 June 2024|title=The Mystical Mount Kailasha|author=K Ravindran|year=2024|isbn=979-8-89277-208-2|publisher=[[Notion Press]]}}</ref><ref name="Snelling" /> |
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For all foreigners, including pilgrims from India and Nepal, passports and specific Chinese visas valid for the Kailash pilgrimage are necessary. |
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=== Routes through India === |
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Indian pilgrims have the option of going either through the annual Kailash pilgrimages organised by the [[Government of India]]'s [[Ministry of External Affairs (India)|Ministry of External Affairs]] (MEA),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kailash Manasarovar Yatra |url=https://kmy.gov.in/kmy/?lang=en |access-date=2022-08-04 |website=kmy.gov.in}}</ref> or through private groups organised by various travel companies. For the pilgrimages organised by the Government of India, a person has to be an Indian citizen with a passport valid for at least six months as on September 1 of the current year, besides certain other conditions.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kailash Manasarovar Yatra |url=https://kmy.gov.in/kmy/faq.do?lang=en |access-date=2022-08-09 |website=kmy.gov.in}}</ref> The selection of candidates by the government is done through a "fair computer-generated, random, gender-balanced selection process", through which the selected candidates are also assigned either of the two routes to Kailash currently open through India: the [[Lipulekh Pass|Lipu Lekh pass]] in [[Uttarakhand]] and the [[Nathu La|Nathu La pass]] in [[Sikkim]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kailash Manasarovar Yatra |url=https://kmy.gov.in/kmy/selectionProcessPage.do?lang=en |access-date=2022-08-09 |website=kmy.gov.in}}</ref> No private travel companies are allowed to conduct the Kailash-Manasarovar pilgrimage via these two routes. In each batch of Kailash Manasarovar Yatra organised by the Government of India, an Indian government official accompanies the group as a Liaison Officer.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kailash Manasarovar Yatra |url=https://kmy.gov.in/kmy/faq.do?lang=en |access-date=2022-08-09 |website=kmy.gov.in}}</ref> |
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* The Lipu Lekh route involves briefing and medical checks in [[Delhi]], from there travel to the Lipu Lekh pass, and beyond that travel in Tibet for the Kailash-Manasarovar pilgrimage. Till recently, the Lipu Lekh route required five-seven days of trekking along the Indian side of the Mahakali valley, from Narayan Ashram till the Lipu Lekh pass. Thereon, the travel to Taklakot and Darchen in Tibet would happen by bus or other vehicles. In 2020, a new motorable road was inaugurated to the Lipu Lekh pass through the Indian side of the Mahakali valley, removing the need to walk the Indian part of the Lipu Lekh route to Mount Kailash.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Team |first=ThePrint |date=2020-05-11 |title=New road to Kailash Mansarovar via Lipulekh Pass and why Nepal is objecting to it |url=https://theprint.in/opinion/new-road-to-kailash-mansarovar-via-lipulekh-pass-and-why-nepal-is-objecting-to-it/418638/ |access-date=2022-08-06 |website=ThePrint |language=en-US}}</ref> |
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* The Nathu La route involves briefing and medical checks in Delhi; then a flight from Delhi to [[Bagdogra Airport|Bagdogra]]; Bagdogra to Nathu La pass via [[Gangtok]], and three days of road journeys in Tibet till arrival in Darchen on the third day.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Holidays |first=Max |title=Kailash Mansarovar Yatra via Nathula Pass Sikkim |url=https://www.kailash-yatra.org/kailash-mansarovar-yatra-via-nathula-pass-sikkim.html |access-date=2022-08-06 |website=kailash-yatra.org |language=English}}</ref> |
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=== Routes through Nepal === |
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The groups organised by travel companies usually go through Nepal. People from all nationalities can go in these groups. Anyone who has the valid documents and can pay, can go with such groups. Generally, there are fewer medical requirements involved in going to Kailash-Manasarovar with private travel companies. |
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* In recent years, the general route via Nepal has been the route through the [[Humla District|Humla district]] in northwestern Nepal.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Bubriski |first1=Kevin |title=Kailash Yatra: a Long Walk to Mount Kailash through Humla |last2=Pandey |first2=Abhimanyu |publisher=Penguin Random House |year=2018 |isbn=978-0670091119 |location=New Delhi |pages=20}}</ref> This route involves three flights ahead of [[Kathmandu]]: Kathmandu-[[Nepalgunj]], Nepalgunj-[[Simikot]], and Simikot-[[Hilsa, Nepal|Hilsa]] (Simikot-Hilsa by helicopter). From Hilsa, the group crosses into Tibet (China). Hilsa to Darchen can be done within a single day. But generally, groups acclimatize at [[Taklakot]] for a night, and also tend to stay at Chiu Gumba by the shores of [[Lake Manasarovar]] for a night, before arriving at Darchen. |
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* There is also a possibility of viewing Mount Kailash from within Nepal. This is possible from the Lapcha La pass above the [[Limi|Limi valley]], in district Humla.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Bubriski |first1=Kevin |title=Kailash Yatra: a Long Walk to Mount Kailash through Humla |last2=Pandey |first2=Abhimanyu |publisher=Penguin Random House |year=2018 |location=New Delhi |pages=1}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Limi-Lapcha could be an alternative route to Kailash Manasarovar |url=https://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/limi-lapcha-could-be-an-alternative-route-to-kailash-manasarovar |access-date=2022-08-09 |website=thehimalayantimes.com|date=13 March 2021 }}</ref> This route involves trekking from Simikot to Lapcha La, a journey that usually takes 4-5 days. This option has been becoming known as a means to get the '[[Darshan (Indian religions)|darshan]]' of Kailash especially in times when entry into Tibet has become forbidden for any reason. |
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* A second major route through Nepal, which actually used to be the main route to Kailash through Nepal till the [[April 2015 Nepal earthquake|April 2015 Nepal Earthquake]], is the [[Tatopani, Sindhupalchok|Tatopani]]-[[Zhangmu|Zangmu]] route.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Bubriski |first1=Kevin |title=Kailash Yatra: a Long Walk to Mt Kailash through Humla |last2=Pandey |first2=Abhimanyu |publisher=Penguin Random House |year=2018 |location=New Delhi |pages=20}}</ref> It was closed for four years following extensive damage due to the 7.8 Richter-scale-intensity earthquake, till 2019.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=A Personal Account of Border Crossing Reveals the Deep Ties Between Nepal, China |url=https://thewire.in/world/all-roads-lead-north-nepal-china |access-date=2022-08-09 |website=The Wire}}</ref> Zangmu to Darchen is a 3-4 day drive.<ref>{{Cite web |last=http://www.himalayajourneys.com |first=Himalaya Journey Treks & Expedition- |title=Zhangmu Kailash Mansarovar tour - Himalaya Journey |url=https://www.himalayajourneys.com/tibet-zhangmu-kailash-mansarovar-tour.php |access-date=2022-08-09 |website=Himalaya Journey Treks |language=en}}</ref> |
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* A third major route through Nepal is the [[Rasuwa District|Rasuwa]]-[[Gyirong County|Gyirong]] route.<ref>{{Cite web |title=13 Days Kailash Pilgrimage Tour via Gyirong Port |url=https://www.tibettravel.org/kailash-tour/kailash-and-manasarova-tour.html |access-date=2022-08-09 |website=Tibet Travel and Tours - Tibet Vista |language=en}}</ref> Gyirong to Darchen is a three-day drive. This route is close to the Tatopani-Zangmu route, and became important especially in the period when the Tatopani-Zangmu route was closed for four years.<ref name=":2" /> |
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=== Routes through Tibet === |
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For private travel companies, both in Nepal and in Tibet (China), another important route to Kailash is the one via [[Lhasa]]. In this one, pilgrims first arrive at Lhasa by road, flight or other means, and from there they make a four-day road journey to Lake Manasarovar or Darchen.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kathmandu Lhasa Kailash Tour {{!}} Lhasa Kailash Tour {{!}} Tibet Kailash Travel |url=https://www.tibetkailash.com/kathmandu-lhasa-kailash-tour.html |access-date=2022-08-09 |website=www.tibetkailash.com}}</ref> Other than the Lipu Lekh route through India and the Humla route through Nepal, all the major routes to Kailash through Tibet - from Lhasa, Zangmu, Gyirong, and Nathu La - involve 3-4 days of long drives through the high-altitude [[Tibetan Plateau|Tibetan plateau]] and some mountain ranges on it, to reach to Darchen. |
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== Climate change == |
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Climate change due to [[Climate change|global warming]] is happening three times faster on the [[Tibetan Plateau]] than anywhere else in the world.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Qiu |first=Jane |date=2008-07-01 |title=China: The third pole |journal=Nature |language=en |volume=454 |issue=7203 |pages=393–396 |doi=10.1038/454393a |pmid=18650887 |issn=1476-4687|doi-access=free }}</ref> Mount Kailash is located in a mountain range upon the Tibetan Plateau, near the plateau's western edges. According to local observers, the land around Mount Kailash has been growing warmer in recent years; the pilgrimage season isn't as cold as it used to be.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-01-09 |title=Ignoring climate change in the Himalayas |url=https://www.thethirdpole.net/en/climate/ignoring-climate-change-in-the-himalayas/ |access-date=2022-08-06 |website=The Third Pole |language=en-US}}</ref> According to available data from the region, [[Glacier|glaciers]] are retreating, lakes are shrinking, the amount of barren land is increasing, and the eventual thawing of the [[permafrost]] in this region may lead to uncertain effects on water resources and [[Carbon cycle|carbon cycles]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Zomer |first1=Robert |title=Kailash Sacred Landscape Conservation Initiative: Feasibility Assessment Report |last2=Oli |first2=Krishna Prasad |publisher=ICIMOD |year=2011 |location=Kathmandu |pages=39–40}}</ref> The intergovernmental organisation [[ICIMOD]] is involved in ongoing efforts to generate knowledge on the ecological, social, and economic effects of climate change, and sustainable ways to cope with them, in the Chinese region around Mount Kailash and the bordering areas of [[Uttarakhand]] (India) and western [[Nepal]], in a transboundary project called the Kailash Sacred Landscape Conservation and Development Initiative.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About KSL |url=https://www.icimod.org/initiative/about-ksl/ |access-date=2022-08-07 |website=ICIMOD |date=16 December 2019 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=KSL Components |url=https://www.icimod.org/initiative/ksl-components/ |access-date=2022-08-07 |website=ICIMOD |date=16 December 2019 |language=en-US}}</ref> |
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== See also == |
== See also == |
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{{col-begin}} |
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{{col-2}} |
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* [[Sacred mountains]] |
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* [[Gurla Mandhata]] |
* [[Gurla Mandhata]] |
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* [[Kawagarbo]] |
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* [[Om Parvat]] |
* [[Om Parvat]] |
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* [[Adi Kailash]] |
* [[Adi Kailash]] |
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{{col-2}} |
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* [[Kinnaur Kailash]] |
* [[Kinnaur Kailash]] |
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* [[Manimahesh Kailash Peak|Mani Mahesh Kailash]] |
* [[Manimahesh Kailash Peak|Mani Mahesh Kailash]] |
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* [[Om Parvat]] |
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* [[Shrikhand Kailash]] |
* [[Shrikhand Kailash]] |
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* [[Kailash: A Journal of Himalayan Studies]] |
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* [[Sacred mountains]] |
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{{col-end}} |
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* ''[[Kailash: A Journal of Himalayan Studies]]'' |
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==References== |
==References== |
Revision as of 14:55, 16 July 2024
Mount Kailash | |
---|---|
North face of Mount Kailash | |
Highest point | |
Elevation | 6,638[1][2] m (21,778 ft) |
Coordinates | 31°4′0″N 81°18′45″E / 31.06667°N 81.31250°E |
Naming | |
Native name |
|
Geography | |
Country | |
Parent range | Gangdisê Range |
Climbing | |
First ascent | Unclimbed (prohibited) |
Mount Kailash (also Kailasa; Kangrinboqê or Gang Rinpoche; Standard Tibetan: གངས་རིན་པོ་ཆེ; simplified Chinese: 冈仁波齐峰; traditional Chinese: 岡仁波齊峰; pinyin: Gāngrénbōqí Fēng; Sanskrit: कैलास, IAST: Kailāsa) is a mountain in Ngari Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region of China. It lies in the Kailash Range (Gangdisê Mountains) of the Transhimalaya, in the western part of the Tibetan Plateau. The peak of Mount Kailash is located at an elevation of 6,638 m (21,778 ft), near the trijunction between China, India and Nepal.
Mount Kailash is located close to Manasarovar and Rakshastal lakes. The sources of four rivers: Indus, Sutlej, Brahmaputra, and Karnali lie in the vicinity of the region. Mount Kailash is sacred in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Bon religion. People from India, China, Nepal and other countries in the region undertake a pilgrimage to the mountain. The pilgrimage generally involves trekking towards Lake Mansarovar and a circumambulation of Mount Kailash.
While the mountain has been surveyed by climbers in the past, there have been no recorded successful ascent of the mountain. The climbing of the mountain is prohibited by the Chinese government due to its religious significance.
Etymology
The mountain is known as "Kailāsa" (कैलास; var. Kailāśa कैलाश) in Sanskrit.[3][4] The name could have been derived from the word "kelāsa" (केलास), which means "crystal".[5][6]
In his Tibetan-English dictionary, Sarat Chandra Das states that 'kai la ca' (Wylie: kai la ca) from Sanskrit Kailāsa is used to denote the mountain.[7] The mountain is also called as Gang Rinpoche (Tibetan: གངས་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་; simplified Chinese: 冈仁波齐峰; traditional Chinese: 岡仁波齊峰) or Gang Tise locally.[7][8][9] Gang Rinpoche means "snow jewel mountain" with Kang (or Gang) being the Tibetan word meaning white mountain (snow peak) and rinpoche is an honorific meaning "precious one".[8][10][11] Gang Tise means "mountain of ice or cool".[8]
"Tibetan Buddhists call it Kangri Rinpoche; 'Precious Snow Mountain'. Bon texts have many names: Water's Flower, Mountain of Sea Water, Nine Stacked Swastikas Mountain. For Hindus, it is the home of the Hindu god Shiva...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."
— Alice Albinia lists some of the names for the mountain, and its religious significance to various faiths[12]
Geography and topography
Mount Kailash is located in Ngari Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region of China.[8][9] It lies in the Gangdisê Mountains (also called as Kailash Range) of the Transhimalaya, in the western part of the Tibetan Plateau.[13] The peak of Mount Kailash is situated at an elevation of 6,638 m (21,778 ft).[13] The region is located north of the western trijunction of the border between China, India and Nepal.[14]
The major rivers rising from the western Gangdise mountains are the Yarlung Tsangpo (which becomes the Brahmaputra), the Indus, the Sutlej and the Karnali, a tributary of Ganges.[15][13] All these river systems originate within a 60 km (37 mi) stretch in the region.[13] Mount Kailash is located on the banks of Manasarovar, the highest freshwater lake in the world.[15] Mansarovar is a high altitude fresh water lake spread over an area of 320 km2 (120 sq mi) and overflows into Rakshastal, an endorheic salt water lake.[16]
Geology
The region around Mount Kailash are remnants of large ice sheets that covered the region during the Quaternary period, the last of which retreated about 10,000 years ago. The mountain might be a large metasedimentary roof pendant supported by a base of granite. The Indus headwaters area is typified by wide-scale faulting of metamorphosed late-Cretaceous to mid-Cenozoic sedimentary rocks interspersed with igneous Cenozoic granitic rocks. The Cenozoic rocks represent offshore marine limestones deposited before subduction of the Tethys oceanic crust. These sediments were deposited on the southern margin of the Asia block during subduction of the Tethys oceanic crust before the collision between the Indian and Asian continents. It also consists of sand dunes covering late Eocene volcanic forms interspersed with Cretaceous and Eocene sediments.[17][18]
Climate
The weather is fairly dry during April to June with day time temperatures of 5 to 17 °C (41 to 63 °F) and night time temperatures of 0 to 6 °C (32 to 43 °F). The temperature starts to reduce in October and winters have much lower day time temperatures ranging from −4 to 0 °C (25 to 32 °F) and further lower in the night reaching up to −20 °C (−4 °F) with January being the coldest.[19] Monsoons bring rain from late June to August with cold winds.[20]
Global warming is described as happening three times faster (by about 0.3 C per decade) on the Tibetan Plateau than anywhere else in the world with lesser snowfall in the winter.[21][22] According to locals, the land around Mount Kailash has been growing warmer in recent years with winters not as cold as it used to be.[23] The retreating glaciers and thawing of the permafrost in the Tibet region might lead to uncertain effects on water resources of the region. These effects along with population explosion and tourism has put severe stress on the fragile ecosystem around Mount Kailash.[24][25][26]
The intergovernmental organisation International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) is involved in a trans boundary project called the Kailash Sacred Landscape Conservation and Development Initiative in the region around Mount Kailash.[27][28] The organization is involved in ongoing efforts to generate climate data, and to device sustainable ways for people.[29][30]
Mountaineering
In 1926, Hugh Ruttledge, the deputy commissioner of Almora, visited the area to meet the Garpon (local Tibetan leader) of Ngari. As the Garpon was away, he circumbulated Mount Kailash while studying it.[31] He estimated the mountain to be 6,000 m (20,000 ft) high and described it as "utterly unclimbable". He thought about an ascent along the northeast ridge.[32][33] Ruttledge had been exploring the area with Colonel R. C. Wilson, who was on the other side of the mountain with a Sherpa named Tseten. As per Wilson, Tseten told him that the southeast ridge represented a feasible route to the summit. Wilson explained that although they attempted to climb the mountain, they ran into heavy snowfall, making the ascent impossible.[34][35]
Herbert Tichy visited the area in 1936, attempting to climb the mountain.[36] When he asked the local people whether Kailash was climbable, a Garpon replied: "Only a man entirely free of sin could climb Kailash. And he wouldn't have to actually scale the sheer walls of ice to do it – he'd just turn himself into a bird and fly to the summit".[31] Italian mountaineer Reinhold Messner was given the opportunity by the Chinese government to climb the mountain in the mid-1980s. But he reportedly declined, saying "If we conquer this mountain, then we conquer something in people's souls. I would suggest they go and climb something a little harder."[31][37][38] In 2001, permission was denied to a Spanish team, who requested to climb the peak.[39] Chinese authorities promised that any climbing activities on Mount Kailash were strictly prohibited.[40][31] As of 2023[update], there have been no known successful ascents of the mountain.[39][37]
Religious significance
Mount Kailash is considered sacred in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Bon religions.[41][42][43]
Hinduism
In Hinduism, the mountain is traditionally recognized as the abode of Shiva, who resides there along with his consort goddess Parvati and their children, Ganesha and Kartikeya.[44][45] Hindus believe Kailash to be the Mount Meru, which is considered to be a stairway to heaven, where the devas reside.[46][47] According to the Hindu scriptures Agamas and sculptural depictions, Ravana attempted to uproot the mountain which was in his way, which enraged Shiva, who pressed his toe upon the mountain, trapping Ravana in between. Ravana sang hymns in praise of Shiva for a thousand years before he was released. This representation of Shiva is also referred to as Ravananugraha (meaning "form showing favour to Ravana") while seated upon Mount Kailash.[48][49][50][51] As per the Mahabharata, the Pandavas along with their wife Draupadi, traveled towards the summit of Mount Kailash as a means to reach the heaven but only Yudhishthira, who was accompanied by a dog, was able to make it.[52][53]
While the Hindu epics Ramayana and Mahabharata mention Kailash and Mansarovar, it is described further in the various Puranas, linking Kailash to Mount Meru. The Vedas and the Vishnu Purana (2nd century BCE) state that it lies in the center of the world surrounded by six mountain ranges similar to a lotus. It also states that the mountain is eight thousand leagues tall and the four faces were made of crystal, ruby, gold, and lapis lazuli.[54][46] Shiva is described as sitting in a lotus position, engaged in meditation within the confines of a mountain.[55][56]
Jainism
According to Ashtapada, Rishabhanatha, the founder of Jainism attained moksha (liberation) on Mount Kailash. It is believed by Jains that after Rishabhanatha attained nirvana, his son emperor Bharata had constructed three stupas and twenty four shrines of the 24 tirthankaras in the region with their idols studded with precious stones and named it Sinhnishdha and also attained moksha from Kailash. Later in order to protect the mountain, large pits were dug around the mountain and River Ganges was made to flow through it.[57][58][59] As per Jain traditions, the 24th and the last Tirthankara, Mahavira, was taken to the summit of Meru by Indra shortly after his birth, after putting his mother into deep slumber. There he was anointed with precious unctions.[60][61]
Buddhism and Bon
As per Buddhist texts, Mount Kailash (Kailasa) is known as the mythological Mount Meru.[62][63] Kailash is central to its cosmology, and a major pilgrimage site for some Buddhist traditions.[64] In Buddhism, Kailash represents the father of the world and lake Mansarovar symbolizes the mother.[15] Numerous sites in the region are associated with Padmasambhava, who is credited with establishing Tantric Buddhism in Tibet in the 8th century CE.[65][66][67] It is also regarded as the home of the deity Demchung.[63]
Vajrayana Buddhists believe that saint Milarepa (c. 1052 – c. 1135) had a challenge with Naro Böncham, a follower of Bön religion of Tibet.[68] The two engaged in a battle of wits with neither able to gain a decisive advantage. Finally, it was agreed that whoever could reach the summit of Kailash first would be the victor. While Naro sat on his magic drum to climb up the slope, Milarepa reached the summit riding on the rays of the Sun, thus winning the contest. He also gave the nearby mountain, since known as Bönri bequeathing it to Bön.[31][69][70]
For the Bon people, the mountain was the centre of the ancient Bon empire of Zhang Zhung and the location where its founder descended from heaven to the earth. As per Bon beliefs, the mountain is the source of the mythical Lion, Horse, Peacock and Elephant Rivers which flowed in the four cardinal directions.[63]
Pilgrimage
Due to its perceived sacredness to various religions, people undertake a pilgrimage called yatra to the mountain.[71] It is one of the oldest of the oldest pilgrimage routes, which has been in existence for over a thousand years.[15]
Pilgrimage to the mountain increased in the 1930s but was affected later due to both China and the British Empire claiming the region.[62] Religious pilgrimages to Mount Kailas and Manasarovar were permitted by China after the its occupation of Tibet in 1950-51. While pilgrimage from India was guaranteed by the 1954 Sino-Indian Agreement, access was restricted after the subsequent 1959 Tibetan uprising and the borders were closed after the Sino-Indian War in 1962.[9] After nearly two decades, pilgrimage from India was allowed in 1981 after an agreement between the governments of India and China.[71] The pilgirmage was suspended for three years since 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[72] The route was re-opened in 2023 with new regulations.[73]
Since the reopening of the pilgrimage route from India in 1981, the numbers of pilgrims going on the annual yatra has grown considerably.[74] Before the closure in 2020, several thousand pilgrims from India were going to this pilgrimage every year.[75] Since 2015, aspiring pilgrims from India are required to apply in advance to the Ministry of External Affairs and specific number of passes are issued to pilgrims post computerized selection at random.[76] In India, the pilgrimage is organized by the Government of India and is permitted between June and September.[77] Pilgrims from India travel through two routes opened for the purpose with border crossings at Lipu Lekh pass in Uttarakhand and the Nathu La pass in Sikkim.[78] Since 2020, a motorable road is available till the Lipu Lekh pass through the Indian side of the Mahakali valley, before crossing over to China.[79] The Nathu La route was opened in 2015 and involves travelling to Gangtok before crossing the Nathu La pass into China.[80]
Since 2015, the pilgrimage from Nepal is generally done from the nearby Humla district in northwestern Nepal.[81] The April 2015 Nepal Earthquake resulted in the closure of the border crossing at Tatopani-Zangmu.[82] Pilgrims also pray to Mount Kailash from within Nepal where it is visible from the Lapcha La pass above the Limi valley on a clear day.[83] Another route exists through the crossing at Rasuwa-Gyirong.[84] Pilgrims could reach Lhasa by air before the journey to Lake Manasarovar or Darchen.[73]
The pilgrimage involves trekking towards Lake Mansarovar and a circumambulation of Mount Kailash. The path around Mount Kailash is 53 kilometres (33 mi) long.[71] The circumambulation is made in a clockwise direction by Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains, while Bönpos circumambulate the mountain in a counterclockwise direction.[81] The circumambulation usually begins and ends at Darchen, a small outpost located at an elevation of 4,670 m (15,320 ft) with the highest point at the Drölma pass situated at 5,650 m (18,540 ft).[81][85]
Trekking around the mountain can be done on foot with support from a pony or domestic yak.[86] The circumbulation takes three days on average with the first day trek from Darchen to Dirapuk gompa for about 20 kilometres (12 mi), followed by a journey from Dirpauk to Zutulphuk via the Drölma pass for 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) and the final trek from Zutulphuk back to Darchen.[87][85] The most extreme method of doing the circumambulation (called Kora) in Tibetan Buddhism is performed by doing full body-length prostrations over the entire stretch around the mountain.[15] The pilgrim bends down, kneels, prostrates full-length, makes a mark with her fingers, rises to her knees, prays, and then crawls forward on hands and knees to the mark made by her fingers before repeating the process. With this method, the pilgrimage takes three weeks on average to complete.[81]
Pilgrims believe that doing a circumambulation of Mount Kailash is a spiritually beneficial practice that can bring various positive effects, such as the cleansing of one's sins. Each circumambulation is considered to have fulfilled a life-death cycle.[15] There are a lot of stupas, flag poles, Buddhist monasteries and praying stations along the route. Many of the cultural artifacts along the route was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution of China from 1966 to 1976.[15] Hindus take a ritual bath in the Manasarovar before doing circumambulation.[15] Hindu text Skanda Purana states that "There are no mountains like the Himalaya, for in them are Kailas and Mansarovar. As the dew is dried up by the morning Sun, so are the sins of mankind dried up by the sight of the Himalaya."[71]
Tibetan Buddhist pilgrims often chant om mani padme hum (jewel in the lotus) and sing nyelu songs while crossing the Dolma La pass which are believe to proclaim a fraternity amongst all pilgrims who cross paths on a Kailash pilgrimage.[15][88] As the mountain is located in a remote area of the Himalayas, very few facilities exist to aid during the pilgrimage.[89] For varied reasons for the different faiths that revere the mountain, setting foot on the slopes of the mountain or attempting to climb it is forbidden by law.[90][35]
See also
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