Mt. Kailash—the sacred mountain of Tibet

Mount Kailash, is one of the major tourists attraction in Tibet and Himalayas that has both natural and spiritual significance attached to it. Along with Mount Olympus and Mount Fuji, it is one of the most sacred mountains in the world. The holy mountain is revered in several religious traditions.

Kailash is a Sanskrit word which means “crystal”. In Tibetan, the Mt. Kailash is knownas Gang Rinpoche, meaning the “The precious snow mountain”, there are a number of mythological tales highlighting the sacred status of the Mountain. It is also known as Kailasha or Tisi in Tibetan.

Mount Kailash is a peak in the Kailash Range, or Gangdise Mountains, which forms part of the Transhimalaya in Tibet. The mountain has a very mysterious location, lying near the source of several longest rivers in Asia, namely, the Indus River, the Sutlej River, the Brahmaputra River, and the Karnali River. It also lies near Lake Manassarovar and Lake Rakshastal in Tibet.

Holding a sacred place in four religious places: Buddhism, Bon, Hinduism and Jainism, and despite considerable logistic problems, thousands of pilgrims come from several countries to visit the holy mountain every year.
The traditional of paying visit to Mount Kailash is believed to be over thousands of years old. It is a common belief among the followers of the four religions that circuambulating the sacred mountain on foot is a holy ritual that is of great importance in their respective religions. The walking path around the mountain is about 52km. While Buddhists and Hindus carry out the circumambulation in clockwise direction, followers of Jain and Bonpo religions do the opposite.

Buddhists believe that Mount Kailash is the home of the Buddha Demchok or Chakrasamvar, who represents the highest form bliss. It is also believed that the holy mountain has some mysterious connection with great Tibetan yogi Milarepa.

According to the interpretation of Hinduism, Mount Kailash is the holy site where Lord Shiva, the destroyer of ignorance and illusion, sits in a state of perpetual meditation along with his wife Parvati.
In Jainism, Ashtapada, the mountain next to Mount Kailash is believed to be the venue where the first Jain Tirthankara, Rishabhadeva, attained Nirvana, however, some of the followers believe that the event actually happened on Mt. Kailash.

In Bonpo tradition, a religion which predates Buddhism in Tibet, that the holy mountain and the entire region is the seat of all spiritual power.
Throughout the history, Mount Kailash was considered a sacred place, and it has never been climbed. Though there were several proposals to climb the holy mountain, but all were eventually dropped fearing that such act will hurt the religious sentiment of the people.

2014 is the year of horse and it is known as a special year for Mt.Kailash, so there will be lots of local ceremonies around the Kailash, therefore it is a good time for travelers to experience the Tibetan culture and religion in a different way. Just plan your Tibet tour and visit the mystical plateau with us.