All these rivers take origin within a few kilometers of Mt Kailash and it is through these rivers that the religious and cultural relations between Tibet and India were established. This is especially apparent in the case of the Indus and Brahmaputra, which, like two gigantic arms embrace the entirety of the Himalayas and the whole Indian subcontinent as they flow to the Arabian sea in the west and the Bay of Bengal in the east.

That this combination of lake and mountain, a source of great rivers, remote and beautiful should be regarded as special is not remarkable. In fact, Mansarovar and Kang Rimpoche, the Tibetan name for Kailash, have been a site of pilgrimage for thousands of years. From all parts of India, from the Himalayan kingdoms of Bhutan and Nepal, from every quarter of Tibet, and from the hinterlands of Central Asia, many thousands of pilgrims have made the arduous journey to Kailash and Mansarovar.

CLIMATE

The temperature at Mansarovar is very cold during the day and below freezing at night. However, during May to mid-October, the weather becomes somewhat stable and visibility improves.

The best time to embark upon a journey to Mansarovar is during late August. This is the time when the rainy season ends. The roads are open and the weather is likely to be most stable by then.

In Tibet, however, as in any mountain region, rain and snow showers can occur at any season. By contrast, the lower regions of Nepal will be hot and humid with daily rain showers interspersed with brilliant sunshine.

THE MOUNTAIN OF SALVATION

The holy Mt. Kailash, a mystical power in people's minds, has been a symbol of relief from suffering to generation after generation of believers. The region is revered by four different religions as one of the most sacred pilgrimage destinations in Asia.

Hindus regard Mt. Kailash as the earthly manifestation of Mt. Meru—their spiritual center of the universe, described in the ancient texts as a fantastic "World Pillar," 139,440 km high around which everything else revolves, its roots in the lowest hell and its top kissing the heavens. On the summit sits Lord Shiva who shares this lofty peak with his consort Parvati, daughter of Himalayas. Below, Mansarovar floats in the shadow of holy Kailash as the lake formed in the mind of God. It was created to show the omnipotence of Brahma's mind (manas). To bathe in the lake and to drink its waters is to be delivered to the paradise of Brahma and to cleanse the sins of a hundred lifetimes. Lying as they do beneath the symbolic temple of Kailash, Mansarovar and Rakshash Tal represent the water tanks present at the entrance to every Hindu temple. The round shape of the former is like the sun and the curved outline of Rakshash Tal symbolizes the moon. These ideas are expressed in the names of the two lakes, Mansarovar being associated with 'light' and Rakshash Tal meaning the 'lake of the demons'. To Hindus Mansarovar symbolizes the receptive, female aspect of creation, the yoni, while Mt Kailash symbolizes the active male aspect, the lingam. In 1948, some of Mahatma Gandhi's ashes were ceremonially scattered on the holy lake.

For the Jains, Mt. Kailash is acclaimed as a site where their first prophet achieved enlightenment. Buddhist cosmography identifies Mt. Kailash with the mighty Mount Sumeru, the central peak of the world. "The Father Mountain" represents the means to enlightenment and Lake Mansarovar, "the Mother Principle," represents Buddhist transcendent consciousness.

Mt. Kailash is known in Tibetan as Ghang Rimpoche (meaning precious jewel of snow), or by its aboriginal name Ti-Se. Mansarovar, on the other hand, is known as Mapham Tso, the 'Unconquerable Lake'. The name records a magical contest between the Tibetan poet and mystic Milarepa, and the Bon priest Naro Bhun Chon, which occurred here in the tenth century. Their tussles are marked in numerous sites around the region. For Tibetans, Mt Kailash is the mythical palace of Demchok, the powerful Tibetan tutelary deity who 'tears asunder the elephant-hide of ignorance' and his consort Dorje Phagmo. The two symbolize compassion and wisdom, making Kailash and Mansarovar the perfect complement: father and mother of the earth.

HISTORY

The first westerners to set eyes on the sacred mountain were the Jesuit missionaries Ippolito Desideri and Manuel Freyre who passed this way en route to Lhasa from Ladakh in 1715.

However, it was not until the twentieth century that the first westerner made the Parikrama or circumambulation of Mt Kailash. This honor fell to Sven Hedin the Swedish adventurer and explorer. Driven by a thirst for heroic achievement Hedin endured great hardships crossing the Chang Thang (northern plain), at one time traveling for eighty days without sight of other humans.

The advent of Chinese dominance in the 1950's fundamentally changed life in all Tibet. Forced resettlement, government ownership of livestock, banning the use of Tibetan language in schools and attempts to completely wipe out the monastic way of life led to much loss of life and caused many to flee the country. More recently, there has been a large influx of Han Chinese into Tibet so that they now threaten to outnumber ethnic Tibetan citizens.

During the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s, most of the country's shrines and monasteries were systematically plundered and dynamited by the Chinese. Despite its remote location and harsh climate, Ngari did not escape these upheavals. Most of the ancient monasteries suffered damage or were destroyed. There have been attempts to right some of these wrongs; nevertheless, Tibetans remain second-class citizens in their own country. Reconstruction of shrines and temples has been carried out but it is impossible to replace paintings and statues of antiquity and the harm done to the monastic way of life is possibly irreparable.

In 1986, the Chinese authorities allowed foreigners to travel there by road. However, political uncertainties together with the expense and length of the journey meant that only a few score of travelers made the trip. One definite benefit from Chinese hegemony is the absence of roving dacoits who made travel hazardous for all travelers until very recent times.

In 1993, authorities allowed trekkers to cross the Nepal border near Kailash thus making it possible, like the ancients, to walk to the holy mountain. In 1996, permission was given to return by road.

THE JOURNEY

The circuit around Mt. Kailash and Lake Mansarovar is covered in six days. The Mt. Kailash circuit takes the pilgrims through Tarchen, Direbu, Zongzerebu, and the back to Tarchen. The circuit around Lake Mansarovar covers Huore, Chugu, and Zaidi.

Kailash Parikrama

Mt. Kailash is located within the southwest corner of Ngari, the western province of Tibet. Its dome-shaped conical summit rises magnificently above all the neighboring peaks, the highest point at the west end of the Ghangtise–Nyanchhan–Thanglha range. Across the broad Bharka plains to the south beyond the waters of Mansarovar and Rakshash Tal, towers another impressive mountain, Gurla Mandhata (25,255 feet). The inhabitants of this region are the Drogpa, the sturdy Nomadic herders.

The Kora or the Parikrama around Mt. Kailash starts and finishes at Tarchen (also Darchhan), a small wind-blown settlement at the base of holy Mt. Kailash. From Tarchen, the pilgrim circuit enters the Lha Chhu (God's River) valley, a spectacular canyon below the mountain's western flanks. As the Parikrama swings behind Kailash's sheer northern face, the trail climbs to Drolma La—the Dolma Pass (18,600 ft.), the highest point en route, and then descends quickly into the Lham Chhu Khyer valley before turning back towards Tarchen.

Shortly after the Dolma Pass, to the south of the path is a large lake, the Gaurikund (Tukje Tsu). A dip in the holy water of Gaurikund vanquishes all languor. It takes half an hour to climb down to it from the path. The scenery around the lake is picturesque with soaring cliffs rising 1,000 feet from the turquoise or the frozen waters. The detour is made to perform ritual ablutions, even though the water is extremely cold.

The summit of Mt. Kailash is visible from Tarchen though the best views in the area are a climb of about one hour, up the ridge directly behind Tarchen at a height of 16,500 feet. The southern "Sapphire" face of Mt. Kailash is stunning from here, its symmetrical slopes and brownish red base halved by a vertical slash known as the "Stairway to Heaven." According to the Hindus, this large cleft in the mountain represents Lord Shiva's long strands of matted hair falling and flowing about him. The holy river Ganges is said to emanate from one of his strands.

The sheer icy north face of Mt. Kailash is unveiled at Direbu. It is a common belief that walking or completing three or thirteen circuits is particularly auspicious. Some pilgrims, particularly the Tibetan Bons, complete the Parikrama doing full body prostrations along the ground, a slow journey that can take up to two weeks. One circuit is said to purify all the sins of a lifetime; 108 circuits will bring enlistment during this lifetime.

Mansarovar Parikrama

South of Mount Kailash, across the great plain of Bharka at the base of the majestic Mount Gurla Mandhata, are the two lakes of Mansarovar and Rakshash Tal. They are the highest bodies of freshwater in the world, with Mansarovar at 4,558 meters, about fifteen meters higher than Rakshash Tal.

A channel called "Ganga Chu" connects the two lakes. Mansarovar is the larger of the two lakes (1,330 sq km as compared to 224 sq km) and considered by both Hindus and Buddhists to be the more worthy of veneration. Buddhists believe that Queen Maya, Buddha's mother, was carried here by the gods and washed before giving birth to Buddha.

The distance between Mansarovar and Rakshash Tal is just 10 km. The Mansarovar Lake is situated at a height of 14,950 ft and is about 300 ft deep. Rakshash Tal, on the other hand, is at a height of 14,900 ft and is 150 ft deep.

Although Mansarovar is traditionally circumambulated, Rakshash Tal is usually ignored. Mansarovar's character or aspect is often clear and bright, whereas Rakshash Tal is frequently moody, overcast, and dull. Because of this, Mansarovar is likened to the sun and the forces of light, whereas Rakshash Tal is compared to the moon and the forces of darkness.

The circuit around the Mansarovar is longer than that around Kailash but is more or less completely flat. The starting point for the Parikrama of Mansarovar is the village of Huore. The long walk down the eastern shore takes you through diverse and beautiful landscapes, often cutting through areas of desert instead of following the shoreline, finishing at the Chugu or the Trugo monastery on the southern shore of the lake.

The next stretch of the Parikrama entails a full day's walk from Chugu to Tseti Lake at a place called Zaidi on the western shore. As you turn around the southwest corner of the lake, you will notice a cairn made up of several peculiarly shaped rocks, upon which Tibetans make offerings of scarves, sweets and chang (a locally brewed liquor). A couple of hours further down the shore, you will pass by some tall cliffs in which are several blackened caves. A climb up provides a magnificent view of the lake. All around the lake, while walking you can peer down in the clear blue water and see giant fish swimming in its depths, and can watch various kinds of wild geese and ducks.

The northern shore of the lake is not usually covered as part of the Parikrama because of marshes and cliffs that prevent one from approaching the shoreline. One can only traverse the marshy section in the winter when the ground is frozen.

HOW TO REACH

The pilgrimage to Kailash and Mansarovar is considered one of the most difficult in Asia. The distances are tremendous, the weather particularly harsh, supplies almost non-existent, and bandits a constant worry. Even with the convenience of roads and four-wheel drive vehicles, the route is still an arduous adventure requiring a minimum of 30 days. Nevertheless, pilgrims come from far corners of Asia defying the hardships to walk the 52-km circuit around Mt. Kailash, and 75 km around Mansarovar Lake (add approximately 200 km on the Indian side of yatra). However, the trek through Katmandu is easy and less exhaustive.

The present route from New Delhi consists of both bus journey and high-altitude mountain trekking. While the bus route is via Delhi–Gajraula–Kathgadam–Nainital–Bhowali–Almora–Kausani–Bageshwar–Chowakari–Didihat–Dharchula, the trekking route takes the pilgrims through some beautiful terrains and passes covering Tawaghat–Thanidar–Pangu–Sosa–Narayan Ashram–Sirkha–Rungling Top–Simkhola–Gala–Jipti–Malpa–Gudhi–Guji–Garbhyang–Kalapani–Avidhag–Lipu Lekh Pass–Pala–Taklakot.