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| Mount Kailash
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| The Center of the Earth |
Mt. Kailash is the confluence of the myth and the mountain andit's a no coincidence. It is believed to be the navel of the world from which flows four great Rivers ( The Ganges, Bramhaputra, Sutlej and Indus) that they give life to the areas they pass through.
Mount Meru, described by Hindu epics, as the center of the earth is believed to be what is today's Mount Kailash. This 6714m high peak of Western Tibet has long been a sacred object of worship for four major religions-Hindus-Buddhists, Jains and Bons. For Hindus, Mt, Kailash is the domain of Lord Shiva whereas Buddhist revere the mountain as the adobe of Samvara
(Demchok)-the wrathful manifestation of Buddha. For Jains, this is the place where their saints emancipated from and for Bons, their founder Shenrab alighted from haven in.
Indian Hindus are the craziest about their affection and respect to the Mount Kailash. On one of our marketing campaigns in India, when our manager mentioned to our booth visitors that he had been to Mt. Kailash, a middle aged woman tried to touch his feet out of respect because for her, every individual who has been to Mt. Kailash, is a holy person.!
What is the significance of circumambulating Mt. Kailash?
Circumambulation of Mt Kailash, a circuit of 53km, is the ultimate goal of all pilgrims. Hindus call the circumambulation as "Parikrama" and Tibetans as " Kora". It is believed that a single kora cleans the sins of a lifetime while 108 koras will give you Nirvana-the complete emancipation! For most Tibetan pilgrims, one kora is just a one long day walking whereas Western and Indian visitors, make it in a 3 days well supplied trekking.
The Kora begins in Darchen in a clockwise direction of the mountain and includes various sites of religious significance. |
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Lake Manasarovara
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Lake Manasarovara is the most venerated of the Tibet's Lakes. According to Hindu mythology, it was formed in the mind of Brahma-the creator of the world for his sons to bathe after having performed austerities. Indian pilgrims gets purified by taking a dip in the holy water and also collect some water in a bottle to present to their neighbors back home. One of our clients- a London based Indian Sadhu took with him some water and sold one teaspoonful of it for 10 pounds amongst the Indian communities! So strong is their faith and respect to this lake.
Not many people are interested in taking the kora of Lake Manasarovara as it's a tough 4 days trekking with well supplied team. One of our groups in Aug 2002, abandoned the trip simply because of some kind of flies which were abundant along the route. Indian Pilgrims simply take dip in the water and may request the driver to take them around. |
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| Tholing and Tsaparang |
| Tholing and Tsaparang are the ruined former capitals of the ancient Guge Kingdom of Western Tibet and are rarely visited by the western travellers. |
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Tholing,once Western Tibet's most important monastic complex exists today in ruins. It was founded by Rinchen Zangpo, an India returned scholar and the greates Sanskrit translators who played the key role in reviving Buddhism across the Tibetan plateau.Tholing is accessible in one day by jeep from Mount Kailash.
Tsaparang, about an hour's drive west of Tholing is most probably the greatest interest to those with some knowledge of early Busshist art.The ruins of Tsaparang extend along a ridge with two main areas of interest:the Red and White chapels and the Tsaparang Dzong. The ruins consists of ancient summer and winter palaces.The Red and White Chapels have the best of Tsaparang's murals |
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