Dear Baral
This was the first time I booked directly through the WEB , and I thought it's a little risky, especially when I had to send my money to Katmandu and I wend to Delhi .
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.
Lake Manasarovara
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.
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.
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
