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Sacred Bark: 13 + 1 around Kailash
Myths about Mount Kailash
There are many legends and stories surrounding this mysterious mountain. Kailash or Kailash is one of the highest mountains in the Gangdise range, which is located mostly in China, in the Tibetan Plateau.
Kailash is also unusual at night. The Milky Way seems to be just a stone's throw away 4 main mysteries of Kailash
It was easier for the ancestors, looking at the mountain - they saw the divine will in everything. In the age of scientific and technological progress, the mysteries of Kailash haunt rational and inquisitive minds. Perhaps descendants will be able to find all the answers.
- No one has ever conquered this mountain. Although it is not the highest point in the world, not a single climber has managed to climb to its peak. According to Buddhist legends, not a single living creature has the right to ascend to the abode of the gods. Otherwise he will have to die.
- The sides of Kailash face the four cardinal directions. It’s as if it’s not a mountain, but a man-made pyramid. Was nature really so precise in its measurements, and why? There is no answer to this question.
- On the southern side of the pyramidal peak of Kailash you can see the swastika sign - a sacred symbol of many peoples of the world. In fact, these are two cracks or depressions intersected almost at right angles, deepened by watercourses. And then the human consciousness decides whether to see inexplicable signs in this or not.
- The height of Kailash is 6666 meters. Scientists continue to argue about the accuracy of these data; according to some sources, the height of Kailash is slightly less. You can find a dark beginning in this figure, but once you convert the measurement from meters to feet, all the mysticism dissolves.
Lake Mansarovar - another mystery of Mount Kailash Sacred Bark: 13 + 1
Pilgrims come to Mount Kailash to perform a ritual circumambulation around it. During the circumambulation they recite the sacred mantra “Om Mani Padme Hum”. Religious texts say that one who circumambulates Kailash 108 times will achieve liberation forever and achieve nirvana. Nevertheless, even one or several walks around the mountain are a powerful worship of the deity in which the visitor believes.
Diagram of the outer cortex. 53 kilometers are usually covered in 3 days A walking tour or detour around Kailash is called “kora”. There are several trails, but the most popular are the outer bark and the inner bark. It is believed that only one who has performed 13 outer koras around Kailash can perform the inner kora.
Tibetan pilgrims perform kora around the sacred mountain Why Kailash is a universal shrine
Mount Kailash is considered a sacred place for several believers. Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and others flock here. Hindus believe that Shiva and his family live on Kailash. The mountain is the center of the universe, the most energetically powerful point on the earth, from where the deeds and blessings of Shiva emanate.
The smiling face of Shiva was discovered on Google maps in Kailash Buddhists believe that Buddha lives on Kailash. He sits here for centuries in a state of samadhi and can only be seen by those who themselves achieve this state. Followers of the Buddha perform prostrations near Kailash as a sign of curbing their own rushing mind and in order to acquire good merit.
Pilgrim at the foot of Mount Kailash Spiritual asceticism in the form of a complex and long journey burns karma, cleanses the mind and body, and connects a person with higher powers. This is a kind of challenge to yourself, your comfort zone and mental limitations that do not allow self-realization. If you leave what you are most attached to at Mount Kailash, even mentally, after the pilgrimage, life can change greatly.
Priests of different religions perform their rituals at the mountain The entrance to Shambhala, the invisible land of great teachers and knowledge, is located at the foot of Kailash. This is what Buddhists and Hindus think, Helena Blavatsky, Helena and Nicholas Roerich wrote about this.
Receive a blessing from a sadhu - People go to Kailash for this too Myths about Kailash
Some pseudoscientists confidently claim that the mountains of Tibet are the work of ancient civilizations, and all the peaks of the Himalayas are lined up in a single chain of mysterious pyramids. Some “wise men” calculated that from Kailash to Stonehenge it is exactly 6666 kilometers. This is, of course, not true. And no living beings could build the Himalayas.
You can make sure what is a myth and where is the truth only on the spot, by listening to your soul The myths about the man-made Mount Kailash also include information about anomalous “Tibetan mirrors” and the theory of Nikolai Kozyrev. Allegedly, near Mount Kailash, time can slow down and speed up, it can flow in the opposite direction, and so on. All this is very interesting, but extremely uninformative and unconvincing - there is no scientific evidence for these theories yet.
Around Kailash, everything man-made is of great importance Tours to Tibet, to Mount Kailash and to the sights of this officially unrecognized country are organized by many tour operators. The Chinese authorities opened Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, to visitors as recently as 2008 after the Beijing Olympics. From now on, the Mount Kailash tour can be done from Nepal by car or plane, or from China by train or plane. Visas and entry permits are issued at travel agencies.
Near Mount Kailash, travelers experience completely new sensations that they did not know before. Some people feel good and it seems as if they are surrounded by the most beautiful place on earth, they are no longer afraid of anything, for others the surrounding place begins to frighten them and seem to push them away, many are speechless. Someone says that if you ask a question that worries you not far from this mountain, you will be able to solve it easily and in a non-standard way.
Mythical Frontier
For representatives of Buddhism and Hinduism, there has been a sacred mountain in Tibet for several centuries - Kailash. At night, when the peak is shrouded in clouds, you can notice how a light white light pours down from the highest point. Some tourists describe luminous figures on the slopes of the mountain, similar to the swastika symbol. Sometimes at dusk, strange luminous balls are noticed above the mountain, which vaguely resemble ball lightning. But these balls draw strange signs in the air.Recently, in addition to pilgrims, dozens of expeditions have been flocking to the mountain, people dreaming of conquering the snowy peak. However, something special happens to each of them: a mythical line arises in front of someone, which he cannot cross, no matter how much he wants to. For others, as soon as they touch the mountain, their palms become covered with blisters.
The geographical position of Mount Kailash is also surprising: it is 6666 km away from the North Pole, the distance from the South Pole to the foot of the mountain is twice that, but Stonehenge is also 6666 km away.
However, physically the mountain rarely resists climbers; avalanches and rockfalls are rare here. Nevertheless, all tourists of their own free will refuse to climb up literally after 300-400 meters. Only the most outcast people can be near the sacred mountain.
The Legend of the "Stone Mirrors"
Even in planes flying over Kailash, equipment stops working, compass needles spin in different directions. On a diagram of a mountain, so-called stone mirrors are often drawn on each side, which change the course of time, concentrating energy differently than on the ground.However, there is a sacred road along the mountain that can be reached. There is a legend that tells about two travelers who turned off the sacred road while climbing Mount Kailash; after returning to their village, in just a few months, the young people aged 60 years and died. Doctors then could not find any visible reason for this withering.
Recently, thanks to experiments, it was revealed that in 12 hours at Mount Kailash, people’s nails and hair grow as much as they would grow under normal conditions for two to three weeks.
Near the foot of the mountain is the “Heavenly Cemetery”, where the corpses of Tibetans are carried out so that their bodies are eaten by vultures. Such a funeral is considered favorable for the soul of the deceased.
Hello, dear readers.
Today we’ll talk about a place that is significant for every Buddhist. This is Mount Kailash (or Kailash, or Kang Rinpoche, which in Tibetan means “Precious Snow Mountain”, and many more synonyms in the languages of different peoples of the world). This is one of the highest peaks of the mountain range, which is located in the Gangdis system. It is located in the Tibetan Plateau on the territory of the People's Republic of China.
Outwardly, it is very different from all the mountains - it has the shape of an almost regular pyramid, the four sides of which are oriented to the cardinal points with only a slight deviation. Height 6638 - 6890 m. Those who like to see mysticism in everything believe that in fact the peak is located 6,666 meters above sea level, but measurements do not confirm this data. Mount Kailash has not yet been conquered by any climber.
The history of its origin is shrouded in deep mystery. The earth “erected” the Tibetan Plateau more than 5 million years ago, while scientists determine the age of Kailash as 20 thousand years, which is much less and more than strange.
If you look carefully at the satellite photographs as close as possible, you can see places where the “plaster” has broken off, revealing a monolithic wall underneath. This gives reason to assume that Mount Kailash in Tibet is a man-made pyramid, and the largest of all existing on earth.
But who built it? And not only it, but the entire complex around it, which includes mountains (pyramids?) of much smaller size, semicircular and flat formations, located exclusively in a spiral? Or maybe it is a giant crystal that accumulates the energy of space and earth, the second part of which is hidden in the bowels of the earth?
Location and relief features
The mountain peak is located in Western Tibet. This is one of the most inaccessible places, as if someone (or something) made special efforts to ensure that only initiates could get here. Kailash is the largest watershed in South Asia. The Indus, Karnali and Brahmaputra flow nearby.
Waters from the Kailash glaciers flow into Lake Langa Tso, from which the Sutlej River, the largest tributary of the Indus, originates.
The southern slope is dissected vertically by a deep crack, which is intersected in the middle by another, horizontal one. With a certain refraction of sunlight in the air, a swastika sign appears, which is why some sources call Kailash “Swastika Mountain”.
Location coordinates: 31°04′00″ N. w. 81°18′45″ E. d. (G) (O) (Z) 31°04′00″ n. w. 81°18′45″ E. d.
Religious significance and summiting
Kailash is considered the center of the world by adherents of four religions - Hinduism, Buddhism, Bon and Jains. Buddhists think that an avatar creature (incarnation) of Buddha Akshobhya lives here - Samvara has four faces and twelve arms, and the mountain is called Himavat. This place is shrouded in secrecy and many legends. The peak, however, did not succumb to any mortal.
Attempts to reach the summit
However, what will stop a person (or people) who does not believe in anything, neither in God nor in the devil? There were many attempts to conquer Kailash. But not a single ascent was successful - some turned back on the way to the foot, and those who nevertheless set foot on Kailash talk about an interesting phenomenon.
At first, an excellent asphalt road leads to the mountain. Like everywhere else, it cannot be straight and bends somewhere. In places where it crosses the mark of 6,666 meters (to the foot), high-quality asphalt suddenly suddenly gives way to old and cracked, and the dividing yellow stripe, which was very bright a meter ago, becomes dull and faded. It is difficult to drive in these areas because the air around you becomes thick and viscous.
Interesting things happen to those who try to get to the foot on bicycles or motorcycles:
- with the same effort on the bicycle pedal, the speed drops by half, or even three;
- sudden breakdowns occur, for example, a bicycle wheel can curl into a figure eight for no apparent reason;
- the motorcycle suddenly begins to “sneeze”, or even refuses to move at all, but upon inspection it is not possible to identify any problems.
Games with time
Some try to deceive the mountain. In Tibet, to this day there is a legend about unlucky travelers who wanted to conquer the peak by hook or by crook.
Four Englishmen (or Americans, or maybe Russians - after many years no one remembers the nationality of these people) began to Kora (circumvention around Kailash) along with the rest of the pilgrims, but at some point they left the sacred path and moved up the slope
After some time, four ragged, stubble-covered people with feverishly shining eyes and completely inappropriate behavior came to the pilgrims’ camp. After the descent we had to send them to a psychiatric hospital. All four travelers died insane within the next year. At the same time, they grew old very quickly, turning into very old men.
It is believed that inside the spiral, the center of which is Kailash, time accelerates significantly, while outside, on the contrary, it slows down. This fact is confirmed by many travelers. However, it is stated that time flows faster on a subconscious level. After committing Kora, the chain of events happening to a person accelerates, but he himself does not physically age.
Bypass of Kailash
There are 9 sacred routes or Cor. Three of them are known to all pilgrims - these are the traditional Koras: external, Nandi, Dakini. Little-known routes almost forgotten by the indigenous population of Tibet are Touching the Faces of Kailash, crossing the Geo and Shapje passes from the south through the Gyandrak Monastery. Some of the paths of the Kora appeared to pilgrims during meditation - holistic, spiral, Merging of elements.
Kora is the circumambulation of a shrine, particularly Kailash, in a counterclockwise direction. Among pilgrims, prostration is most revered - when a person falls on his face, then rises, puts his feet where he was just lying face down, and thus moves forward. The kora around Kailash can last a very long time (several days with breaks for sleep and food) and include not just one round, but several.
Particularly zealous followers of religion honor the number 108. It has a special, sacred meaning in many religious movements, including Buddhism:
- The Kangyur (collection of Buddha's sayings) consists of 108 volumes;
- Buddhist monks' rosary consists of 108 beads;
- The pilgrim must make sure to do 108 prostrations during the Kora.
Lakes of Mount Kailash
Manasarovar and Rakshas Tal are antipodal lakes. In one the water is “living”, in the other it is “dead”. Interestingly, the reservoirs are very close to each other, separated only by a narrow strip of land and a canal. According to beliefs, if water from Manasarovar flows into Rakshasa, it means that the energy is in balance.
Objectively, the lakes are really different. Manasarovar is round, slightly elongated, with clean fresh water, a calm mirror of the water surface, and there are a lot of fish in it. There are monasteries around. Nature pleases with a riot of colors, birds sing, swans fly in in the summer.
Rakshas Tal - curved like a crescent, widening on one side, salty with a high content of silver, there is no life in it. The weather here is always bad and the surrounding landscape is inhospitable. However, the lake is sacred. There are many stupas along the banks.
Swimming in a lake with “dead” water “cleanses the body to the bones.” Bathing in Rakshas Tal is performed by everyone who passes through the Kora around Kailash. The water here is icy, and the water mirror is not smooth, like at Manasarovar, but is in constant agitation, and the wind blows all the time.
In the center of the lake, on an island, there is a small monastery where monks live in complete solitude - you can get out of here to land only when a stable ice cover is established.
People bathe in the waters of Lake Manasarovar after bathing in Rakshasa. There are thermal springs nearby, where locals have built wooden baths. The water in the thermal baths is healing, so there are many people who want to improve their health.
A little further is the Buddhist monastery of Chiu Gompa. Its name translates as “little bird.” It is located at the top of the hill. If you climb to the very top, you can see all the surroundings. You get great panoramic shots here.
“Om” is translated from Sanskrit as “word of power”. Buddhist monks pronounce this mantra during meditation. Om is a universal sound vibration that tunes the body to the “right mood.”
Death Valley
Another sacred place for Buddhists, and not only. Located at the northern “face” of Kailash. Three kilometers long. It ends where the “ice mirror” (glacier wall) is located. According to legend, yogis go here to die. Only a “pure” person can return alive from the valley of death. This place destroys everyone who has “bad” thoughts.
Tenzing Vandra, the Great Medical Lama of Western Tibet, says the following: “Kailas is an ordinary mountain, covered in legends. Everyone sees here what they want to see. The miracles that are attributed to this place really happened, but they were performed by people - the yogi Milarepa (who had levitation), the guru Rimpoche and others.”
Is it true or fiction that Mount Kailash is the center of the world, built by the ancient civilization of aliens - the Atlanteans and Lemurians? Or does this live only in the minds of believers and esotericists, such as Mulgashev, Balaev?
Scientific expeditions have not found any signs that Mount Kailash is man-made. Also, stone mirrors of ideal geometric shape were not found, in a word, nothing of what the locals, and then some Europeans, believed for centuries.
However, one should not think that the path to Shambhala, as Muldashev called this place, is open to everyone. Only those who are pure in mind and heart can understand what is really happening here.
Conclusion
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The most interesting facts and secrets of Mount Kailash
“Strangers have rarely visited this wild land. In places we could look across the border of Tibet and see Mount Kailash. Although Kailash is only 6,666 meters high, Hindus and Buddhists consider it the most sacred of all the Himalayan peaks. Near it is the large lake Manasarovar, also sacred, and the famous monastery. At all times, pilgrims came here from the most remote parts of Asia.” Tenzing Noghray, conqueror of Everest.
Fact No. 1. Many names
Mount Kailash (Kailash) is one of the most mysterious places on our planet. She is also known by other names: Europeans call her Kailash, the Chinese call her Gandhisyshan (冈底斯山) or Ganrenboqi (冈仁波齐), in the Bon tradition her name is Yundrung Gutseg, in ancient texts in Tibetan she is called Kang Rinpoche ( གངས་རིན་པོ་ཆེ; gangs rin po che) - “Precious snowy one.” Many interesting secrets and legends about Kailash do not leave people, both pilgrims and researchers, indifferent.
Fact No. 2. Center of 4 religions
Mount Kailash is the sacred center of 4 religions: Hinduism, Jainism, Tibetan Bon religion and Buddhism. The dream of every Hindu is to see Kailash with his own eyes at least once in his life. Related to this desire are serious visa restrictions issued by China for Indians wishing to visit these places. In the Vedas (ancient texts of this religion), Mount Kailash is the favorite place of residence of Shiva (cosmic consciousness, personifying the masculine principle of the Universe).
The Tibetan ancient religion Bon considers Mount Kailash to be the place of origin of life in the Universe and the center of power. According to their legends, this is where the mystical country of Shangshung (Shambhala) is located, and the first Jain master Tongpa Shenrab descended into the world from Kailash.
Buddhists revere this mountain as the abode of Buddha in one of the main incarnations - Samvara. Therefore, every year during the Buddhist religious holiday Vesak (other names - Saga Dawa, Visakha Puja, Donchod Khural), dedicated to the enlightenment of Buddha Gautama, thousands of pilgrims and tourists from all over the world gather at the foot of Mount Kailash.
Fact No. 3. Beginning of 4 rivers
According to Hindu mythology, the four main rivers of Tibet, India and Nepal originate on the slopes of Mount Kailash: Indus, Brahmaputra, Sutlej and Karnali. Jains believe that at Mount Kailash their first saint, Jina Mahavira, achieved enlightenment, after which he founded his own teaching - Jainism.
Fact No. 4. Swastika symbol from the shadows
Swastika Mountain – another name for Kailash. The appearance of this name is associated with the pattern formed by two cracks on its southern side. In the evening, the shadow cast by the rock ledges depicts a huge image of a swastika on it. The swastika is a sacred symbol for many peoples of the world. In India, for example, the swastika is considered as a solar sign - a symbol of life, light, generosity and abundance, closely associated with the cult of the god Agni. A wooden tool was made in the shape of a swastika for producing sacred fire. They laid him flat on the ground; the depression in the middle served for a rod, which was rotated until a fire appeared, lit on the altar of the deity. The swastika was carved in many temples, on rocks, and on ancient monuments in India. The swastika is one of the symbols of Jainism.
Fact No. 5. Orientation to cardinal directions
Mount Kailash has a pyramidal shape, strictly oriented to the cardinal points. There is also evidence to suggest the presence of voids both in the mountain itself and at its foot. Some researchers who have studied the mountain and its secrets claim: Kailash is an unnatural artificial formation, erected in ancient times by an unknown person and for what purpose. It is possible that this is some kind of complex, a pyramid.
Fact No. 6. Liberation from sins
In the Bon religion and Hinduism, there is a legend that says: walking around Kailash (kora) allows you to cleanse yourself of all sins committed in a given life. If the kora is performed 13 times, the pilgrim who completes it is guaranteed not to go to Hell; if the kora is performed 108 times, he breaks out of the circle of rebirths and reaches the degree of enlightenment of the Buddha. A kora performed on a full moon counts as two. That is why there are always many pilgrims around the mountain today, making their way to atone for sins.
Fact No. 6. Climbing Kailash is impossible
Mount Kailash is closed to climbers: not a single person has yet visited its peak. This is due not only to the fact that climbing it is officially prohibited. There are legends that Kailash is able to incomprehensibly change the desire of climbers to climb, thereby not allowing anyone to approach him. Those who get too close to it, and those who intend to climb to its top, are suddenly instructed to go in the opposite direction.
Whether this is true or not, the top of the mountain still remains unconquered. In 1985, the famous mountaineer Reinhold Messner received permission to climb from the Chinese authorities, but refused at the last moment.
In 2000, a Spanish expedition for a fairly significant amount purchased permission to conquer Kailash from the Chinese authorities. The team set up a base camp at the foot, but were never able to set foot on the mountain. Thousands of pilgrims blocked the expedition's path. The Dalai Lama, the UN, a number of large international organizations, millions of believers around the world expressed their protest against the conquest of Kailash and the Spaniards had to retreat.
Fact No. 7. Mirrors of Time on the surface of Kailash
Another mystery of Kailash, around which there are numerous disputes and judgments, is the mirror of time. They mean many rocks located near Kailash, having a smooth or concave surface. Whether these surfaces were created artificially in ancient times or are a play of nature is still not known.
There is an assumption that these formations are a kind of “Kozyrev mirrors” - concave mirrors, at the focus of which the speed of time can change. A person who comes into the focus of such a mirror may experience various abnormal and psychophysical sensations. According to Muldashev, the mirrors around Kailash are placed in a certain system in relation to each other, which creates something like a “time machine” capable of transporting the initiate not only to different time periods, but also to other worlds.
Fact No. 8. Lakes Manasarovar and Rakshas Tal - so close, but so different
Two lakes located at the foot of Mount Rakshas Tal and Manasarovar are located nearby and are separated from each other by only a small isthmus. However, both these lakes are strikingly different from each other, which represents another mystery of Kailash.
The waters of Lake Manasarovar, revered by Tibetans as sacred, are fresh. According to legend, Lake Manasarovar was the first object created in the consciousness of Brahma. This is where its name comes from: in Sanskrit “Manas sarovara” means “Lake of Consciousness” from the words manas (consciousness) and sarovara (lake). According to one of the Buddhist legends, this lake is the same legendary Lake Anavatapta, where Queen Maya conceived Buddha. Manasarovar, like Kailash, is a place of pilgrimage, around which a ritual circumambulation - kora - is also performed in order to cleanse karma. Pilgrims come here to take ceremonial baths in the purifying waters of Manasarovar. It is believed that this lake is a place where “purity” lives; in its bottom layer, near the northwestern shore, the water is alive. Anyone who touches the sacred land of Manasarovar or bathes in this lake will definitely go to heaven. Anyone who drinks water from the lake will ascend to heaven to God Shiva and be cleansed of his sins. Therefore, Manasarovar is considered the most sacred, revered and famous lake in all of Asia. The area around the sacred lake is 100 km.
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Near Manasarovar there is a salty dead lake Rakshas tal (also Langak, Rakas, Langa Tso (Chinese: 拉昂错, pinyin: Lā'áng Cuò). In Hindu mythology, this lake was created by the lord of the Rakshasas, the demon Ravana, and on this lake there was a special island where Ravana sacrificed one of his heads to Shiva every day. On the tenth day, Shiva gave Ravana superpowers. Lake Langa Tso is contrasted with Lake Manasarovar created by the gods. Manasarovar has a round shape, and Langa Tso is elongated in the form of a month, which symbolizes light and darkness respectively.According to local customs, touching the water of the dead lake is prohibited, as it can bring bad luck.
The number of legends, stories and various traditions associated with this place is simply enormous: it is unlikely that any other place on our planet can boast so many secrets and mysteries.
How many copies were broken, how many learned men came together in the “battle for the truth”, how many scientific, pseudo-scientific and not at all scientific theories were born thanks to the mysterious and unknown Mount Kailash. How many religious movements have merged and converged at one point of existence. Let's try to figure it out (or get even more confused).
As we always say (and will continue to say), every square centimeter of our planet is worthy of attention. Naturally, we simply do not have the right to pass by the sacred Mount Kailash. Especially considering how much stuff is mixed up around her.
First, a little geography. The Kailash mountain range is located in the southern part of Tibet (today Tibet is an autonomous region of China, but disagreements arise periodically between them). Mount Kailash is the most significant and beautiful peak of the ridge of the same name.
Mount Kailash on the map
- Geographic coordinates (31.067112, 81.311697)
- The distance from the capital of China Beijing is about 3300 km in a straight line
- The nearest airport is Simikot, approximately 130 km to the south.
Mount Kailash has an interesting and geometrically regular pyramidal shape with a permanent snow cap on the top. Its edges are almost oriented to the cardinal points. It turns out to be a kind of giant compass, visible from space.
The height of the pyramid is one of the subjects of dispute between scientists. Different groups of researchers measured the same different heights, but all measurements fell within the interval from 6,638 to 6,890 meters. This is a fairly high mountain, although it is inferior to the famous Everest (8848 meters) and the highest mountain on the planet in absolute terms, Mauna Kea (10203 meters). Regarding the height, there is an opinion that it is 6666 meters. At least, in many sources on esoteric topics this particular height is indicated.
The southern part of the mountain has a flat cleft in the middle from the top to the bottom. It was as if it had been cut with a knife. In addition, this crevice is again crossed in the middle by a horizontal crack. As a result, when the Sun sets, the shadows from these cuts form a swastika. Therefore, Kailash is sometimes called “Swastika Mountain”.
Here it is worth making an important addition. The swastika is an ancient image that symbolizes the sun or solstice. For many peoples, it is associated with our luminary. The Slavs also had a kind of swastika, called Kolovrat. Please do not confuse the well-known Nazi swastika from Hitler's times with ancient runes.
The peculiarities of Mount Kailash include its stepped structure, which makes it even more like a pyramid.
Mount Kailash in religion
The most ancient religions of the surrounding countries endow Kailash with supernatural powers and consider it a sacred place. Hindus, Buddhists, followers of Jainism and Bon (these are also movements in religion) call it the “heart of the world” or the “axis of the Earth.” Prayers are offered to the mountain, worship is made, and ritual circumambulation is made around it. This pilgrimage is called Kora.
Hindus claim that Shiva lives on the mountain, and Kailash is the image of Mera - the great mountain in the center of the Universe.
Buddhists say that the top of the mountain is the abode of Buddha. Buddhist pilgrims from all over the planet gather at the mountain every year on the Saga Dawa holiday, which is dedicated to Buddha.
Followers of Jainism believe that Kshatriya Mahavira himself, the founder of this religious movement and the main saint, achieved liberation and enlightenment on the mountain.
Followers of the Bon religion endow Lake Mapam-Yumtso, located 34 kilometers south of the mountain, with divine properties. They consider the lake to be the center of the ancient country of Shangshung, where Bon appeared. They call Mount Kailash the Nine-Story Swastika Mountain. She is the soul of the entire religion, and here Tonpa Shenrab, the founder of the religion, descended from heaven.
It is noteworthy that representatives of the first three religions walk around the mountain clockwise, and Bon followers, on the contrary, counterclockwise.
The length of the route around the mountain is 52 km. To overcome it, you need very good physical preparation. It is believed that by making a kora (circumnavigation of a mountain), a person becomes enlightened and gets rid of sins. Moreover, it is advisable to walk around the mountain in one day, which is very difficult. The kora performed 13 times is considered especially honorable.
In religious books about Kailash there are such inspiring lines: “No mortal dares to enter the peak where the gods live. Whoever sees the faces of the gods must die." Legends say that the mountain will throw off any daredevil who dares to climb to the top. And even if you just touch it, ulcers that take a long time to heal appear.
All of the above religions also worship two lakes 34 kilometers south of Kailash. These are Mapam-Yumtso and Langa-Tso. The first - fresh - is considered the Lake of Life, and the second - brackish - is the Lake of Death.
In the vicinity of the mountain flow 4 main rivers of this region - Indus, Sutlej, Brahmaputra and Karnali. The myths say that they all begin with Kailash. But in fact, streams from the mountain range initially flow into Lake Langa-Tso, and the Sutlej River flows out of it.
Pseudo-scientific and not at all scientific hypotheses and myths of Mount Kailash
Some sources indicate the mystical number 6666 and claim that it is at this distance from the mountain that Stonehenge, the North and South Poles are located. It is said that Kailash lies on the same line with the Egyptian pyramids and the mysterious Easter Island.
We sat over the map for a while and realized that there was some confusion with the distances, for example, to Stonehenge 6920 km in a straight line. If the poles were the same distance from the mountain, then it should be located on the equator - but this is not the case. And the pyramids with Easter Island are not exactly on the same line. Therefore, we classify such data as unconfirmed. But if we made a mistake somewhere, please let us know.
There are still a lot of pseudoscientific hypotheses. There are also stories about how time passes several times faster near the mountain, so much so that men grow a week’s worth of stubble in a few hours. And that Kailash is the entrance to parallel worlds. And that the mountain is hollow inside, and many saints rest in it (among whom they even mention Jesus Christ, Buddha and Krishna), and all in one place. They rest for a reason, but until the moment humanity goes completely crazy and reaches the brink of self-destruction. Then no one except higher powers will be able to protect a person from himself.
Let's be honest, these hypotheses still have little in common with science, and are more related to myths and legends.
How to conquer Mount Kailash
No way, period. Just remember the highest point on the planet, Mount Everest. It is conquered by all and sundry, from old men to teenagers and even people with disabilities. And this height is almost 9 kilometers, it’s almost impossible to breathe there, but people stubbornly climb it. What about Kailash? Has no one reached the summit? This is true. Mount Kailash has never been conquered by anyone. And there are two main factors here. The first (mystical) factor is that for reasons unknown to science, the vast majority of climbers “lost their nerves” right before the ascent; they simply abandoned their desire to climb up. And even if someone, having overcome internal resistance, nevertheless began to climb, then he either immediately returned back or died.
Local residents revere the mountain as a shrine, and naturally do not even think about conquering it. Everyone who wanted to do this was foreigners. For example, the Italian Reinhold Messner, who received permission to climb, arrived at the site in 1985, but at the last moment changed his mind. An incomprehensible feeling of fear and hopelessness covers everyone who thinks of encroaching on Mount Kailash.
The second factor hindering the conquest is the local residents. They literally block the path of daredevils with their breasts. In 2001, an expedition from Spain, having paid a lot of money just for the opportunity to climb to the top of the mountain, was stopped by a group of pilgrims. Thousands of believers stood in the way of the Spaniards. The Dalai Lama himself and even the UN protested against climbing Kailash, and the climbers had to give in. Thus, to this day the mountain has not been conquered.
Reinhold Messner later said to the Spaniards: “If we conquer this mountain, then we will conquer something in the souls of people. I would suggest going and climbing something a little harder. Kailash is not so tall and not so heavy.” Let us remember that he himself still did not dare to climb.
- The ridge where the mountain is located is considered young, so it is still “growing”. Its height increases annually by 5-6 mm
- Scientists have found that the age of the Tibetan mountains is about 5 million years, but Mount Kailash itself is only 20,000 years old
- The name of Mount Kailash is translated from Sanskrit as “crystal”
