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Kailash Mansarovar, famous for Mansarovar Lake and Mount Kailash (Mount Kailas), is a popular pilgrimage destination. Kailash Mansarovar is located in the western part of the Tibetan Himalayas.
Kailash Mansarovar is considered to be the ultimate pilgrimage destination in the Himalayas. Mount Kailash, located at an altitude of 6,690 meters above sea level, nearby Lake Manasarovar and Lake Rakshastal, is a revered place visited by the followers of various religious sects like Bon, Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.
Mount Kailash is also known as Mount Ashtapada as per Jain texts. It is believed that Rishabh Dev or Adishwar, the first Jain Tirthankar, attained salvation at Mount Kailash. According to Buddhism, Mount Kailash is the home of Buddha Demchok and the region surrounding it was the seat of Dorge Phangmo. The followers of Bon believe that Mount Kailash is the seat of spiritual power.
According to Hindu mythology, Mount Kailash or Kailasa Parvata is believed to be the holy abode of Lord Shiva. Kora or the Parikrama is the most important part of the pilgrimage to Mount Kailash, where pilgrims circumambulate Mount Kailash and cover a distance of about 55 km on foot or pony.
Mansarovar Lake, which is about 90 meters deep, spreads over 320 sq km, at an elevation of 4556 meters. Mansarovar Lake is one of the ancient lakes in the world. This lake is surrounded by Mount Kailash on its north, Mount Gurala Mandhata on its south, Lake Rakshas-Tal or Ravan Harda on its west and hilly areas on its east.
This lake is also the source of four rivers which are Indus, Brahmaputra, Karnali and Sutlej. As per legends, the water of Mansarovar Lake is sacred as it can provide freedom from the cyclical re-incarnation of soul or ‘Self’. Pilgrims visiting this lake, hence perform ablutions here to ensure Moksha or Salvation.
The Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, conducted by Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam during May – September, has a history that dates back to many centuries. Though it was discontinued for 21 years (1959 – 1980), it was resumed in 1981.
Kailash Mansarovar is about 865 km from New Delhi and it takes about 30 days to reach, along the fixed route decided by the Indian and Tibetan governments, by bus / jeep and by foot. Travellers to Kailash Mansarovar can also fly to Kathmandu, and then reach Mansarovar by road. Tourists can also reach this place by helicopter, which takes about 9 - 12 days.
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The tradition of making a pilgrimage to Kailash has been followed from thousands of years. Every year, thousands of pilgrims from different religions visit Mount Kailash believing that the holy ritual of circumambulation of Mount Kailash will bring them good fortune.
While Buddhists and Hindus do the circumambulation in a clockwise direction, Jains and Bonpos do the circumambulation in an anti-clockwise direction. The path around Mount Kailash has a length of 52 km and pilgrims need to travel this path on foot or on a pony.
Usually, it takes around three days to trek the stretch that begins at a height of around 15,000 feet and ends at 19,000 feet, by crossing the Dolma Pass. During this trek, pilgrims need to camp for two nights.
The first night’s camp is near the meadow of Dirapuk Gompa, situated 2 km or 3 km before the Dolma Pass. The second night’s camp is set up after crossing the Pass and on the way down, with Gauri Kund in the distance.
The circumambulation known as ‘parikrama’ or the ‘kora’ is the high point of the journey that takes around six days.The summit of Mount Kailash is conical and dome-shaped and is higher than all its neighbouring peaks. The point from where the ‘parikrama’ begins and ends is known as Tarchen.
From Tarchen, pilgrims can get the best view of the brown-red base and southern sapphire face of the peak. Beneath Mount Kailash, the Mansarovar Lake contains turquoise blue waters.
The other lake is situated to the west of Mansarovar Lake known as the Ravan Kund or Rakshash Tal. Both the freshwater lakes are connected by a natural channel called Ganga Chu. Another lake called Gauri Kund is situated near Dolma Pass, the highest point of the trek to Mount Kailash.
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