E- Book

Mount Kailash
and

Manasarowar

By

Tamarapu Sampath Kumaran

 :
About the author
Mr T Sampath Kumaran is a freelance writer. He regularly contributes
articles on Management, Business, Ancient Temples and Temple
Architecture, and different cultures of people, to many leading Dailies
and Magazines.
His articles for the young is very popular in “The Young World section”
of THE HINDU. His books on Hindu Saints, and Temples of Pilgrimage
centers have been well received in the religious circle.
He was associated in the production of two Documentary films on Nava
Tirupathi Temples, and Tirukkurungudi Temple in Tamilnadu.

Acknowledgement
Google for the pictures and several authors for the information .
Mount Kailash
India has a bit of everything. We have beautiful valleys, serene
landscapes, lush forests, peaceful beaches, and of course, our colossal
mountain ranges. Among them is Mt. Kailash, which stands at about
2000 feet shorter than the highest peak, Mt. Everest.
Mount Kailash, the Stairway to Heaven, is the most intriguing mountain
range in the whole of Himalayas. Mount Kailash is 22,000 ft from the
Tibetan Plateau, which is largely considered to be inaccessible. For
Hindus and Buddhists, Mount Kailash is the physical embodiment of
Mount Meru, one of the world’s most sacred and mysterious mountain
peak.
As per ancient text, it is said that no mortal shall be allowed to walk atop
Mount Kailash, where among the clouds is the home of the gods. He
who dares to start to the top of the mount to see the faces of the gods
will be put to death.
Due to its religious significance, Kailash remains an unclimbed
mountain..Contrary to popular claims, the pyramid-shaped Mount Meru
is the result of the possessed technical expertise of some superhuman
divine beings.
Trekking all the way up to the peak of Mount Kailash is held to be a
forbidden act among Hindus for the fear of trespassing the sanctity of
the mountain and disturbing the divine energies residing there. As per a
Tibetan lore, a monk named Milarepa once ventured far enough to reach
the top of Mount Meru. When he returned, he forewarned everyone to
avoid bothering the God resting high up in the peak.

Mount Kailash is believed to be the Axis Mundi aka the cosmic axis,
world axis, world pillar, centre of the world, the world tree. It is the
point where heaven meets earth. The Google Maps vouch for the validity
of this fact.
Do not be surprised if you find your nails or hair grown by a few
millimetres after returning from your Mount Meru trip. Tourists and
pilgrims have discovered that the air of this ancient peak amps up the
process of ageing!
Once a group of climbers of Siberian origin reached ahead of a certain
point and immediately aged by a few decades. Shockingly, all of the
trespassers died of old age a year after!
It is known as the ultimate journey to the centre of the universe. It is
surrounded by five monasteries. Mount Kailash is a supremely sacred
site of Hindus, Jains, Buddhists and Ayyavazhi religions and to billions
of people. Each monastery endowed with different legendary stories and
decorated by distinctive sculptures, statues, murals, thangkas and other
Tibetan cultural objects to popular claims, the pyramid-shaped Mount
Meru is the result of the possessed technical expertise of some
superhuman divine beings.

According to the Buddhist and Hindu scriptures, around the Mount Meru
exist ancient monasteries and caves wherein the holy sages reside in
their material and subtle bodies. These caves can be seen by only a few
fortunate ones.
Here are the most exciting, little-known facts about the mysterious
mountain peak—Mount Kailash..
A Man-made Pyramid
Mount Kailash strange shape has prompted the theory that the mountain
isn’t a mountain by any way shape or form. Russian researchers accept
that Mount Kailash isn’t a mountain as it is way too perfect and
symmetrical to be considered as a natural occurrence.
Who lives at Kailash
It is believed Mount Kailash is the home of Lord Shiva and Parvati,and
hence Hindu supporters won’t scale the mountain and won’t enable
others to ascent. With different religious conviction connected to Mount
Kailash, individuals following Buddhism, Jainism, and Bon won’t
permit too. Jains consider the Kailash as the site at which their first
Tirthankar accomplished nirvana.
Regular Change In Position
The reason people cant reach the top of the mountain is that the
mountain keeps on changing position. Despite the fact that numerous
individuals attempted to climb on Kailash Parvat however every one of
the treks to the summits has been fruitless till date. Trekkers would turn
out of the blue move in the opposite direction or would witness bad
weather conditions which forces them to descend, many of who have
never returned.
Mystery Geographical Measurement
Ancient Vedas and other holy texts referenced that Mount Kailash is the
cosmic axis, the center of the world, and the stairway to paradise. The
Google Maps vouch for the legitimacy of this reality. It’s accepted to
give an association between the earth and Heaven, between the physical
world and the spiritual world.
The force of Aging
It is said that who climb Mount Kailash age quickly. The time that
human takes to age two weeks only take 12 hours in the mountain.
Numerous Hikers have detailed that they feel like their nails and hairs
are developing rapidly within 12 hours.
Formation of Swastika shadow
At the point when the sun is setting, the mountain is said to cast a
shadow, which has a striking likeness to the religious image of Swastika,
which is considered as a favorable sign among the Hindus.
The Om Parbat
Om Parvat is one more unsolved mystery which is interesting, as the
snow falls on the peak and takes the pattern of OM. There are Parvati
and Jonglingkong lakes near OM Parbat. Jonglingkong Lake is sacred to
the Hindus like Mansarovar Lake.
The magical Gauri Kund
Gauri Kund that is also known as Lake of Compassion, a water body.
This lake is famous as Parvati Sarovar where goddess Parvati had
procured her child Ganesha. Goddess Parvati had framed her child Lord
Ganesh from the cleanser foam of her body and breathed life into it.
Kang Rimpoche For The Buddhists
The final religious connection to this mountain lies within Buddhism.
For them, the mountains is known as Kang Rimpoche, or ‘Precious One
of Glacial Snow’.
Gratuitous Source Of Rivers
This mountain might as well be the center of all things, as four important
rivers flow from it. The Indus, Sutlej, Brahmaputra,and Karnali (the
tributary of our sacred Ganga) all flow from near the base of this
mountain.
The Four Faces
This mountain isn’t like other mountains, which are roughly shaped like
a cone, this one has four distinct faces, almost aligned with the four
directions. The Puranas say that it is the center of this world, dividing it
into quarterly regions. Perhaps the most peculiar statement, The Puranas
also say that each face is made of gold, ruby, lapis lazuli, and crystal.
The Seat Of All Power
The early settlers of this region, who followed the religion of Bon,
maintain that the mountain and the area around it is very sacred. They
called it the Nine Storey Swastika Mountain, and it was the seat of all
power. And indeed, when viewed from the south face, a swastika can be
seen.
The Gateway Of The God Of Death
The Yam Dwar, the initial point for those who want to circumambulate
the mountain, when translated, means the “gateway of the God of
death”. It is said that circumambulation of this mountain can wash one
of his or her sins, and enough rounds and you could also be set for life
with good karma.
Siwasthal, The North’s Bodh Gaya
Siwasthal is known as another Bodh Gaya since it replicates the mystic
funeral grounds at Bodh Gaya in Bihar. People who come here on a
pilgrimage, experience a metaphorical death, and are then in the
presence of Yama. After which, they are “reborn” at Drolma La. The
grounds here are strewn with clothes, bags and what not. Perhaps the
most disturbing, you can also spot bones, hair, and blood. These are
regarded as the possessions that people leave behind in their “previous
life” and also the offerings made by the pilgrims.
Lake Manasarovar and Lake Rakshastal

There are two lakes close to Mount Kailash, which have also been
surrounded by myths from ancient times. Mansarovar, the Good lake and
the Rakshas Tal, the Devil Lake. People say that Mount Kailash stands
between these two indicating that humans have both sides and there isn’t
any external evil to us; we are the evil. Another interesting factor is that
Manasarovar is a freshwater lake and Rakshas Tal is a saltwater one.

Manasarovar is shaped like the sun. Rakshastal is shaped like a crescent

moon. Manasarovar is one of the highest freshwater lakes in the world,
while the Rakshastal is one of the highest saltwater lakes.
Manasarovar is always calm and serene irrespective of the weather
conditions. Rakshastal however is always stormy and has rough waters.
Lake Manasarovar or "Manas Sarovar", also called "Mapam Yumtso" in
Tibetan," Wylie: ma pham g.yu mtsho";in simplified Chinese:is a high
altitude freshwater lake fed by the Kailash Glaciers near Mount Kailash
in Burang County, western Tibet Autonomous Region, China. The lake
is revered as a sacred place in four religions: Bön, Buddhism, Hinduism
and Jainism.
Lake Manasarovar lies at 4,590 m (15,060 ft) above mean sea level, a
relatively high elevation for a large fresh water lake on the mostly saline
lake-studded Tibetan Plateau.
Lake Manasarovar is relatively round in shape with the circumference of
88 km (54.7 mi). Its depth reaches a maximum depth of 90 m (300 ft)
[citation needed] and its surface area is 320 km2 (123.6 sq mi). It is
connected to nearby Lake Rakshastal by the natural Ganga Chhu
channel.
Lake Manasarovar is near the source of the Sutlej, which is the
easternmost large tributary of the Indus. Nearby are the sources of the
Brahmaputra River, the Indus River, and the Ghaghara, an important
tributary of the Ganges.
Lake Manasarovar overflows into Lake Rakshastal which is a salt-water
endorheic lake. When the level of Lake Rakshastal matched that of Lake
Manasarovar, these (very narrowly) combined lakes overflowed into the
Sutlej basin. Stranded beaches around Lake Rakshastal at 4586 meter
would indicate that decrease in inflow or increase in evaporation are the
cause of this lost connection to the Indus basin rather than tectonic
activity.
Religious significance
According to Hinduism, the lake was first created in the mind of the
Lord Brahma after which it manifested on Earth. In Hinduism, Lake
Manasarovar is a personification of purity, and one who drinks water
from the lake will go to the abode of Shiva after death. He or she is
believed to be cleansed of all their sins committed over even a hundred
lifetimes.
Rakshastal was created by Ravana for the express purpose of garnering
superpowers through acts of devotion and meditation to the god, Shiva,
who resided on Mount Kailash. Shiva was moved enough by his
devotion to grant Ravana his wish to obtain superpowers.
Like Mount Kailash, Lake Manasarovar is a place of pilgrimage,
attracting religious people from India, Nepal, Tibet and neighboring
countries. Bathing in Manasarovar and drinking its water is believed by
Hindus to cleanse all sins.Pilgrimage tours are organized regularly,
especially from India, the most famous of which is the yearly "Kailash
Manasarovar Yatra". Pilgrims come to take ceremonial baths in the
waters of the lake.

According to Hindu theology, there are five sacred lakes; collectively

called Panch-Sarovar; Mansarovar, Bindu Sarovar, Narayan Sarovar,
Pampa Sarovar and Pushkar Sarovar. They are also mentioned in
Shrimad Bhagavata Purana.
The People who belong to this region are called Manasarovariya. Most
of those who follow Hinduism here belong to the Koli tribe called
Manasarovariya Patels or Mandhata Patels and they claim that their tribe
are descendants of the ancient King Mandhata of Suryavansha or
Ikshvaku dynasty. There is a mountain nearby named after him. It is
called Gurla Mandhata and is the highest peak of the Nalakankar Himal.
The Bon religion is also associated with the holy place of Zhang Zhung
Meri sacred deity. When Tonpa Shenrab, the founder of the Bon religion,
visited Tibet for the first time – from Tagzig Wolmo Lungring – he
bathed in the lake.
Buddhists associate the lake with the legendary lake Anavatapta
(Sanskrit; Pali Anotatta) where Maya is believed to have conceived the
Buddha. The lake has a few monasteries on its shores, the most notable
of which is the ancient Chiu Monastery built on a steep hill, looking as if
it has been carved right out of the rock.
The lake is very popular in Buddhist literature and associated with many
teachings and stories. The Buddha, it is reported, stayed and meditated
near this lake on several occasions. Lake Manasarovar is also the subject
of the meditative Tibetan tradition, "The Jewel of Tibet". A modern
narration and description of the meditation was made popular by Robert
Thurman.
In Jainism, Lake Manasarovar is associated with the first Tirthankara,
Rishabha. As per Jain scriptures, the first Tirthankar, Bhagwan
Rushabhdev, had attained nirvana on the Ashtapad Mountain. The son of
Bhagwan Rishabhdev, Chakravati Bharat, had built a palace adorned
with gems on the Ashtapad Mountain located in the serene Himalayas.
There are many stories related to Ashtapad Maha Tirth like Kumar and
Sagar's sons, Tapas Kher Parna, Ravan and Mandodri Bhakti, among
many others.
Mount Kailash is surrounded by five monasteries, namely Nyari
Monastery, Drirapuk Monastery, Songchu Monastery, Gyangzha
Monastery and Thailong Monastery. Nyari is the first site on the Kailash
Kora and the last two are located on the inner kora. Each monastery is
endowed with different legendary stories and decorated by distinctive
sculptures, statues, murals, thangkas and other Tibetan cultural objects.
Unfortunately, all are destroyed to different degrees. But the monasteries
can offer simple accommodation to pilgrims and trekkers..
How to get to Mount Kailash
First, the only international flight that arrives in Lhasa, the capital of
Tibet, departs from Kathmandu, in Nepal. So, if you’re considering to
take the flight to Tibet, then you need to transit from one city in
Mainland China or get to Kathmandu, and fly from there to Tibet.
There are trains and direct flights available from some big cities in
Mainland China such as Beijing, Xi’an, Chengdu, Chongqing, Shanghai,
and others, to Lhasa.
There are also daily flights operated from Kathmandu to Lhasa. Land
travel by crossing the border from Nepal to Tibet is also possible now, as
the border Kyirong was just opened to foreign passport holders a few
months ago.
The best time for a Kailash tour -trekking is from mid-May to mid-
October. However, snow could be encountered on the Drolma-la pass at
any time of year. The temperature will often drop well below freezing at
night, even during the summer months.