Kailash - Heaven on earth

“Within infinite myths lies the eternal truth
Who sees it all?
Varuna has but a thousand eyes,
Indra has a hundred,
You and I, only two.”   

― Devdutt Pattanaik

I truly belive this regarding Mt. Kailash. Mount Kailash (also Mount Kailasa; Kangrinboqê or Gang Rinpoche is a 6,638 m (21,778 ft) high peak in the Kailash Range (Gangdisê Mountains), which forms part of Transhimalaya in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. Mount Kailash is considered to be sacred in four religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Bön and Jainism.
According to Hindu legends, Shiva, the god of devastation and rebirth, resides at the pinnacle of this famous mountain named Kailasa. so it is considered as heaven, the ultimate destination of souls and also the holy center of the world. As per Hindu Puranas, Mount Kailash’s four faces are made of crystal, ruby, gold, and lapis lazuli. Refereed as the pillar of the world that rises 84,000 leagues high. From it flow four rivers, which stretch to the four quarters of the world and divide the world into four regions.

Tibetan Buddhists trust that Kailash is the home of the Buddha Demchok who symbolizes supreme harmony. They also state it was on this sacred mountain that Buddhism relocates Bön as the primary religion of Tibet. According to myth, Milarepa, winner of Tantric Buddhism, arrived in Tibet to challenge Naro-Bonchung, who was the spokesperson of Bön. The two magicians engaged in a great sorcerous battle, but neither was able to gain a crucial advantage. Buddhism in Tibet known as the religion “Bon” believes Mount Kailash as the abode of the sky goddess Sipaimen.

In Jainism, Kailash is known as Mount Ashtapada and is the place where the creator of their faith, Rishabhadeva, attained freedom from rebirth.
Pilgrims believe that circumambulating it on foot will bring good fortune & will help to give the person “Moksha”. The peregrination is made in a clockwise by Hindus and Buddhists while Jains and Bönpos circumambulate in a counterclockwise direction.

The Kailash parikrama path is 52km (32miles) long. Some pilgrims believe that the entire walk around Kailash should be made in a single day. As per experienced & fit person in good shape walking fast would take more than 15 hours to complete the entire trek. Some pilgrims venture a much more demanding regimen, performing body-length prostrations over the entire length of the circumambulation: The pilgrim bends down, kneels, prostrates full-length, makes a mark with his fingers, rises to his knees, prays, and then crawls forward on hands and knees to the mark made by his/her fingers before repeating the process. This requires more than 15 days of physical endurance to perform the circumambulation.

Though the height of Mt Kailash is not so high but till now the top is untouched by any human beings. In 2001, reports emerged that the Chinese had given permission for a Spanish team to climb the peak, which caused an international backlash. Chinese authorities disputed the reports, and stated that any climbing activities on Mt Kailash are strictly prohibited.

Lake Manasarovar and Lake Rakshastal are close to this mountain. These two lakes are the source of some longest rivers of Asia: the Indus, Sutlej, Brahmaputra, and Karnali also known as Ghaghara (a tributary of the Ganges).
Lake Manasarovar (Mapham Yutso in Tibetan) is a huge lake, relatively round in shape, with the circumference of 88 km (54.7 mi). Its maximum depth of 90 m (300 ft) and about 120 sq mi of total area. Lake Manasarovar has exceptional beauty which varies from crystal clear blue water near the shores and a deep emerald green colour at the center. There are a few monasteries on the shore of the lake like Chiu Gompa Monastery, which has been built right onto a steep hill.
As per the Hindu mythology, Lake Manasarovar was created by Lord Brahma. As per Buddhist, they relate Manasarovar with Anotatta Lake. It is said that Lord Buddha’s mother was brought on the lake by the gods and as she bathed in the sacred waters of Manasarovar her body was purified. Later she saw a white elephant running to her from Mount Kailash and Lord Buddha entered her womb.

Rakshastal bears no less beauty than other lakes in Tibet, covers a total area of 250 square kilometres (97 sq mi), at an altitude of 4,575 metres (15,010 ft). Though absent of nearby grasslands, the white cobbles, the hills and the island colored with dark red, and the deep blue lake water present another distinctive picture.