| |
| |
|
|
| |
Tibet ›› Trekking |
|
| |
Holy Mount
Kailash Trek (14 days) | Holy
Mount Kailash Trek (18 days) |
|
| |
Mount Kailash |
|
| |
|
|
| |
 Mt.
Kailash, 6,740 m. is situated to the north of the Himalayan
barrier, wholly within Tibet. It is the perfect mountain
with awesome beauty, with 4 great faces. It is the spiritual
centre for four great religions: Tibetan Buddhism, Hinduism,
the Jain religion and the pre-Buddhist animistic religion
- Bonpo. To Tibetans it is known as Khang Rimpoche (Precious
Jewel of Snow) and they see it as the navel of the world.
It is said that a stream from the mountain pours into
a nearby lake and from here rivers flow in the four
cardinal directions. The River of the Lion Mouth to
the North, the River of the Horse Mouth to the east,
the River of the Peacock Mouth to the south and the
River of the Elephant Mouth to the West. Strangely enough,
four major rivers do indeed originate near Kailash,
the Indus, the Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra), the Karnali
and the Sutlej. Tibetans believe that it is the residence
of Demchog, a fierce looking tantric deity who lives
there with his consort, Dorje Phagmo. For the Tibetans
also, it is a particularly special place in that their
poet saint Milarepa, spent several years here meditating
in a cave. For the Hindus Mount Kailash is the earthly
manifestation of Mt. Meru, their spiritual centre of
the universe, described as a fantastic 'world pillar'
84,000 miles high, around which all else revolves, its
roots in the lowest hell and its summit kissing the
heavens. On the top live their most revered God, Shiva,
and his consort Parvati. For the Jains, an Indian religious
group, Kailash is the site where their first prophet
achieved enlightenment. For the older, more ancient
religion of Bon, it is the site where its founder Shanrab
is said to have descended from heaven. It was formerly
the spiritual centre of Zhang Zung, the ancient Bon
Empire that once included all of western Tibet. Bon
people walk around the mountain in a counter clockwise
manner, unlike the other religions. Over the centuries
pilgrims have constantly journeyed immense distances
to achieve enlightenment or cleanse themselves of sin,
braving enormous distances, particularly harsh weather
and bandit attacks. Although main focus of this trek
is Mount Kailash in Tibet, the journey through Nepal's
border with Tibet at Zhangmu, Saga and Paryang to Darchen
is culturally and scenically rewarding. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Mansarovar Lake |
|
| |
|
|
| |
 Mapam
yamco is a holy Lake called "mother of the world's
river" in Buddhist classis, which enjoys the same
reputation as the holy mountain kangrinboque.it is 4588
meters above sea level, covering 412 square kilometers
with the water as deep as 70 meters. The sacred Lake
is like a sapphire glittering with charming colors in
the sun. In the rainy season, floks of the swans migrate
here, making the lake even more vivid. The water comes
from the melted snow of Gangdise Range. It is so clear
that fish 10 meters below the surface can be seen. The
lake is sacred because it has been mentioned in many
religious classics or legends. According to Indian legends,
it is the place where God Siva and his wife Goddesswuma,
daughter of Himalayas took baths. In the ancient Barbara
& Lila swiming in Manasarovar Lake photo by GerdTibetan
story, it is described as the place where the God of
wealth lives.mapan yumco means eternal jade blow lake
in Tibetan which is said to have commemorated the victory
of Buddhism over the local Bongboim in 11th century
master monk of the Tang Dynasty xuanzang called it "yaochi
(a faryland in Chinese myths) in the west" in his
work" pilgrimage to the west of Tang dynasty".
Standing around the Lake are eight temples of which
is the most famous are the Jiwu and chugu.The area around
the chugu Temple is regarded as the most sarred bathing
center. besides, there are four bathing gates around
the lake. The lotus bathing gate in the east, the fragrant
in the south, the dirt-cleansing in the west, and the
belief in the north. Buddhists believe the sacred water
here can clean human souls of the five evils (greed,
temperament infatuation laziness and prejudice) and
wash away all the dirt on the body and skin. So, people
coming here would have a bath or take some water back
from the lake as gift for the friends and relatives.
West of the lake are the sources of the four rivers:
the Damqog zangbo in the east, the sengge zangbo in
the north, the langqen zangbo in the west and Konqi
River in the south. Named after the four divine animals
in the heaven: the horse, lion, elephant and peaccock,
the four rivers are the sources of Ganges, the Indas,
the Sutlej and the yarlung Zangbo River in south Asia
respectively. Hence the reputation"mothyer of the
world's rivers." |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
Back
to Top |
|
|
|
