Mount Kailash,Gangs Rin-po-che, meaning "precious jewel of snows"
Mt. Kailash is a holy mountain in western Tibet.
Elevation 6,638 m (21,778 ft)
Source: Wikipedia
Slideshow of Kailash Kora Set - Click here -
Every year, thousands make a pilgrimage to Mt. Kailash, following a tradition going back thousands of years. Pilgrims of several religions believe that walking around Mount Kailash on foot is a holy ritual that will bring good fortune. This is done in a clockwise direction by Hindus and Buddhists. In the Hindu tradition the spiritual centre of the Universe is represented by Mount Kailas. The Buddhist tradition calls the Sacred Mountain as Mount Meru which again is a symbol of the highest point in the spiritual Universe from where the whole of Creation can be contemplated. It is called Meru or Sumeru, according to the oldest Sanskrit tradition. Followers of the Jain and Bönpo religions circumambulate the mountain in a counterclockwise direction.
The path around Mount Kailash is 52 km (32 mi) long. Some pilgrims believe that the entire walk around Kailash should be made in a single day. This is not easy. A person in good shape walking fast would take perhaps 15 hours to complete the 52 km trek. Some of the devout do accomplish this feat, little daunted by the uneven terrain, altitude sickness and harsh conditions faced in the process.
Indeed, other 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. It requires at least four weeks of physical endurance to perform the circumambulation while following this regimen. The mountain is located in a particularly remote and inhospitable area of the Tibetan Himalayas. A few modern amenities, such as benches, resting places and refreshment kiosks, exist to aid the pilgrims in their devotions.
Walking around the holy mountain has to be done on foot, pony or yak; it takes three days of trekking starting from a height of around 15,000 ft to crossing the Dolma pass (19,000 ft) and encamping for two nights en route. First, near the meadow of Dirapuk gompa—2 or 3 km before the pass and second, after crossing the pass and going downhill as far as possible (viewing Gauri Kund in the distance).
