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In shape it (Mount Kailash) resembles a vast cathedral….the sides of the mountain are perpendicular and fall sheer for hundreds of feet, strata horizontal, the layers of stone varying slightly in colour, and the dividing lines showing up clear and distinct….which give to the entire mountain the appearance of having been built by giant hands, of huge blocks of reddish stone. 

~ GC Rawling, The Great Plateau, London, 1905

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Note for Readers

This blog is not a conventional recounting of one of my travels. A journey to Mount Kailash is the ultimate pilgrimage that can be performed on this planet, and the only one where one can visit the abode of the Gods in our mortal state. As such, I have devoted Part 1 of this blog to explore the mystical and religious beliefs surrounding this mountain – and there are many! Those who are not interested in the esoteric part can directly go to the travelogue at Part 2.

However, the watermarked photos in Part 1 were taken during this pilgrimage.

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Part 1

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Introduction

The Kailash Manasarovar Yatra is something dreams are made of.  A journey of a lifetime, a journey to Heaven and back, for humanity to hopefully reflect on the exalted experience. More than anything, the journey to Kailash Manasarovar is a life-changing experience, taking one into uncharted inner frontiers as nothing else can. A pilgrimage to this revered, timeless, and breath-taking destination is a journey within yourself and an intense spiritual experience.

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Situated in the Western Himalayan ranges of the Tibetan Autonomous Region, the 6638-meter tall diamond-shaped Mount Kailash (also Kailāsa) and the divine freshwater Lake Mansarovar (or Manas Sarovar) are the sources of great energy and mental peace for mankind. Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarovar are revered as the most sacred places in Hindu, Jain, and Bodh religions. 

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Etymology

Mount Kailash (also Kailasa; Kangrinboqê or Gang Rinpoche; Tibetan: གངས་རིན་པོ་ཆེ; simplified Chinese: 冈仁波齐峰; traditional Chinese: =岡仁波齊峰; Sanskrit: कैलास, IAST: Kailāsa), is a 6,638 m (21,778 ft) high peak in the Kailash Range (Gangdisê Mountains), which forms part of the Transhimalaya in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China.

‘Kailash’, literally is the combination of two words ‘Kai’ meaning ‘soul’ and ‘Lash’ signifies ‘a dance form’.  Hence, the meaning is one which signifies a place where the ‘soul’ seems to rejoice and exult in a state of ultimate bliss.  

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Religious Significance

Mount Kailash is often called “the spiritual centre of the universe” because it’s the birthplace of four major world religions – Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, and Bön.

• The Hindus consider Kailash Parvat as the abode of the Adiyogi Shiva. Shiva, the destroyer of ignorance and illusion, resides on the summit of Mount Kailash, where he sits in a state of perpetual meditation along with his consort, Parvati. It is the only abode of the gods that can be visited by man in his mortal state. 
• The Tibetan Buddhists believe that Kailash is the abode of the tantric meditational deity Demchog.
• The Jains call the mountain Astapada and believe it to be the place where Rishaba, the first of the twenty-four Tirthankaras attained liberation.
• Followers of Bon, Tibet’s pre-Buddhist shamanistic religion, call the mountain Tise and believe it to be the seat of the Sky Goddess Sipaimen. Additionally, Bon myths regard Tise as the site of a legendary 12^th century battle of sorcery between the Buddhist sage Milarepa and the Bon shaman Naro Bon-chung. Milarepa’s defeat of the shaman displaced Bon as the primary religion of Tibet, firmly establishing Buddhism in its place.

All of them have a different perspective about who lives on Kailash and that makes it all the more mysterious and sacred. However, such is the sanctity of the mountain that to this day it remains unclimbed. Many attempts in the past were unsuccessful as some obstacles cropped up during these attempts. The Chinese Government has now banned any further attempts from being made.

Herbert Tichy was in the area in 1936 when he asked one of the Garpons of Ngari whether Kailash was climbable, the Garpon replied, “Only a man entirely free of sin could climb Kailash. And he wouldn’t have to actually scale the sheer walls of ice to do it – he’d just turn himself into a bird and fly to the summit.”

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Reference in Scriptures

The Vedas mentioned Mount Kailash as the cosmic axis and world pillar, the centre of the universe. It is also known as the navel of the world, Kang Tisé or Kang Rinpoche (the ‘Precious Jewel of Snow’ in Tibetan), Meru (or Sumeru), Swastika Mountain, Mt. Astapada, Mt. Kangrinboge (the Chinese name) – all names are of the holiest and the most mysterious mountain in the world – Mount Kailash (कैलाश पर्वत). In religion or mythology, this world centre is the connection between heaven and earth. As the celestial pole and geographic pole, it denotes the point of connection between the sky and the earth, where the four compass directions meet. 

The Uttara Kanda of the epic Ramayana records a story about Kailasa. The ten-headed, twenty-armed mighty King Ravana defeated and looted Alaka – the city of his step-brother and god of wealth Kubera, situated near Mount Kailash. After the victory, Ravana was returning to Lanka in the Pushpaka Vimana (the flying chariot stolen from Kubera), when he spotted a beautiful place. However, the chariot could not fly over it. Ravana met Shiva’s bull-faced dwarf attendant Nandi (Nandisha, Nandikeshvara) and asked the reason behind his chariot’s inability to fly over the place. Nandi informed Ravana that Lord Shiva and Parvati resided on the mountain and no one was allowed to pass over it. Ravana mocked Shiva and Nandi. Enraged by the insult to his lord, Nandi cursed Ravana that monkeys would one day destroy him. In turn, infuriated by Nandi’s curse and his inability to proceed further, Ravana attempted to uproot Kailash. As Kailash began to shake, a terrified Parvati embraced Shiva. However, the omniscient Shiva realized that Ravana was behind the menace and pressed the mountain into place with his big toe, trapping Ravana beneath it. Ravana cried out in pain. Thereafter, Ravana sang hymns in praise of Shiva for a thousand years to gain his release. The pleased Shiva bestowed a powerful linga, his symbol, to be worshipped by Ravana at Lanka, but with the condition that wherever the linga was placed on earth, it would stay there for eternity. Fearing that Ravana would become invincible if he reached Lanka with the linga, aided by Shiva’s son Ganesha, the gods devised a plan and tricked Ravana to hand the linga to Ganesha, who immediately placed it on the ground. The temples at Gokarna and Narayana Sarovar (Kutch) claim to house this linga. Since Ravana had cried when trapped under the mountain, he was given the name “Ravana” – one who cried. This episode is very popular in Hinduism and depicted through iconography in numerous temples, called Ravananugraha. 

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Later in Ramayana, Sita Mata was abducted by Ravana and no one knew where she had been taken. A massive search was organized by Sugriva and his Vanar Sena (chosen beings, monkeys, who were intellectually, physically and mentally superior to humans of that time and they took rebirth to be a part of leela for the avatar of Bhagwan Vishnu to annihilate adharmis). This search, which was carried out in all four directions, provides geographical knowledge/description about various places around the world – from the Alps in the West to the Peruvian mountains in the East, and from the Arctic to the Antarctic in the North and South. The search in the northern direction mentions three mountain peaks in the Himalayas, the Kala, Sudarshana and the Devasakha. Across these peaks, Sugriva informed the Vanars in his briefing, is a vast expanse of barren plain land, crossing which they shall see Mount Kailash. The locations mentioned in the Ramayana – the vast expanse of land being the plains of Tibet, and the location of Mount Kailash – are geographically correct.

Those wanting to know specific details of the geographical descriptions mentioned in the Ramayana, see this video on Sugriva’s Atlas.

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In the Ramcharitmanas, Tulsidas says ‘Param ramya girivar kailasu sada jahan Shiva Uma nivasu’ (1-105) – “It is on this most beautiful and prominent mountain Kailash that Shiva and Parvati reside.”

In Meghdoot, Kalidasa writes, ‘Kailasasye tridisha vanita darpanasye’. (Purva Megha 59) – Mt Kailash is the mirror for celestial ladies. He further describes Mt Kailash as being one of the four krida shail or sports hills built for Shiva, the other three being Kankadri, Mandar and Gandhamadan.

In the epic Mahabharata, it is said that the Pandava brothers, along with their wife Draupadi, trekked to the summit of Kailash on their path to liberation, as it is considered to be a gateway to Swarga Loka (heaven). 

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Physical Significance

Mount Kailash is unique among mountains in that it has the shape of a pyramid. The pyramid shape is commonly seen throughout the ancient world – in Egypt, Central America, South East Asia, in China itself, and in other places. There are a large number of ancient pyramids in the Shaanxi Province of China. Their existence until recently was denied and the Chinese government only of late admitted about their ancient origins. The pyramid shape is also associated with the worship of gods or transporting of souls to other realms beyond the grave. Is Mount Kailash holy because it possesses special powers bestowed upon it by visitors from outer space in the past?

Kailash (Kang Rinpoche, or ‘Precious Snow Mountain’ in Tibetan) gets much of its power from its striking physical location, a lone peak detached from the main Himalayan range in Tibet’s Kangdise mountains. The curiously four-sided mountain rises sheer from the surrounding plains, with its four faces facing the cardinal directions. The location is in the midst of six mountain ranges that form the shape of a giant lotus. One description of the legendary mountain describes its four faces as being made of gold, crystal, ruby, and lapis lazuli. 

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Both geography and history play roles in the sacred significance of Mount Kailash. This holy mountain rises to an altitude of 6666 meters (numerology). It is called the mother of all mountains, though in terms of peaks in the nearby Himalayan range, which includes Mount Everest, its grandeur lies not in height but in its distinct shape – four sheer faces marking the cardinal points of the compass – and its solitary location, free of neighbouring mountains that might dwarf or obscure it. Despite it height, Mount Kailasa provides a unique (and convenient?) path all around it, which is used for circumambulating (parikrama) the holy “shrine”, an important custom in Hinduism.

Shiva embodies the destroyer aspect of the trinity of Gods (Creator, Sustainer, Destroyer). According to tradition, Shiva wears the bones of the dead as decoration and smears himself in ash – signifying the burning of the lower desires. The higher significance of the destroyer aspect is that he cuts asunder the bonds of the ego, liberating the Atman within from the darkness of ignorance. Coincident with this theme of death is the presence of two large hollows on Mount Kailash visible from a particular angle, the ice-covered dome of Kailasa appears as a skull with two large eye-holes peering out from beneath the skull-like dome.

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Further, Mount Kailasa is unique in that it rises up to the highest point of the Tibetan Plateau, like the hub of a giant wheel. From this hub, four of Asia’s mightiest rivers form and flow – the Indus, Sutlej, Brahmaputra (Yarlung Tsangpo), and Karnali (which flows into the Ganges). 

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The Twin Lakes

To further enhance the religious significance of the mountain, two lakes are situated near the base of Mount Kailash. The higher lake, Manasarovar (one of the highest freshwater lakes in the world) is a sacred lake and is round-shaped like the sun. The lower lake, Rakshastal (one of the highest salt-water lakes) is the devil’s lake and has the shape of the crescent moon. The two lakes represent solar and lunar forces, positive and negative energies respectively. 

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Lake Manasarovar (Tibetan: མ་ཕམ་གཡུ་མཚོ།, Wylie: ma pham g.yu mtsho; Chinese: 玛旁雍错 (simplified), 瑪旁雍錯(traditional) also called Mapam Yumtso, as well as Manas Sarovar (in Sanskrit and several Indian languages), is a high altitude freshwater lake fed by the Kailash glaciers. The Sanskrit word “Manasarovar” (मानसरोवर) is a combination of two Sanskrit words; “Mānas” (मानस्) meaning “mind” (in its widest sense as applied to all the mental powers), intellect, intelligence, understanding, perception, sense, conscience” while “sarovara” (सरोवर) means “a lake or large pond”. In Sanatana Dharma, the lake was first created in the mind of Brahma after which it manifested on Earth. The lake is a personification of purity, and one who drinks water from the lake will go to the abode of Shiva after death. In the 4^th century, the famous poet Kalidas wrote about this holy lake – that the water appears “like pearls and that to drink them removes the sins of a hundred lifetimes.”

Buddhists associate the lake with the legendary lake Anavatapta where Maya is believed to have conceived the Buddha. Hence its significance.

Lake Manasarovar lies at 4,590 meters (15,060 ft) altitude on the mostly saline lake-studded Tibetan Plateau. It has a circumference of 88 km. Its depth reaches a maximum of 90 m (300 ft) and its surface area is 320 square kilometers.

Lake Rakshastal (Tibetan: ལག་ངར་མཚོ; Chinese: 拉昂错) lies just west of Lake Manasarovar and south of Mount Kailash. The Sutlej River (also known by the Tibetan name Langqen Zangbo) originates at Rakshastal’s north-western tip. Despite its close proximity to Lake Manasarovar (about 3.7 km), Lake Rakshastal is a saline lake devoid of any life and it does not share the religious significance of its eastern neighbour. It covers a total area of 250 square kilometres, at an altitude of 4,575 metres (15,010 ft). Though surrounding grasslands are absent, the white cobbles, dark red-coloured hills and islands, and deep blue waters are distinctive features of the lake. There is a small river named Ganga Chhu, which connects Lake Manasarovar with Rakshastal, believed to have been created by the rishis to add pure water from Manasarovar, which is at a slightly higher level. This rivulet also acts as an overflow channel.

The name of the lake literally means “lake of the demon” in Sanskrit. It is also known as Ravana Tal, and was created by Ravana for the express purpose of garnering superpowers through acts of devotion and meditation to Shiva, who resided on Mount Kailash. As there are no plants or wildlife around the lake, its lifeless surroundings caused the Tibetans to refer it as “the Ghost Lake”. Local legend cautions visitors who approach the lake against inauspicious mishaps in its vicinity.

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The Russian Obsession

Russians have been fascinated with the mountain for a long time. Nicholas Roerich wrote about Mount Kailash and one of his most famous paintings portrays the path to the mountain.

There are several legends about Russian climbers in the 19^th and early 20^th centuries trying to scale the mountain and vanishing. A Siberian mountaineer once reported about a group of climbers who climbed beyond a particular point and suddenly aged by a few decades. According to his story, they died of old age a year later!

In 1999, Russian ophthalmologist Ernst Muldashev decided to go on an expedition to Tibet to try and discover the secrets of Mount Kailash. His team comprised of experts in geology, physics and history. The team met several Tibetan lamas and spent several months around the foot of the sacred mountain.

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One of the conclusions the Russian expedition put forward is that Mount Kailash is a vast, human-built pyramid, the center of an entire complex of smaller pyramids in the area, of which there are 100 in total. Muldashev believed that the pyramids were built by ancient and advanced people who knew about the laws of subtle energy. He wrote that the mountain is the most important part of a system of ancient monumental structures and is directly connected with the main pyramids of the earth such as the pyramids of Giza and Teotihuacan.  The idea of the pyramid in this region is not new. It goes back to the timeless epic of the Ramayana.

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However, expectedly, the Russian explanation has been questioned and one has to do one’s own study to reach a conclusion on what to believe. One has to keep in mind that “scientists” reject whatever they cannot distil in their laboratories!

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Other Researchers’ Findings

Numerous people – researchers, scientists, spiritual seekers, adventurists – have gone to Mount Kailash in quest of finding answers to the numerous stories and occurrences reported from the area. Many have found their own Truths, many have returned disappointed. Because the Truth reveals itself only to the chosen few who approach with devotion and total surrender. Not to a casual seeker. And hence, the ‘mystery’ of the mountain will continue to engage mankind and keep drawing seekers to it.

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Among the many mysteries one would have seen during the physical pilgrimage or in the videos above, one that struck me is quite obvious. Is there any mountain at this altitude/height in the world in the middle of a mountain range, which provides a “convenient” path for performing parikrama (circumambulation) around it in a manner specified in the Hindu scriptures? Think on that…….

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Part 2

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My Journey

My pilgrimage started from Lucknow. Age-wise I was not eligible for registering for the journey sponsored by the Government of India. This followed the age-old trekking route taking about three weeks and was physically demanding. A chat with Harsh during one of my visits to Lucknow earlier had brought up the topic of undertaking the long-cherished pilgrimage. One has many dreams in life, and this had always been a special one. And as with most dreams, only a few manage to fructify in the hustle and bustle of living. It is also true that a pilgrimage only happens when the “call comes from the divine”, not before.

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We had chosen to take the Nepal route (there are others, the most comfortable being via Lhasa, which is also the most expensive). Most Nepal tours start and end at Lucknow and so it was convenient for me. There are numerous operators engaged in this business, and it was only towards the end we found out the shenanigans they engaged in to make a fast buck! There are only a few who are reliable, a fact we, unfortunately, realized in hindsight.

The arrangements were finalised, which included a trekking permit issued by the Nepal Government (Simikot is in a restricted area, you need a special permit through an authorized trekking agency, even if you are just transiting through, and for which one needs to be at least two people in a group accompanied with a local trekking Guide), and the permit issued by the Tibet Autonomous Region of China for visiting Kailash. This permit cost comprised a major portion of the total fees paid to the tour operator (nearly Rs 1 lakh out of the total fees of around Rs 1.70 lakhs). A point to remember is that a pilgrimage to Kailash can only be performed in a group, the Chinese Government does not permit individual journeys. Hence, utilizing the services of a tour operator is mandatory. It was a 9-night package, however, this was flexible as the weather would actually determine our progress. In the mountains, even in the best of seasons, this was unpredictable. Our journey was towards the fag end of the pilgrim season, probably the last lot of groups making the journey. One reason for opting for the particular dates was because we would be at the haloed Mansarovar Lake on full moon – when countless miracles had been experienced by seekers in their journey. Who knows, we may also get lucky!

With Harsh in Lucknow itself, planning proceeded smoothly and it was soon time for me to join him two days in advance. The tour operator had provided a long list of items to be carried, especially warm clothing as the weather in the mountains is unpredictable and at those altitudes, it can change from a sunny day into overcast skies with freezing temperatures in no time. One thought which popped up after reaching Lucknow was taking a number of rudraksha malas to purify in the holy waters, to be gifted to friends and relatives on our return. Though all markets of Lucknow were closed that day, Harsh used his local knowledge to locate an open shop in a remote corner of the city. At least now our “return gifts” were with us.

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The morning of 21 September 2018 was the commencement of the trip, and the mini-bus reached home and we set off for the long-anticipated journey to the remotest part of the world. Our group comprised of 25 members, some who would be joining directly in Nepal after visiting shrines there. After a few stops picking up group members from different parts of Lucknow, the van finally set off for Nepalgunj.

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Nepalgunj is a border town in Nepal, about 190 km from Lucknow. It was a pleasant surprise for many members of the group from other states to see the excellent highway right up to the border. The drive was a pleasure, including the lunch halt on a wayside dhaba where the food was steaming hot and delicious.

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The border crossing did take some time for the paperwork and we all had to dismount from the van to walk across the border. As soon as we entered Nepal, one side of the highway was closed due to a local festival with crowds carrying murtis accompanied by colourfully dressed women and bands playing music. The crowds reduced once we crossed Jaisapur village and the van could then proceed at normal speed. Our stay was at a resort in Kohalpur, another 20 km ahead of Nepalgunj. We reached in the late afternoon, with enough time to settle down and be ready for the first briefing by the tour operator.

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The briefing covered the outline of the journey, checked our permits which were held centrally by the guide, and his distributing a large bag to all group members containing a blue-black padded jacket and some odds and ends.

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We were also informed that the flight from Nepalgunj and helicopter ride thereafter to the Tibet border only allowed 15 kg luggage per head. Any excess baggage could be left in the hotel, which would be collected on our return. There were a number of bags that soon piled up in the hotel storage room!

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Our flight from Nepalgunj was next morning, i.e. on 22 September. After an early breakfast, we were off for the airport, which was a bit of a distance from the hotel. When we reached there, it was a sight to behold! It looked more like a bus station, with a row of small airline booths catering to their customers amid the hustle and bustle of passengers attempting to reach the counter. Due to the mountainous terrain across most parts of the country, air travel was the quickest way to reach one’s destination – a short flight would otherwise take hours/days of back-breaking drive on poor roads.

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Since volumes were low, the airlines mostly used the small Dornier or Twin Otter aircraft. These planes could also land in remote locations on small airstrips. There was some confusion about our flight, with the guide unable to confirm to us when we would be taking off. It required the combined efforts of some of our group members to forcefully persuade the airline representative for our group to be accommodated in the rush – we were more than one plane load!

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We were finally in the air by 9:30 am. The weather was clear and the flight, across the eastern part of Nepal, gave an unending panorama of the majestic Himalaya mountains stretching out to the horizon. The flight took around 40 mins before we were over Simikot, a distance of around 200 km. The town had a short airstrip, around 550 m long, suitable for these STOL aircraft.

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Interestingly, the town is connected by a rough road from Tibet, through the border town of Hilsa, while connectivity to the rest of the country is still to be developed! This shows how the Chinese government has created a dependence for the local population. Simikot, at 3,000-meters altitude, is one of the bigger towns in the northwestern region of Nepal, being the administrative headquarters of Humla district. Though its population is around 12,000 and the living conditions are quite rudimentary.

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However, the view of the surrounding mountains is spectacular and one could spend hours watching them as the weather and clouds changed the scenery constantly.

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We had a planned overnight halt at Simikot, and to reach our next destination, Hilsa, the next day i.e. on 23 Sept. Simikot is a beautiful hill station located on a small plateau, where the airstrip was located and it is surrounded by majestic mountains. An ideal place for trekkers, even though its connectivity with the rest of the world depended solely on the air link.

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The village consisted mainly of wooden/stone shacks. Living conditions were poor and the only crop we saw was millet – agriculture was the only source of livelihood. There were some apple and walnut orchards, though they would be a better item to grow more widely for the local economy. Probably lack of road connectivity precluded any export from the area and so what was grown was mostly for local sustenance and survival.

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Naturally, there were no “hotels” as such in Simikot, we were led to our lodgings at the Hotel Potala Palace Inn, a 3-story stone and wooden building, probably the most imposing one in the town! Kailash pilgrims formed a steady stream through the town and resulted in the creation of basic facilities to cater to their needs. Though, of course, the lodgings were sans running water – and the three floors were dependent on ‘chotu‘ (errand boy) to carry buckets up, on-demand. And hot water was available, only if advance warning was given!

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Luckily, wi-fi was available, which was quite surprising – as long as there was no power breakdown. However, with only one electrical socket in each room, which had up to five people staying, finding the opportunity to plug one’s gadget was not easy. Luckily I had carried a multi-pin adapter, which solved the problem to an extent for our room.

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After settling down and a hot lunch – basic khichri and one vegetable with pickle – we decided to take a walk through the town. I had also been advised to get a walking stick if I planned to make the parikrama on foot. It was something I had not thought of earlier, and chotu informed me that it was available in town.

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Smiling and chattering kids followed us as we walked down the street looking at the shops, reasonably well stocked with daily necessities. After inquiring at a few shops, I found a sturdy aluminum walking stick, and not too costly. That put one concern to rest.

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There was an ancient Shiva temple across the fields, perched on the edge of a sharp drop down into a gorge. The river running far below turned out to be Karnali River, coming from Mansarovar and going on to India where it was called the Saryu!

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The Shiva temple was small, and we offered our prayers there. An old man sitting under a tree nearby turned out to be a retired soldier who had served in the Indian Army.

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He was happy to chat with us for a while. He asked two chattering kids to take us to an orchard nearby where the trees were loaded with apples and walnuts!

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Along the way we came across the agricultural fields where the women were working. As expected, no men were seen!

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The lady owner of the orchard was present and to our surprise, gave each of us as many apples and walnuts we could hold in our hands and fill in our pockets! Generosity is never lacking, even if material possessions are limited. The gesture overwhelmed us.

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The next morning we were up early, looking forward to the next leg of our journey. After breakfast and a longish wait, we were informed that the helicopter would not be coming due to bad weather conditions and that we could relax. Simikot, we were told was prone to frequent bad-weather days and so disruptions in plans were routine.

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The weather was overcast and most of the day was spent inside the lodge itself, warming ourselves in the kitchen-cum-dining room where the cooking fire kept it cozy. Enjoying eating the fresh apples we got the day before was the only activity that day.

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The next morning everyone was up and ready early. We had been told to pack up our bags and bring them down so that the porters could take them to the airport. There was a rush to get the bags weighed at the airport since in the helicopter the weight limit was strictly enforced. Each helicopter could take 5 passengers (plus the pilot = total 6) and so it would take a while to ferry across our group to Hilsa, on the Nepal-Tibet border.

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The flying time to Hilsa was about 30 minutes. Those minutes were, however, wondrous. The scenic beauty of the Himalayas – the peaks, gorges, changing terrain from rocky to green mountainsides – kept us enthralled.

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The route was mostly devoid of any habitation, except for occasional huts, with their surrounding patches of terraced farms. Due to the altitudes, most of the flight was in the valleys below the surrounding peaks, adding to the majesty of the mountains.

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Hilsa was a small village, nestled in a valley with River Karnali flowing by its side. The valley widened out where the helipad was located, which was very close to the border. From the helipad, we walked down to our lodge, not very far, but one could feel the breathlessness catching up due to the altitude (4,325 m) and absence of any vegetation. Hotel Snow Lion had a grand-sounding name, but the facilities were just basic – as would be expected in such a remote location.

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Each room had as many beds as could be squeezed in so that one had to jump over the beds to reach the ones’ in the rear. There was one toilet, and the dining area was in the open. But it sufficed since we were not spending the night – and the groups stopped coming during the winter months. We lazed around, were served a cup of hot tea, and in groups people walked around the village or to the river to enjoy its serene surroundings.

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The sound of a mountain river is mesmerizing and time stops for the period one is in its vicinity. I took off to see the river, and the pedestrian suspension bridge spanning it. The walk took me through the village, which was a small place, functioning at a subsistence level. No road connected Hilsa to the rest of Nepal, and the goods and few vehicles there had to take the route via Tibet/Lhasa to reach, the only connectivity for the village. Still, I saw a few ubiquitous TATA trucks in the village!

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The Karnali River, starting from the holy Mansarovar Lake and flowing through the Tibetan plateau, enters the mountainous regions of Nepal at Hilsa, on its journey to become the Saryu River in India and ultimately merges with the Ganges. The Friendship Bridge across it was the border between the two countries, and one got a beautiful view of the river valley from it.

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On return to the lodge (I won’t call it a hotel), we had lunch – the diet standard in these regions – and waited for our guide to inform us when it was time to leave. One thing was a surprise to me – mobile services worked in this remote region for those who had international calling activated on their mobile phones. Of course, there was no electricity in the village; the hotel had a generator which ran for few hours, only at night.

After lunch, the guide got the good news and we all piled up our bags in one place, where a jeep (again a Mahindra) took it to the border crossing via a longer route. We started the walk across the bridge; we had to pass through a tent with the Nepali customs/border guards checking the passports and noting down the details in a register. No stamping was done on the passport.

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.Crossing over into Tibet

A short walk to cross the border, and there were the busses waiting on the Tibetan side. Admission to Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) is only granted to groups who acquire a liaison officer at the border, something that the tour operators arrange.

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The buses drove us the short distance to the large Chinese border control building complex. Xie’erwa (Tibetan: Sher) is the name of the village on the TAR side. Gleaming glass and steel buildings in such a remote location were a surprise. They were also equipped with all modern equipment, like baggage scanners, CCTV cameras, computerized passport control, etc. After the bags were put through the scanners, our group was lined up and everyone was told to open their bags and wait with mobile phones in hand, opened to the photo gallery. We had already been warned at Hilsa that we should not be carrying any newspapers in our bags, nor any photos in the mobile phones which had material related to Tibet or other propaganda material. Few who had wrapped their belongings in newspapers had thrown them there. The checking was quite exhaustive – every bag was rummaged thoroughly and the mobile phone scanned for the photographs it had. This took a while before we went to the passport control/ immigration. The three of us with an Army background – Avadesh, Harsh, and myself – were pulled aside to another room and asked to wait. The officer worked his computer, and after about 10 minutes we were told to join the rest of the group. Made me wonder if the Chinese have names of all Indian Army personnel, including veterans, in their database! Again, the passports were not stamped.

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Back inside the bus, we were off for the drive to Taklakot (Burang), about 56 km away. We had now acquired a Chinese “guide”, as mandatorily required. He accompanied our bus in his SUV and remained with us thereafter. As soon as we crossed over into Tibet, the terrain changed dramatically. It was now relatively flat, the “roof of the world” – the Tibetan plateau. One had only read about the ease with which the Chinese had built road infrastructure right up to the border for facilitating the movement of their army, as opposed to the difficult mountainous terrain on the Indian (and Nepalese) side of the border. One saw that change, the road was relatively flat, with wide-open table-lands stretching on both sides. Occasionally, a mountain peak rose up, though deceptively not very high compared to the surroundings, which were themselves at considerable altitude. The few towns/settlements we crossed were mostly new constructions and few seemed to be military encampments. Attempts to grow trees were also seen at many places. Otherwise, the landscape was barren.

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Burang (Tibetan: སྤུ་ཧྲེང་རྫོང; simplified Chinese: 普兰镇; traditional Chinese: 普蘭鎮; pinyin: Pǔlán Zhèn) , known as Purang in Tibetan, is a town which serves as the administrative center of Burang County, Ngari Prefecture of the TAR, China. The town lies at 4,755 metres (13,205 feet) altitude in the valley of the Sarayu Karnali River. Nepalese and Indians call the town Taklakot (from Tibetan ‘Takla Khar’).

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Here we were taken first to the customs/immigration office, located in a big office complex. The procedure we underwent at the border crossing was repeated, this time more exhaustively. Bags were scanned, passports checked, and then back to the bus, leaving me wondering why the duplication. Then we proceeded to the hotel.

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Burang is an ancient trading post. It is said to be the place where Sudhana, a previous incarnation of the Buddha, lived. On a mountaintop above the town was the large ancient fort of Tegla Kar (Lying Tiger Fort) and Simbiling Monastery (both totally destroyed in 1967 by Chinese artillery during the Cultural Revolution, but the monastery has since been partially restored). This is visible from the town. Himalaya Pulan Hotel was our halt for the night. A modern hotel with about 200 rooms – to cater to the Kailash pilgrims. Rooms were unkempt and food was served in a hall, with a separate standard menu for the pilgrims. Even the bed linen had not been changed. Harsh took it upon himself to have a long chat on the internal phone to “convince” the room service to change the bedsheets. Two girls soon came across, muttering away incessantly, quite obviously unhappy with the extra work they were being made to do by a bunch of pilgrims!

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While having dinner we met the caterer and to our surprise it turned out that he was from Punjab, India and that he came during the pilgrimage season, bringing his dry rations and staff with him by road, via Lhasa. He was on an annual contract for the pilgrim season, and he had been getting this contract for a few years now.

It was at the hotel here that our Nepali guide, Neema, informed us that M/s Comfort Cabs, Lucknow, through whom we had booked our tour, had not transferred the full amount to the Nepali agency, who was his employers. He mentioned that everyone would be required to pay USD200 each if we wanted to proceed to Kailash. The announcement was a shock to all of us! A flurry of phone calls, from those having ISD facility followed, and it was finally decided that all pilgrims had paid in full before commencement of the journey and the two agents will resolve the matter between themselves.

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In the evening, we strolled around the hotel, enjoying the early moonrise, which was now reaching the full-moon phase. Behind the hotel, the snow-covered mountain peaks gleamed in the silvery moonlight, a beautiful sight indeed. The next morning our departure was a bit late and hence we decided to take a walk through the town.

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The shopping area was not very far and we took a stroll through it, entering few shops to see the wares on display. The language was, no doubt, an issue! But sign language always works. The shops were well stocked, with most items of daily use available. The weather was a bit overcast, foggy, and cold in the early morning, which cleared up later, though it remained cold. The mountain peaks could be seen beyond the shops, pristine white with the fresh snow that had fallen at night.

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By chance, we walked into a small by-lane in between the line of shops, and a new world opened in front of us! A line of temporary shops on both sides of the cobbled street, full of Indian merchandise. Anything one could think of. It turned out that all these shops were put up only during the summer months, the shopkeepers being Indian. They brought their wares from India for this period and left before the weather packed up in winters. They were mostly Marwari families.

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It was time to load our bags on the bus for the next leg of our journey. The bus had apt words painted on the side panel, “Heavenly Tibet Beautifully Journey”. It WAS a beautiful journey which we undertook that day – to the divine Mansarovar Lake! It was a 3-hour journey on the S207 Highway, with a halt at Rakshastal Lake, which was on the way.

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The significance of Rakshastal Lake has been described in detail in Part 1 above – a crescent-shaped, salt-water lake devoid of any life inside or its surroundings. Because of its connection with the penance of Ravana, locals believe even touching its water will bring bad luck.

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However, the landscape around the lake is probably the most striking one can find anywhere. The surrounding hills and the islands were coloured in dark red hues, and the deep blue water is distinctive, beauty rarely seen elsewhere.

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A short halt at the lake, and we walked a bit on the shore and took our first group photograph. While everyone tried capturing the beauty surrounding the lake individually in their mind….and on their mobile phones!

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.Mansarovar Lake

The roads were excellent and the drive was enjoyable as we made our way to Mansarovar Lake. Soon we had our first view of the pristine lake, and as we approached, a few Buddhist temples formed by a large circular array of colourful prayer flags were visible on the shore.

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The bus turned in the gates of the only lodge visible on the shore of the lake, which comprised of a single row of rooms facing the lake. Bags were unloaded and lugged into the open rooms. Different rooms had a different number of beds, and everyone went looking for a room to accommodate their friend circle.

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The lodge, built in Tibetan architectural style, comprised of rooms and a hall for dining, furnished with steel chairs and tables. No toilets. Yes, NO toilets. A large sign on the boundary wall proclaimed a fine of RMB500 for “if you do toilet inside the compound”! On inquiry where one had to go for answering the call of nature, we were informed that there was enough open area outside the walls and occasional clumps of bushes for privacy for those who felt shy. For the old ladies, some who could even walk with difficulty, well…..

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However, the news about the absence of toilets did not diminish our enthusiasm of finally having reached Mansarovar! And of enjoying the amazing beauty of the surroundings. From the lodge one also got a view of the haloed Mount Kailash itself, which was partly covered by clouds initially.

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The view blotted out any other thoughts from my mind, other than to enjoy being in such divine surroundings. We went through an open doorway in the wall to the waterline, a few feet away.

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The satisfaction of touching the freezing waters for the first time and sit on the shore, with the vast expanse of turquoise blue extending before us, cannot be expressed in words – the sublime moment can only be experienced.

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The guide erected a makeshift tent for ladies wanting to change clothes near the water’s edge, while the male members quickly changed for taking a bath with the holy water. The water was freezing, and the bucketfuls over the head initially flowed down as if the bones were freezing; this quickly changed to a feeling of the bliss of having accomplished one of life’s ultimate wishes.

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A dousing in these divine waters had been a long-cherished dream, tucked in a deep corner of my consciousness with those dreams one knew would remain a dream. This one had, however, been fulfilled, no doubt because of the “call” I had received.

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A prayer to Shiv Parvati – Kailash Parvat was now clearly visible in the distance – and it was time to quickly dry oneself and change into something warm.

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The parikrama of Mansarovar was exquisite. Of course, done in vehicles, the 90 km journey is supposed to take about 4 days by foot, for the many who still prefer the traditional way. There are five monasteries around the lake, namely Chiu Monastery, Langbona Monastery, Seralung Monastery, Trugo Monastery, and Gossul Monastery, and the trek is made with night halts at them in turn. However, that is for those so inclined, and who have the time. We took the “modern” way of making the circuit in about two and a half hours. With a halt at roughly the midpoint to collect holy water for carrying back home with us.

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The halt was with the Kailash range stretching out across the lake in front, a beautiful sight to behold. Since the clouds had cleared up, Mount Kailash was visible against the clear sky. The water at this end of the lake was clear and pristine. We washed our hands and filled the water containers which we were carrying, for taking the holy water back with us.

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The peripheral road around the lake was not black-topped, but in good condition and the parikrama was carried out smoothly. The scenic beauty of the lake and the surrounding mountain peaks continued to hold all of us spellbound, as the sun reflecting off the waters kept changing the colour of the water as we went around.

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It was late evening by the time we returned to our lodge. Some of our group had carried the items required for havan; for the rest, there was a pundit available who agreed to perform havan (fire ritual) and about 15-20 of us joined in the ritual ceremony which was performed at dusk. It took about 45 minutes and was done diligently by the pundit. A satisfying and enriching ceremony for all who attended. Myself included.

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Tonight was a full moon and everyone was waiting eagerly in anticipation. It is the time when the Gods descend to take a bath in the lake, as per legends. And for those who have achieved higher levels of spirituality, reports of hearing celestial music and seeing stars entering the waters are quite often heard. Moonrise was around midnight and I got up around 3:00 am to go sit on the lake’s shore and take in the blissful beauty of the full moon shining on the snow-clad mountain peaks and making the lake water shimmer in silvery hues. The weather was freezing, but that was inconsequential compared to the scene before me. As the hours passed, I heard no celestial music, nor saw the stars dance in the waters in front of me – in our group, there were some who did – but merely sitting in such awesome surroundings was enough to experience bliss to the extent possible with my constrained faculties.

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As the moon traversed its path across the sky, the horizon in front of us showed the first signs of glimmer above the mountain peaks, signaling the impending arrival of a new dawn. A slight breeze whiffed across the waters creating ripples and soon the sun rays grew stronger, as the moon was now visible above the lodge, behind. A few cars, probably local tourists, came and parked along the long shoreline as more people appeared to watch the sunrise. A spectacle as eagerly awaited by the pilgrims as by the casual tourists.

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The first peep on the sun above the mountain ranges sent star-shaped rays across the sky and was accompanied by loud chants of “Har Har Mahadev” from those awaiting to glimpse this magical moment.

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I joined the chants and as the sounds reverberated across the water’s surface, I was surprised to see a pair of birds swimming in the water in these conditions, in front of me.

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In the midst of all this, that day the guide, Neema again raised the issue of money not received and that it would be difficult to make the parikrama if things were not resolved. A flurry of phone calls again followed, and for the moment the issue was resolved and our journey to Kailash proceeded. That day was to be the climax of our pilgrimage, with the start of the Kailash parikrama and reaching the abode of Shiva.

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The bus transported us to Darchen, situated right in front of the south face of Mount Kailash. Its altitude is 4,575 meters (15,010 ft) and is the starting point for pilgrimages. A fact not generally known, Darchen was once an enclave of Bhutan, held for almost 300 years and from where Bhutan raised revenue until China annexed it in 1959. On Chinese maps, the town is known as Bagaxiang. The guide dropped us at a hotel reception while he vanished for a while. We later learned that our permits had to be checked by the Chinese Public Security Bureau (PSB) officers before proceeding further.

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Thereafter, to actually start the parikrama, we drove about 8 km to Tarboche.

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Many pilgrims start and end their parikrama from Darchen itself, and we saw many such people walking by the road. On the way was the “Ticket Office”, where the bus stopped to buy the tickets for the parikrama.

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.The Holy Kailash

The more devout Tibetans perform kora (circumambulation) around Kailash by carrying out full-body prostrations to earn more merit. This requires tremendous physical and mental strength and can take anything up to four weeks to complete using this regimen.

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On reaching Tarboche, we unloaded our bags and those who had opted for a horse got one. I had opted to walk but still had to take a porter to carry my bag. Once the logistics were sorted out, the parikrama commenced by passing through the holy Yam Dwar.

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Named after the Yama, the God of Death, because those who have endured the journey and cross the gate (dwar), have crossed the “Gateway to Salvation”, they need no longer fear death.

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The upper portion of Kailash was clearly visible from here, standing majestically against the clear deep blue sky. There is the formation on this face, resembling a giant stairway leading to the top. Legend has it that the Pandavas when they completed their time on earth, climbed to heaven on these steps.

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The trek that day was about 12 km to Dirapuk (4,890 m), the first portion of the journey relatively flat, later with some ascent. A reasonable number of people were making the trek that day, probably as it would be among the last pilgrimages of the year before it closed for winters. Also, ours was a full-moon trek, which drew the maximum number of pilgrims.

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Luckily for us, since we had reached Mansarovar, the weather had remained clear and even today the sky was crystal clear, not a speck of cloud seen anywhere in the sky. The porter carrying my bag, along with the bags of few others, soon vanished ahead, and one was left to keep walking watching the southern face of Kailash pull us towards itself.

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In the initial part of the walk, the valley was wide and flat with few watercourses flowing in between. The altitude and the absence of any vegetation on the Tibetan plateau add to the lack of oxygen and even walking is not easy, making most pilgrims opt for ponies to complete the journey. For many, the sight of the mountain is enough motivation to complete the pilgrimage. In our group, we had old members, a few of which paid their obeisance at Yam Dwar after the darshan of Kailash and returned in the bus. They were not in a position to perform the parikrama. Few others, with medical conditions, were adamant to make the trek but were dissuaded from doing so after a lot of persuasions, and they were made to return from Yam Dwar.

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For most of us, just watching the mountain and chanting His name, was enough motivation to keep going. When the path became more difficult, the going became more strenuous, a short break was required to catch one’s breath before proceeding further.

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All along the line of ponies and yaks, loaded with bags and supplies, kept crossing us, often the path so narrow that one had to leave it to let them pass.

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Slowly, the west face of Kailash started becoming visible as we walked around the mountain. The path was now close to the base of Kailash, and it appeared to loom directly over us. The mystery of its pyramidical shape was visible, probably unique to Kailash amongst other mountains of the world. Another wonder I noticed was a natural formation in the shape of Nandi facing the west face. The string of coincidences connected to Kailash never seemed to end!

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It was an exhausting 7 hours trek before the monastery at Dirapuk was visible. And it was getting to be late afternoon. The majestic north face of Kailash revealed itself at long last, and all the tiredness and fatigue vanished at the glorious sight. Luckily, the weather had held and it was still a clear day. Mesmerized, it was a while before I found my wits to walk the last part to the lodge with a sense of immense gratitude at having achieved the near-impossible dream of seeing Mount Kailash in person.

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The flat and vertical northern face of Kailash held so many secrets, few of which were pointed out to me. One was the very striking form of a face, which stood out in contrast between the rocky surfaces, some of which were covered with snow and those bare. With the sun going down, the valley where we were standing soon went into the shadows, but the face of Kailash still shone brightly in the sunlight. As the sun went down further, the colours of the mountain face changed from sparkling white to yellow and then to orange; the view keeping all onlookers spellbound. Many of whom were in various poses on obeisance, lost in the world of the Adi Yogi.

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And then we witnessed the wondrous sight of the moon rising even as the sun rays continued to illuminate Kailash. The evening went past watching the changing light and colours as we meditated on the wonder of Shiva’s abode. At night, the radiant near-full moon kept the white snow cover of the north face glittering in front of us, making it difficult to turn our attention anywhere else.

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The guide informed us that the group just before us had completed the whole parikrama without even once getting a glimpse of Kailash as the weather remained heavily overcast throughout! The continuous clear weather we experienced right from the time we reached Mansarovar, the guide mentioned, was the best pilgrimage any group had that year. We had been truly blessed.

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That night we got upsetting news, the guide informed us that the weather was expected to pack up further along the parikrama route and it would not be safe to travel further. That was very disappointing for all of us, but there was no option. The next morning, we started our journey back to Darchen via Tarboche.

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The return journey was not as arduous and was completed without much difficulty. Though missing out on completing the parikrama kept rankling all of us. However, we had managed to get darshan of the haloed Kailash, which was in itself enough. Not to forget that with the clear weather we had tall along, it was one of the best darshans one could have hoped for.

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The Return Journey

The return journey went off smoothly, we caught the waiting bus at Tarboche, and were again dropped off at the reception of a hotel in Darchen. Probably again verification of our details by the Chinese authorities before leaving the location. Then an uneventful drive to the same hotel in Taklakot. This was the calm before the storm.

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We reached Taklakot before lunch on 27 Sept 2018. Neema then gave his ultimatum, asking each of us to pay the supposedly pending amount, failing which the helicopter would not come to pick us up from Hilsa. Sheer blackmail! Again calls were made to India and even Nepal, but the issue remained unresolved.

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The next day we went through a repeat of one series of customs and immigration checks at Taklakot, and then one at the border. Before we walked across into Nepal and to the Hotel Snow Lion at Hilsa. A few other groups had joined us on our return journey, and they went directly to the helipad and flew off. Only our group was taken to the hotel. The ransom demand now was Rs 20,000/- per head.

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And then started the stand-off. Our group had a discussion and it was decided that we will not give in to the blackmail, and see how long the tour operator held us “hostage” at Hilsa. But few of the group members decided to pay the amount and fly out. Sad, but that’s the reality in such matters, not being able to present a united front. Those who had contacts in India tried to reach out to them regarding our predicament. Politicians and bureaucrats, whoever anyone knew. But we had a major constraint. Power to charge the mobile phones was not available at the lodge, hence calls had to be judiciously made. All those who had power banks pooled them in. The problem cropping up was that the travel agent blackmailing us was Nepal-based, over which the Indians had no jurisdiction, nor power to act. They had to route their requests to the Nepalese authorities through the External Affairs Ministry and Indian Embassy at Kathmandu. Things moved, but slowly, as expected in such a scenario.

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In the meantime, the strenuous pilgrimage and exposure to those high altitudes had sapped the strength of most, if not all, in the group. The quality and quantity of the food being provided by the hotel were barely adequate or edible, further reducing our energy levels. Harsh and I made a trip to the local police outpost, a small one-man show. The generator in the post was not working and hence communication with his higher office (in Simikot) was affected. Anyway, we wrote a police complaint and, laboriously copied it in duplicate, and handed it over.

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Interestingly, our tour operator, M/s Comfort Cabs Pvt Ltd also messaged for a revised demand from us claiming increased costs! After a two-night halt at Hilsa, with the health condition of few elderly members going down, the phone calls finally did the trick, and an exchange of messages took place between the Indian External Affairs Ministry and the Indian Embassy, and further through the Nepali authorities to Simikot.

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The result was that on the morning of 30 September, we were told to pack up and that the helicopters were coming. It was a big relief, especially to those who were reaching breaking point. Bags packed, with large 5-liter Mansarovar-water plastic cans in tow, we walked down to the helipad. The bags were again weighed and finally, we were airborne!

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We reached Simikot, went to the same lodge, and crashed out. It had been a double adventure for us, and very exhausting. That afternoon, Harsh and I thought to pay a visit to the police headquarters. The In-charge welcomed us cordially on coming to know of our army background. We informed him of the happenings, though what action would actually be taken was questionable. He did mention that next door was the office of the Chief District Officer and we could also meet him as he was the boss of the area.

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A police constable was sent to accompany us, a nice gesture. We had a cordial meeting with the CDO, who indirectly mentioned that he had to pull some strings to get the helicopters to pick us up from Hilsa. And after exchanging pleasantries, we walked back to the lodge. Our External Affairs Ministry had done their work effectively. Though we later learned this method of holding pilgrims to ransom was quite common. Since most were simple folk, out on a pilgrimage, they had few choices than to give in to the demands. We were the lucky ones who managed to break the norm. A sad reflection on how vultures preyed on the weak, even on such occasions.

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The next morning the twin-engined aircraft landed at Simikot and soon we were in the air. Enjoying the view of the beautiful Himalayan ranges extending till the horizon, row after endless row. The weather still held out for our last leg of the journey, and it was a fitting finale to our pilgrimage-cum-adventure.

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At Nepalgunj, the bus took us back to the Central Hotel. The excess baggage left had to be picked up. The next morning, 2 October, was the last day of our tour. The bus to take us to Lucknow arrived late in the morning. The journey to Lucknow passed off without notice, as the animated exchanges of our experiences and what we individually “saw” and “heard” kept everyone engrossed. Many who were to travel further – we had people from Trivandrum, Hyderabad, Alwar, etc – had missed their connecting flights/trains due to the delay at Hilsa. They had to rebook their connections. For me, since I was staying with Harsh and had not done my return booking, it turned out to be a blessing.

The pilgrimage, with its ups and downs, had been one of the most looked-forward trips I had ever made, and the most satisfying. Though the decision to walk and subsequent events had sapped my physical reserves. Probably, due to not having prepared enough physically before the journey. A point to be borne in mind for others undertaking the journey.

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Tips for Pilgrims Planning the Journey

Warm clothing, well-equipped water-proof bags, comfortable trekking shoes with warm woolen socks and down jackets, woolen shawl, are some of the essential clothes one needs to carry when planning to travel to the western part of Tibet. Carrying dry fruits and other food items is highly recommended considering that food provided has low nutritional value.

Selection of a reliable tour operator for the journey is very crucial. Otherwise one can land up in the situation we experienced. This was despite having carried out a reasonable background check of the agency we used. And do not forget to carry extra cash for unforeseen situations!

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A sojourn to this “roof of the world” is an arduous but rewarding one. Every single traveler of this incredible journey undergoes a humbling and enlightening transformation, which cannot be described but can only be felt firsthand.

~ Sadhguru

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