Mount Kailash

2026-05-07T08:08:43Z

Jessie: Added information on glacial erosion as the cause of the mountain’s pyramidal shape

{{short description|Religious mountain in Tibet Autonomous Region}}
{{Redirect2|Kailash|Kailasa|other uses|Kailash (disambiguation)|and|Kailasa (band)|Kailasa island|Kailaasa}}

{{EngvarB|date=July 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{Infobox mountain
| fetchwikidata = ALL
| name = Mount Kailash
| map = China Tibet Ngari
| location = [[Burang County]], [[Tibet Autonomous Region]]
| country = {{flag|China}}
| label_position = right
| listing =
| range = [[Gangdisê Range]]
| coordinates = {{coord|31|4|0|N|81|18|45|E|region:CN-54|display=it}}
| easiest_route =
| native_name = {{ubl|
|{{native name|bo|{{bo-textonly|གངས་རིན་པོ་ཆེ}}}}
|{{native name|sa|कैलास}}}}
| language = [[Tibetic languages|Tibetan]]
| map_size = 300
| first_ascent = Unclimbed (mountaineering prohibited currently)
| elevation_m = 6638
}}

'''Mount Kailash''' (also '''Kailasa'''; '''''Kangrinboqê''''' or ''Gang [[Rinpoche]]''; [[Standard Tibetan|Tibetan]]: གངས་རིན་པོ་ཆེ; {{zh|s=冈仁波齐峰|t=岡仁波齊峰|p=Gāngrénbōqí Fēng}}; {{lang-sa|कैलास}}, {{IAST3|Kailāsa}}), is a mountain in the [[Ngari Prefecture]], [[Tibet Autonomous Region]] of China. It has an altitude of {{convert|6638|m|abbr=on}}.<ref>Chinese topographic map</ref> It lies in the [[Gangdise Shan|Kailash Range]] (Gangdisê Mountains) of the [[Transhimalaya]], in the western part of the Tibetan Plateau. Mount Kailash is less than {{convert|100|km|abbr=in}} north of the western [[Tripoint|trijunction]] of the borders of China, India, and Nepal.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nanda |date=2020-05-10 |title=Kailash Mansarovar Yatra 2022 Guide - Kailash Mansaroavar via Uttarakahnd KMVN |url=https://www.euttaranchal.com/tourism/kailash-mansarovar-yatra.php |access-date=2022-08-06 |website=www.euttaranchal.com}}</ref>

Mount Kailash is located close to [[Lake Manasarovar]] and [[Lake Rakshastal]]. The sources of four major Asian rivers lie close to this mountain and the two lakes. These rivers are the [[Indus River|Indus]], the [[Sutlej]], the [[Brahmaputra River|Brahmaputra]], and the [[Karnali River|Karnali]] (a tributary of the [[Ganges]], fed by [[Mabja Zangbo]]). Mount Kailash is considered sacred in four religions: [[Hinduism]], [[Buddhism]], [[Jainism]]<ref name="kmy">{{cite web |title=Kailash Manasarovar Yatra |url=https://kmy.gov.in/kmy/?lang=en |publisher=Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India |access-date=30 July 2022}}</ref> and [[Bon]].<ref name="NYT">{{cite news |author1=Karen Swenson |title=A Sacred Circuit in Tibet |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/16/travel/a-sacred-circuit-in-tibet.html |access-date=30 July 2022 |work=The New York Times |date=16 March 2003}}</ref>

==Etymology==
The mountain is known as “''{{transl|sa|IAST|Kailāsa}}''” ({{lang|sa|कैलास}}; var. ''{{transl|sa|IAST|Kailāśa}}'' {{lang|sa|कैलाश}}) in Sanskrit.<ref>[[Monier-Williams]] Sanskrit Dictionary, [http://www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de/cgi-bin/monier/serveimg.pl?file=/scans/MWScan/MWScanjpg/mw0311-kesaragrAma.jpg page 311 column 3]</ref><ref>[https://archive.today/20120708062933/http://dsal.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/getobject.pl?c.2:1:1523.apte Entry for कैलासः] in Apte Sanskrit-English Dictionary</ref> The name also could have been derived from the word “''{{transl|sa|IAST|kelāsa}}''” ({{lang|sa|केलास}}), which means "crystal".<ref>{{cite web |url= http://faculty.washington.edu/prem/mw/k.html |title= Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary |last= Williams |first= Monier |quote= kelāsa m. crystal W}}</ref>

In his Tibetan-English dictionary, Chandra (1902: p. 32) identifies the entry for 'kai la sha' ({{bo|w=kai la sha}}) which is a [[loan word]] from Sanskrit.<ref>Sarat Chandra Das (1902). ''Tibetan-English Dictionary with Sanskrit Synonyms''. Calcutta, India: Bengal Secretariat Book Depot, [https://archive.org/stream/tibetanenglishdi00dassuoft#page/32/mode/1up page 32].</ref>

The [[Tibetan languages|Tibetan]] name for the mountain is '''Gang Rinpoche''' ([[Standard Tibetan|Tibetan]]: གངས་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་; {{zh|s=冈仁波齐峰|t=岡仁波齊峰}}). ''Gang'' or ''Kang'' is the Tibetan word for ''snow peak'' analogous to [[Wiktionary:alp|''alp'']] or ''hima''; ''[[rinpoche]]'' is an honorific meaning "precious one" so the combined term can be translated "precious jewel of snows". [[Alice Albinia]] lists some of the names for the mountain, and its religious significance to various faiths:

{{blockquote|"Tibetan Buddhists call it Kangri Rinpoche; 'Precious Snow Mountain'. [[Bon]] texts have many names: Water's Flower, Mountain of Sea Water, Nine Stacked Swastika Mountain. For Hindus, it is the home of the Hindu god [[Shiva]] and it is believed that Shiva resides there; for [[Jains]] it is where their first leader was enlightened; for Buddhists, the navel of the universe; and for adherents of Bon, the abode of the sky goddess Sipaimen."<ref name="Albinia2008">{{cite book|author=Alice Albinia|author-link=Alice Albinia|title=Empires of the Indus: The Story of a River|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oOQvAQAAIAAJ&q=%22wild+mountain+god%22|year=2008|publisher=[[John Murray (publishing house)|John Murray]]|isbn=9780719560033|page=288}}</ref>|sign=|source=}}

Another local name for the mountain is '''Tisé''' mountain, which derives from ''ti tse'' in the [[Zhang-Zhung language]], meaning "water peak" or "river peak", connoting the mountain's status as the source of the mythical Lion, Horse, Peacock and Elephant Rivers, and in fact the [[Indus]], [[Yarlung Tsangpo]]/Dihang/[[Brahmaputra]], [[Ghaghara River|Karnali]] and [[Sutlej]] all begin in the Kailash-Lake Manasarovara region.<ref>{{citation | last=Camaria|first=Pradeep|title=Kailash Manasarovara on the Rugged Road to Revelation| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ftuRYXyX9S4C&q=kailash%20manasarovar%20mythical%20rivers&pg=PA15 | publisher=Abhinav | location=New Delhi | year=1996 | access-date = 11 June 2010|isbn=9788170173366}}</ref>

== Geology ==
[[File:Kailash north.JPG|thumb|The north face of Mount Kailash.]]

The region around Mount Kailash and the Indus headwaters area is typified by wide-scale [[faulting]] of [[metamorphosed]] late-[[Cretaceous]] to mid-[[Cenozoic]] [[sedimentary rocks]] which have been [[intruded]] by [[Igneous rock|igneous]] Cenozoic [[granitic]] rocks. Mount Kailash appears to be a [[metasedimentary]] [[roof pendant]] supported by a massive [[granite]] base. The [[Cenozoic]] rocks represent offshore marine [[limestone]]s deposited before [[subduction]] of the [[Tethys Ocean|Tethys oceanic]] [[Crust (geology)|crust]]. These sediments were deposited on the southern margin of the Asia block during subduction of the Tethys oceanic crust before the [[Indian Plate|collision between the Indian and Asian continents]].<ref>[http://www.shangri-la-river-expeditions.com/wchinageo/indushwgeo/kailash&indushwgeo.html Geology and Geography of the Mt. Kailash area and Indus River headwaters in southwestern Tibet] Pete Winn, Science Director, Earth Science Expeditions. Retrieved January 2014.</ref><ref>[http://plate-tectonic.narod.ru/chinageo1photoalbum.html Plate Tectonic & northern Pacific] Accessed January 2014.</ref> Geologists attribute the mountain's distinctive pyramidal shape to glacial erosion during the Quaternary Ice Age, similar to the geomorphological processes that formed the Matterhorn in the Alps.<ref>Mount Kailash: Facts and Myths, https://rptreks.com/mount-kailash-facts-and-myths/</ref>

==Religious significance==
[[Image:Hindukailash.JPG|thumb|An illustration depicting the Hindu holy family of Shiva.]]

===In Hinduism===
In [[Hinduism]], it is traditionally recognized as the abode of [[Shiva]], who resided there along with his consort goddess [[Parvati]] and their children, [[Ganesha]] and [[Kartikeya]].{{fact|date=February 2022}}

In the ''Uttara Kanda'' section of the [[Ramayana|epic ''Ramayana'']], it is said that [[Ravana]] attempted to uproot the Mount Kailash as retaliation to lord [[Shiva]], who in turn, pressed his right big [[toe]] upon the mountain, trapping [[Ravana]] in between.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nationalmuseumindia.gov.in/prodCollections.asp?pid=19&id=3&lk=dp3 |title=National Museum, New Delhi |website=www.nationalmuseumindia.gov.in |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130517011405/http://www.nationalmuseumindia.gov.in/prodCollections.asp?pid=19&id=3&lk=dp3 |archive-date=2013-05-17}} </ref> This version of lord Shiva is also referred to as [[Ravananugraha]], or favour form to Ravana while seated in mount Kailash.<ref>{{cite book | last = Dallapiccola | first = Anna L. | title = [[Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend]] | publisher = [[Thames & Hudson]]  | year = 2003 | chapter =Ravananugrahamurti| isbn = 978-0-500-51088-9 | chapter-url = http://www.credoreference.com/entry/thhll/ravananugrahamurti}} {{subscription required}}</ref>

According to the [[Mahabharata|epic ''Mahabharata'']], it is said that the [[Pandava|Pandava brothers]], along with their wife [[Draupadi]], trekked to the summit of mount Kailash on their path to liberation, as it is considered to be a gateway to Heaven, also known as [[Swarga Loka]].{{citation needed|date=September 2020}}

According to [[Charles Allen (writer)|Charles Allen]], one description in the [[Vishnu Purana]] of the mountain states that its four faces are made of [[crystal]], [[ruby]], [[gold]], and [[lapis lazuli]].<ref name=allen/> It is a pillar of the world and is located at the heart of six mountain ranges symbolizing a [[Nelumbo nucifera|lotus]].<ref name=allen>[[Charles Allen (writer)|Allen, Charles]]. (1982). ''A Mountain in Tibet'', pp. 21–22. André Deutsch. Reprint: 1991. Futura Publications, London. {{ISBN|0-7088-2411-0}}.</ref>

===In Jainism===
[[File:Photo of lord adinath bhagwan at kundalpur.JPG|thumb|[[Rishabhanatha|Rishabhadeva]] attained [[nirvana]] on Mount Kailash.]]
According to Jain scriptures, ''Ashtapada'' is the site where the first Jain [[Tirthankara]], [[Rishabhanatha|Rishabhadeva]] attained [[Moksha (Jainism)|moksha]] (liberation).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-09-21/spiritual-destinations/29739255_1_manasarovar-water-moon |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120707034645/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-09-21/spiritual-destinations/29739255_1_manasarovar-water-moon |url-status=dead |archive-date=2012-07-07 |title=To heaven and back |date=2012-01-11 |work=[[The Times of India]] |access-date=2012-03-02}}</ref> In Jain tradition, it is believed that after [[Rishabhanatha|Rishabhdeva]] attained nirvana, his son emperor [[Bharata Chakravartin]] had constructed three stupas and twenty four shrines of the 24 tirthankaras over there with their idols studded with precious stones and named it ''Sinhnishdha''.<ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y4aVRLGhf-8C&q=mount+Kailash+jainism&pg=RA1-PA273 | title=Faith & Philosophy of Jainism| isbn=9788178357232| last1=Jain| first1=Arun Kumar| year=2009}}</ref>

''[[Nirvana Kanda|Nirvan Kand Bhasha]]'' also mentions of ''Ashtapada.''<ref>{{Cite web |last=admin |title=निर्वाणकांड (हिंदी) Nirvankand (Hindi) Archives |url=http://www.jinvanisangrah.com/category/%e0%a4%a8%e0%a5%88%e0%a4%ae%e0%a4%bf%e0%a4%a4%e0%a5%8d%e0%a4%a4%e0%a4%bf%e0%a4%95-%e0%a4%aa%e0%a5%82%e0%a4%9c%e0%a4%be%e0%a4%8f%e0%a4%81-naimittik-poojayen/%e0%a4%a8%e0%a4%bf%e0%a4%b0%e0%a5%8d%e0%a4%b5%e0%a4%be%e0%a4%a3%e0%a4%95%e0%a4%be%e0%a4%82%e0%a4%a1-%e0%a4%b9%e0%a4%bf%e0%a4%82%e0%a4%a6%e0%a5%80-nirvankand-hindi/ |access-date=2022-07-13 |website=Jinvani Sangrah |language=en-US}}</ref><blockquote>(दोहा)

वीतराग वन्दौं सदा, भाव सहित सिर नाय |

कहूं काण्ड निर्वाण की, भाषा सुगम बनाये ||

(चौपाई)

'''अष्टापद''' आदीश्वर स्वामि, वासुपूज्य चम्पापुरि नामि |

नेमिनाथ स्वामी गिरनार, वन्दौं भाव भगति उर धार ||1||

चरम तीर्थकर चरम शरीर, पावापुरि स्वामि महावीर |

शिखर समेद जिनेसुर बीस, भावसहित वन्दौं निश दीस ||2||</blockquote>In Jain tradition, the 24th and last Tirthankara, [[Mahavira|Vardhamana Mahavira]], was taken to the summit of Meru by [[Indra]] shortly after his birth, after putting his mother [[Trishala|Queen Trishala]] into deep slumber. There he was bathed and anointed with precious unctions.<ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MEvZaVmBQtgC&pg=PA71 | title=India: Art and Culture, 1300-1900| isbn=9780030061141| last1=Welch| first1=Stuart Cary| last2=Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York| first2=N.Y.)| year=1985}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url=https://sites.fas.harvard.edu/~pluralsm/affiliates/jainism/ritual/shantikalash.htm | title=Jainism Literature Center - Rituals}}</ref>

===In Buddhism===
Mount Kailash (Kailasa) is known as [[Mount Meru (Buddhism)|Mount Meru]] in Buddhist texts. It is central to its cosmology, and a major pilgrimage site for some Buddhist traditions.<ref>{{cite book|author=Robert E. Buswell|title=Encyclopedia of Buddhism: A-L|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L34YAAAAIAAJ|year=2004|publisher=Macmillan Reference |isbn=978-0-02-865719-6|pages=407–408}}</ref>
[[File:KailashTanka.JPG|thumb|[[Thangka]] depicting Mount Kailash]]
[[Vajrayana]] Buddhists believe that Mount Kailash is the home of the [[buddhahood|buddha]] [[Cakrasaṃvara Tantra|Cakrasaṃvara]] (also known as Demchok), who represents supreme bliss.{{fact|date=February 2022}}

Numerous sites in the region are associated with [[Padmasambhava]], whose [[tantra|tantric practices]] in holy sites around Tibet are credited with finally establishing Buddhism as the main religion of the country in the 7th–8th century CE.<ref>''The Sacred Mountain'', pp. 39, 33, 35, 225, 280, 353, 362–363, 377–378</ref>

It is said that [[Milarepa]] ({{Circa|1052|1135}}), champion of Vajrayana, arrived in Tibet to challenge Naro Bönchung, champion of the [[Bön]] religion of Tibet. The two magicians engaged in a terrifying sorcerers' battle, but neither was able to gain a decisive advantage. Finally, it was agreed that whoever could reach the summit of Kailash most rapidly would be the victor. While Naro Bönchung sat on magic [[drum]] and soared up the slope, Milarepa's followers were dumbfounded to see him sitting still and meditating. Yet when Naro Bönchung was nearly at the top, Milarepa suddenly moved into action and overtook him by riding on [[sunlight]], thus winning the contest. He did, however, fling a handful of snow on to the top of a nearby mountain, since known as Bönri, bequeathing it to the Bönpo and thereby ensuring continued Bönpo connections with the region.<ref>''The Sacred Mountain'', pp. 31, 33, 35</ref><ref>The World's Most Mysterious Places Published by Reader's Digest {{ISBN|0-276-42217-1}} pg.85</ref><ref>''The Sacred Mountain'', pp. 25–26</ref>

==Pilgrimage==
{{stack|[[File:Jains at Kailash.jpg|thumb|[[Jain]] pilgrims paying obeisance to Tirthankar [[Rishabhdev]]a, and reciting the ''[[Bhaktamara Stotra]]'' near Kailash.]]}}

=== The history of the Kailash-Manasarovar pilgrimage ===
The history of the Mount Kailash pilgrimage is closely tied with the history of the pilgrimage to Lake Manasarovar. For this history, see the section 'History and texts' on the [[Lake Manasarovar]] page.

=== The Kailash parikrama, or kora ===
The Sanskrit word for circumambulation of a holy site is '[[Parikrama]]', and the Tibetan word for the same act is '[https://www.tibettravel.org/blog/complete-guide-to-tibetan-kailash-kora/#:~:text=Sep%2004%2C2017%20%2F%20by%20Kunga,to%20be%20holy%20and%20sacred. kora']. Both words are widely used to describe the act of circumambulating Mount Kailash. [[Pilgrim]]s of several religions believe that doing the parikrama/kora of Mount Kailash on foot is a spiritually beneficial practice that can bring various positive effects, such as the collection of meritorious karma, the cleansing of sins from one's consciousness, and good fortune. The circumambulation is made in a clockwise direction by Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains, while Bönpos circumambulate the mountain in a counterclockwise direction.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Bubriski |first1=Kevin |title=Kailash Yatra: a Long Walk to Mount Kailash through Humla |last2=Pandey |first2=Abhimanyu |publisher=Penguin Random House |year=2018 |location=New Delhi |pages=151}}</ref>

In Tibet, the Kailash parikrama/kora begins and ends at [[Darchen]], at an elevation of {{convert|4670|m|abbr=on}}, a small outpost that swells with pilgrims at certain times of the year.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last1=Bubriski |first1=Kevin |title=Kailash Yatra: a Long Walk to Mount Kailash through Humla |last2=Pandey |first2=Abhimanyu |publisher=Penguin Random House |year=2018 |isbn=978-0670091119 |location=New Delhi |pages=151}}</ref> The path around Mount Kailash is {{convert|52|km|mi|abbr=on}} long. Walking around the mountain has to be done on foot, [[pony]] or [[domestic yak]], and takes some three days of trekking. The highest point on the pilgrimage is the Drölma pass at 5,650m (18,540 feet). One camps on two nights en route: firstlly, near the meadow of Dirapuk [[gompa]], some {{convert|2|to|3|km|abbr=on}} before the pass, and secondly, after crossing the pass and going as far downhill as possible (while passing by Gauri Kund lake less than a hundred meters below the Drolma La pass). The second night halt is often at Zutulphuk.

Most pilgrims take three days to complete the pilgrimage. Some pilgrims, usually Tibetans or Nepali people from high altitude regions, do it in a single day. Some other pilgrims venture a very demanding regimen, performing body-length [[prostration]]s over the entire length of the circumambulation. The pilgrim bends down, kneels, prostrates full-length, makes a mark with her fingers, rises to her knees, prays, and then crawls forward on hands and knees to the mark made by her fingers before repeating the process. With this method, the pilgrimage takes at least three weeks to complete.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Bubriski |first1=Kevin |title=Kailash Yatra: a Long Walk to Mount Kailash through Humla |last2=Pandey |first2=Abhimanyu |publisher=Penguin Random House |year=2018 |isbn=978-0670091119 |location=New Delhi |pages=163–165}}</ref> Tibetan and Himalayan Buddhist pilgrims often sing 'nyelu' songs while crossing the Dolma La pass. These Tibetan songs proclaim the timeless fraternity of all pilgrims who cross paths on a Kailash pilgrimage.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pandey |first=Abhimanyu |date=2023-04-20 |title=Ancient bonds: Joining the Kailash-Mansarovar yatra |url=https://frontline.thehindu.com/other/travel/white-space-ancient-bonds-lives-of-people-in-the-remote-places-along-the-kailash-mansarovar-pilgrimage-route-by-abhimanyu-pandey/article66706198.ece |access-date=2023-04-21 |website=frontline.thehindu.com |language=en}}</ref>

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 devotion. For varied reasons for the different faiths that revere the mountain, setting foot on Mount Kailash's slopes and attempting to climb it is forbidden.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Snelling |first=John |title=The Sacred Mountain: a Complete Guide to Tibet's Sacred Mountain |publisher=Motilal Banarsidas Publishers |year=1990}}</ref>

== Mountaineering ==
{{stack|[[File:2005 Kailash with moon Tibet.jpg|thumb|upright|North View of Mount Kailash.]]}}
In 1926, [[Hugh Ruttledge]] studied the north face, which he estimated was 6,000 feet (1,800 m) high and "utterly unclimbable"<ref>''The Sacred Mountain'', p. 120</ref> and thought about an ascent of the northeast ridge, but he ran out of time. Ruttledge had been exploring the area with Colonel R. C. Wilson, who was on the other side of the mountain with his Sherpa named Tseten. Wilson said that Tseten told him: "'Sahib, we can climb that!' ... as he too saw that this [the SE ridge] represented a feasible route to the summit."<ref>''The Sacred Mountain'', p. 116</ref> Wilson went on to explain that although he was serious about climbing Kailash, he ran into unexpected difficulties: "Just when I discovered an easy walk to the summit of the mountain, heavy snow began to fall, making the ascent impossible."<ref>Further excerpts from Wilson's article in the ''[[Alpine Journal]]'' (vol. 40, 1928)</ref>

[[Herbert Tichy]] was in the area in 1936, attempting to climb [[Gurla Mandhata]]. 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."<ref>''The Sacred Mountain'', p. 129</ref>

[[Reinhold Messner]] was given the opportunity by the Chinese government to climb in the mid-1980s. But he declined, saying “If we conquer this mountain, then we conquer something in people's souls.”<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kailash: the mountain that calls |url=https://www.suunto.com/sports/News-Articles-container-page/Kailash-the-mountain-that-calls/ |access-date=2022-08-06 |website=Suunto |language=en}}</ref>

In 2001, reports emerged that the Chinese government 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 Mount Kailash were strictly prohibited.<ref name="tew.org">{{cite web |title=China to Ban Expeditions on Mount Kailash |url=http://www.tew.org/archived/kailash.ban.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718190919/http://www.tew.org/archived/kailash.ban.html |archive-date=18 July 2011 |access-date=16 September 2016 |publisher=tew.org}}</ref>

==Access==
[[File:KailashMani.jpg|thumb|[[Mani stone]]s on the Kailash path.]]

Since the 1980s, the numbers of pilgrims going on a Kailash pilgrimage annually has grown considerably.<ref name=":0" /> In 2007, over 70,000 people visited the area around Mount Kailash and the two holy lakes nearby. Most of them were pilgrims, and these included about 18,000 foreign visitors (foreign here implying non-Tibetan/non-Chinese).<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Zomer |first1=Robert |title=Kailash Sacred Landscape Conservation Initiative: Feasibility Assessment Report |last2=Oli |first2=Krishna Prasad |publisher=ICIMOD |year=2011 |location=Kathmandu |pages=10}}</ref> In the years just before the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], several thousand pilgrims from India were going to this pilgrimage every year, mostly through Nepal.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kailash Manasarovar Yatra likely to see record numbers |url=https://kathmandupost.com/money/2018/05/16/kailash-manasarovar-yatra-likely-to-see-record-numbers |access-date=2022-08-04 |website=kathmandupost.com |language=English}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Mansarovar Yatra: First-time pilgrims get preference in computerised draw of lots |work=The Economic Times |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/mansarovar-yatra-first-time-pilgrims-get-preference-in-computerised-draw-of-lots/articleshow/69344332.cms?from=mdr |access-date=2022-08-04}}</ref> While many more aspire to undertake this pilgrimage, it remains out of reach for most due to high expenses; the risks and difficulties posed by the remoteness of Mount Kailash and the high-altitude of the pilgrimage route, and the unpredictable closures of this pilgrimage due to adverse developments in the regional geopolitics.

Every year, Kailash pilgrimage is possible only between April and mid-October. April-June and September-October are recommended periods for the pilgrimage; in July and August, monsoonal rains can make the circumambulation somewhat challenging. Between late October and early April, the winter conditions can be extremely severe in this high, windswept corner of Tibet, and generally make the pilgrimage impossible.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Best Time to Visit Kailash Manasarovar: New Updates for 2022 |url=https://www.tibettravel.org/tibet-travel-advice/best-time-to-visit-kailash.html |access-date=2022-08-06 |website=Tibet Travel and Tours - Tibet Vista |language=en}}</ref>

For all foreigners, including pilgrims from India and Nepal, passports and specific Chinese visas valid for the Kailash pilgrimage are necessary.

=== Routes through India ===
Indian pilgrims have the option of going either through the annual Kailash pilgrimages organised by the [[Government of India]]'s [[Ministry of External Affairs (India)|Ministry of External Affairs]] (MEA),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kailash Manasarovar Yatra |url=https://kmy.gov.in/kmy/?lang=en |access-date=2022-08-04 |website=kmy.gov.in}}</ref> or through private groups organised by various travel companies. For the pilgrimages organised by the Government of India, a person has to be an Indian citizen with a passport valid for at least six months as on September 1 of the current year, besides certain other conditions.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kailash Manasarovar Yatra |url=https://kmy.gov.in/kmy/faq.do?lang=en |access-date=2022-08-09 |website=kmy.gov.in}}</ref> The selection of candidates by the government is done through a "fair computer-generated, random, gender-balanced selection process", through which the selected candidates are also assigned either of the two routes to Kailash currently open through India: the [[Lipulekh Pass|Lipu Lekh pass]] in [[Uttarakhand]] and the [[Nathu La|Nathu La pass]] in [[Sikkim]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kailash Manasarovar Yatra |url=https://kmy.gov.in/kmy/selectionProcessPage.do?lang=en |access-date=2022-08-09 |website=kmy.gov.in}}</ref> No private travel companies are allowed to conduct the Kailash-Manasarovar pilgrimage via these two routes. In each batch of Kailash Manasarovar Yatra organised by the Government of India, an Indian government official accompanies the group as a Liaison Officer.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kailash Manasarovar Yatra |url=https://kmy.gov.in/kmy/faq.do?lang=en |access-date=2022-08-09 |website=kmy.gov.in}}</ref>

* The Lipu Lekh route involves briefing and medical checks in [[Delhi]], from there travel to the Lipu Lekh pass, and beyond that travel in Tibet for the Kailash-Manasarovar pilgrimage. Till recently, the Lipu Lekh route required 5-7 days of trekking along the Indian side of the Mahakali valley, from Narayan Ashram till the Lipu Lekh pass. Thereon, the travel to Taklakot and Darchen in Tibet would happen by bus or other vehicles. In 2020, a new motorable road was inaugurated to the Lipu Lekh pass through the Indian side of the Mahakali valley, removing the need to walk the Indian part of the Lipu Lekh route to Mount Kailash.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Team |first=ThePrint |date=2020-05-11 |title=New road to Kailash Mansarovar via Lipulekh Pass and why Nepal is objecting to it |url=https://theprint.in/opinion/new-road-to-kailash-mansarovar-via-lipulekh-pass-and-why-nepal-is-objecting-to-it/418638/ |access-date=2022-08-06 |website=ThePrint |language=en-US}}</ref>
* The Nathu La route involves briefing and medical checks in Delhi; then a flight from Delhi to [[Bagdogra Airport|Bagdogra]]; Bagdogra to Nathu La pass via [[Gangtok]], and three days of road journeys in Tibet till arrival in Darchen on the third day.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Holidays |first=Max |title=Kailash Mansarovar Yatra via Nathula Pass Sikkim |url=https://www.kailash-yatra.org/kailash-mansarovar-yatra-via-nathula-pass-sikkim.html |access-date=2022-08-06 |website=kailash-yatra.org |language=English}}</ref>

=== Routes through Nepal ===
The groups organised by travel companies usually go through Nepal. People from all nationalities can go in these groups. Anyone who has the valid documents and can pay, can go with such groups. Generally, there are fewer medical requirements involved in going to Kailash-Manasarovar with private travel companies.

* In recent years, the general route via Nepal has been the route through the [[Humla District|Humla district]] in northwestern Nepal.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Bubriski |first1=Kevin |title=Kailash Yatra: a Long Walk to Mount Kailash through Humla |last2=Pandey |first2=Abhimanyu |publisher=Penguin Random House |year=2018 |isbn=978-0670091119 |location=New Delhi |pages=20}}</ref> This route involves three flights ahead of [[Kathmandu]]: Kathmandu-[[Nepalgunj]], Nepalgunj-[[Simikot]], and Simikot-[[Hilsa, Nepal|Hilsa]] (Simikot-Hilsa by helicopter). From Hilsa, the group crosses into Tibet (China). Hilsa to Darchen can be done within a single day. But generally, groups acclimatize at [[Taklakot]] for a night, and also tend to stay at Chiu Gumba by the shores of [[Lake Manasarovar]] for a night, before arriving at Darchen.
* There is also a possibility of viewing Mount Kailash from within Nepal. This is possible from the Lapcha La pass above the [[Limi|Limi valley]], in district Humla.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Bubriski |first1=Kevin |title=Kailash Yatra: a Long Walk to Mount Kailash through Humla |last2=Pandey |first2=Abhimanyu |publisher=Penguin Random House |year=2018 |location=New Delhi |pages=1}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Limi-Lapcha could be an alternative route to Kailash Manasarovar |url=https://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/limi-lapcha-could-be-an-alternative-route-to-kailash-manasarovar |access-date=2022-08-09 |website=thehimalayantimes.com|date=13 March 2021 }}</ref> This route involves trekking from Simikot to Lapcha La, a journey that usually takes 4-5 days. This option has been becoming known as a means to get the '[[Darshan (Indian religions)|darshan]]' of Kailash especially in times when entry into Tibet has become forbidden for any reason.
* A second major route through Nepal, which actually used to be the main route to Kailash through Nepal till the [[April 2015 Nepal earthquake|April 2015 Nepal Earthquake]], is the [[Tatopani, Sindhupalchok|Tatopani]]-[[Zhangmu|Zangmu]] route.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Bubriski |first1=Kevin |title=Kailash Yatra: a Long Walk to Mt Kailash through Humla |last2=Pandey |first2=Abhimanyu |publisher=Penguin Random House |year=2018 |location=New Delhi |pages=20}}</ref> It was closed for four years following extensive damage due to the 7.8 Richter-scale-intensity earthquake, till 2019.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=A Personal Account of Border Crossing Reveals the Deep Ties Between Nepal, China |url=https://thewire.in/world/all-roads-lead-north-nepal-china |access-date=2022-08-09 |website=The Wire}}</ref> Zangmu to Darchen is a 3-4 day drive.<ref>{{Cite web |last=http://www.himalayajourneys.com |first=Himalaya Journey Treks & Expedition- |title=Zhangmu Kailash Mansarovar tour - Himalaya Journey |url=https://www.himalayajourneys.com/tibet-zhangmu-kailash-mansarovar-tour.php |access-date=2022-08-09 |website=Himalaya Journey Treks |language=en}}</ref>
* A third major route through Nepal is the [[Rasuwa District|Rasuwa]]-[[Gyirong County|Gyirong]] route.<ref>{{Cite web |title=13 Days Kailash Pilgrimage Tour via Gyirong Port |url=https://www.tibettravel.org/kailash-tour/kailash-and-manasarova-tour.html |access-date=2022-08-09 |website=Tibet Travel and Tours - Tibet Vista |language=en}}</ref> Gyirong to Darchen is a three-day drive. This route is close to the Tatopani-Zangmu route, and became important especially in the period when the Tatopani-Zangmu route was closed for four years.<ref name=":2" />

=== Routes through Tibet ===
For private travel companies, both in Nepal and in Tibet (China), another important route to Kailash is the one via [[Lhasa]]. In this one, pilgrims first arrive at Lhasa by road, flight or other means, and from there they make a four-day road journey to Lake Manasarovar or Darchen.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kathmandu Lhasa Kailash Tour {{!}} Lhasa Kailash Tour {{!}} Tibet Kailash Travel |url=https://www.tibetkailash.com/kathmandu-lhasa-kailash-tour.html |access-date=2022-08-09 |website=www.tibetkailash.com}}</ref> Other than the Lipu Lekh route through India and the Humla route through Nepal, all the major routes to Kailash through Tibet - from Lhasa, Zangmu, Gyirong, and Nathu La - involve 3-4 days of long drives through the high-altitude [[Tibetan Plateau|Tibetan plateau]] and some mountain ranges on it, to reach to Darchen.

== Climate change ==
Climate change due to [[Climate change|global warming]] is happening three times faster on the [[Tibetan Plateau]] than anywhere else in the world.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Qiu |first=Jane |date=2008-07-01 |title=China: The third pole |journal=Nature |language=en |volume=454 |issue=7203 |pages=393–396 |doi=10.1038/454393a |pmid=18650887 |issn=1476-4687|doi-access=free }}</ref> Mount Kailash is located in a mountain range upon the Tibetan Plateau, near the plateau's western edges. According to local observers, the land around Mount Kailash has been growing warmer in recent years; the pilgrimage season isn't as cold as it used to be.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-01-09 |title=Ignoring climate change in the Himalayas |url=https://www.thethirdpole.net/en/climate/ignoring-climate-change-in-the-himalayas/ |access-date=2022-08-06 |website=The Third Pole |language=en-US}}</ref> According to available data from the region, [[Glacier|glaciers]] are retreating, lakes are shrinking, the amount of barren land is increasing, and the eventual thawing of the [[permafrost]] in this region may lead to uncertain effects on water resources and [[Carbon cycle|carbon cycles]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Zomer |first1=Robert |title=Kailash Sacred Landscape Conservation Initiative: Feasibility Assessment Report |last2=Oli |first2=Krishna Prasad |publisher=ICIMOD |year=2011 |location=Kathmandu |pages=39–40}}</ref> The intergovernmental organisation [[ICIMOD]] is involved in ongoing efforts to generate knowledge on the ecological, social, and economic effects of climate change, and sustainable ways to cope with them, in the Chinese region around Mount Kailash and the bordering areas of [[Uttarakhand]] (India) and western [[Nepal]], in a transboundary project called the Kailash Sacred Landscape Conservation and Development Initiative.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About KSL |url=https://www.icimod.org/initiative/about-ksl/ |access-date=2022-08-07 |website=ICIMOD |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=KSL Components |url=https://www.icimod.org/initiative/ksl-components/ |access-date=2022-08-07 |website=ICIMOD |language=en-US}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Gurla Mandhata]]
* [[Kawagarbo]]
* [[Om Parvat]]
* [[Adi Kailash]]
* [[Kinnaur Kailash]]
* [[Manimahesh Kailash Peak|Mani Mahesh Kailash]]
* [[Shrikhand Kailash]]
* [[Sacred mountains]]
* ''[[Kailash: A Journal of Himalayan Studies]]''

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==Bibliography==
{{Refbegin|1}}
*Albinia, Alice. (2008) ''Empires of the Indus: The Story of a River''. First American Edition (2010) W. W. Norton & Company, New York. {{ISBN|978-0-393-33860-7}}
*Bubriski, Kevin and Abhimanyu Pandey. Kailash Yatra: a Long Walk to Mt Kailash through Humla. New Delhi: Penguin Random House, 2018
* Nomachi, Kazuyoshi. ''Tibet''. Boston: Shambhala, 1997.
* [[Robert Thurman|Thurman, Robert]] and Tad Wise, ''Circling the Sacred Mountain: A Spiritual Adventure Through the Himalayas''. New York: Bantam, 1999. {{ISBN|0-553-37850-3}} — Tells the story of a Western Buddhist making the trek around Mount Kailash.
* Snelling, John. (1990). ''The Sacred Mountain: The Complete Guide to Tibet's Mount Kailas''. 1st edition 1983. Revised and enlarged edition, including: Kailas-Manasarovar Travellers' Guide. Forwards by H.H. the Dalai Lama of Tibet and Christmas Humphreys. East-West Publications, London and The Hague. {{ISBN|0-85692-173-4}}.
* (Elevation) Chinese Snow Map "Kangrinboqe", published by the Lanzhou Institute of Glaciology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
* [[Charles Allen (writer)|Allen, Charles]] (1982) ''A Mountain in Tibet: The Search for Mount Kailas and the Sources of the Great Rivers of Asia''. (London, André Deutsch).
* [[Charles Allen (writer)|Allen, Charles]]. (1999). ''The Search for [[Shangri-La]]: A Journey into Tibetan History''. Little, Brown and Company. Reprint: Abacus, London. 2000. {{ISBN|0-349-11142-1}}.
* "A Tibetan Guide for Pilgrimage to Ti-se (Mount Kailas) and mTsho Ma-pham ([[Lake Manasarovar]])." Toni Huber and Tsepak Rigzin. In: ''Sacred Spaces and Powerful Places in Tibetan Culture: A Collection of Essays''. (1999) Edited by Toni Huber, pp. 125–153. The Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, Dharamsala, H.P., India. {{ISBN|81-86470-22-0}}.
* Stein, R. A. (1961). ''Les tribus anciennes des marches Sino-Tibétaines: légendes, classifications et histoire''. Presses Universitaires de France, Paris. (In French)
* Johnson, Russell, and Moran, Kerry. (1989). ''The Sacred Mountain of Tibet: On Pilgrimage to Kailas.'' Park Street Press, Rochester, Vermont. {{ISBN|0-89281-325-3}}.
* Govinda, Lama Anagarika. (1966). ''The Way of the White Clouds: A Buddhist Pilgrim in Tibet.'' Shambhala Publications, Inc. Boulder, Colorado. Reprint with foreword by Peter Matthiessen: Shambhala Publications, Inc. Boston, Massachusetts. 1988. {{ISBN|0-87773-007-5}}
* Thubron, Colin. (2011). "To a Mountain in Tibet." Chatto & Windus, London. {{ISBN|978-0-7011-8380-6}}
{{Refend}}

{{Sacred Mountains of China}}
{{Buddhism topics}}
{{Hinduism footer small}}
{{Shaivism}}
{{Jainism topics}}
{{Tibet topics}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Mountains of Tibet|Kailash]]
[[Category:Hindu pilgrimage sites in China]]
[[Category:Sacred mountains|Kailash]]
[[Category:Buddhist pilgrimage sites in China]]
[[Category:Hindu tantra]]
[[Category:Tibetan Buddhist places]]
[[Category:Padal Petra Stalam]]
[[Category:Six-thousanders of the Transhimalayas]]
[[Category:Mountains in Buddhism]]
[[Category:Mountains in Hinduism]]

Bharatpedia - User contributions [en]

Mount Kailash