Kailash - mountain of the Tibetan Plateau

Kailash- a mountain in the mountain range of the same name in the Gandhisishan mountain system in the south of the Tibetan Plateau in the Tibet Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China.
Kailash is additionally distinguished from others by its tetrahedral pyramidal shape with a snow cap and edges oriented almost exactly to the cardinal points. The height of Kailash remains a controversial issue - a common claim is that Kailash is 6666 m high; scientists disagree from 6638 to 6890 m, which is due to the method of measuring mountain heights. In addition, the Himalayan mountains are considered young, so their height increases on average by 0.5-0.6 cm per year, taking into account the weathering of the rock.

Location of Mount Kailash
Kailash is located in a remote, inaccessible area of ​​Western Tibet and is one of the main watersheds of South Asia. The four main rivers of Tibet, India and Nepal flow in the Kailash region: Indus, Sutlej, Brahmaputra and Karnali. However, according to the results of the expedition to Kailash in May 2010, all water streams flowing from the glaciers of Kailash flow into Lake Rakshas Tal. The Sutlej River begins in the northwestern part of this lake. Thus, only the Sutlej River carries the waters flowing from Kailash. One of its sources originates from the southern slope of the mountain. On the southern side there is a vertical crack, which is crossed approximately in the center by a horizontal one and resembles a swastika (cross). Kailash is sometimes called “Swastika Mountain”.


Climbing history
The top of the mountain remains unconquered. In 1985, the famous mountaineer Reinhold Messner received permission to climb from the Chinese authorities, but refused at the last moment. In 2000, a Spanish expedition purchased permission to conquer Kailash from the Chinese authorities for a fairly significant sum. The team set up a camp at the foot, but they never managed to set foot on the mountain. Thousands of pilgrims blocked the expedition's path. The Dalai Lama, the UN, a number of major international organizations, millions of believers around the world expressed their protest against the conquest of Kailash, and the Spaniards had to retreat. In 2004, the expedition of Professor Yuri Zakharov climbed to a height of over 6300 m along the southern slope. Based on the results of the expedition, it was removed documentary, awarded the State Prize, a number of publications were published, and a press conference was held. According to Zakharov, further advancement of the inexperienced group was impossible without special equipment and due to adverse weather conditions.

Religious significance
Some ancient religions of Nepal and China consider the mountain sacred, endowed with divine powers and worship it. Pilgrimages are made to it for the purpose of performing a kora (ritual circumambulation). Believers of four religions - Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and Bon adherents - consider this unusual mountain the “heart of the world”, the “axis of the earth”.
In Hinduism
Hindus believe that at the top of Kailash is the abode of Shiva. According to Vishnu Purana, the peak is a representation or image of a mountain
Meru, the cosmic mountain at the center of the Universe.
In Buddhism
Buddhists consider the mountain to be the habitat of Buddha in Samvara incarnation. Thousands of pilgrims and tourists from all over the world gather here every year during the Tibetan festival. religious holiday Saga Dawa dedicated to Buddha Shakyamuni.
In Jainism
Jains revere Kailash as the place where their first saint achieved liberation.
IN Tibetan tradition Bon
For followers of the Tibetan Bon tradition, Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar lying at its foot are the heart of ancient country Shangshung, where Bon originated. Kailash, which in Bon is called Yungdrung Gu Tse (Nine-Storey Swastika Mountain), is the soul of all Bon, the center vitality and the main principle of the “Nine Paths of Bon”. Here the founder of the religion, the celestial Tonpa Shenrab, descended from heaven to earth.
Kailash in parascience
The religious texts of Buddhism and Hinduism say the following about Kailasa: “No mortal dares to climb the mountain where the gods live; he who sees the faces of the gods must die.” According to legend, Kailash throws off anyone who dares to climb it, and those who touch the mountain develop ulcers that do not heal for several weeks. Local legends consider Kailash to be a mystical mountain. According to some beliefs, when the top of Kailash is shrouded in clouds, flashes of light are visible, in which a multi-armed creature can allegedly be seen. Hindus say that this is one of the supreme gods - Shiva. On the southern side of the mountain there is a vertical crack in the center of the mountain, at sunset the crack and rock shadows form a swastika. This crack was formed as a result of an earthquake, it is 40 meters wide and deepened by channels. Lakes Manasarovar (fresh, lake of life) and Langa-Tso (salt, lake of death) are revered at the same level as Kailash.

Kailash - mountain of Tibet
Kailash is a mountain with a height of about 6,700 meters, from which the four main rivers of Tibet, India and Nepal originate. The sacred Mount Kailash could be called Olympus Central Asia. According to the Hindu tradition, Kailash is home to one of the gods who, along with Brahma and Vishnu, are part of the supreme triad - the formidable Shiva, who maintains order in the Universe with his “tandava” dance. In addition to the monastery of Shiva or Buddha, on the top of Mount Kailash, there is an entrance to the mysterious country of Shambhala. If you go around the mountain along a certain route, you can receive remission of all sins, if 13 times - you do not end up in Hell for five hundred subsequent rebirths - and you get the right to go around Kailash along a different route... Having done this 108 times, you will break out of the circle of rebirths and achieve enlightenment Buddha. Small but very important nuance- if you do all this to satisfy your own ambitions, it will be of no use and Kailash will take revenge on you. " Tibetan texts say that Shambhala is a spiritual land and is located northwest of Kailash. It is difficult for me to discuss this topic from a scientific point of view. But I can say absolutely affirmatively that the Kailasa complex is directly related to life on Earth; When we made a map diagram of the “City of the Gods”, consisting of pyramids and stone mirrors, we were quite surprised - the diagram turned out to be similar to the spatial structure of DNA molecules." states Professor Ernst Muldashev


Mysterious City of the Gods
It was a long time ago. The sons possessed the amazing power of the five elements, with the help of which they built a giant city. It is in it, as they say eastern religions, the North Pole was located before the Flood. In many eastern countries, Mount Kailash is considered holiest place On the Earth. It and the surrounding mountains of Kailash were built using the mighty power of the five elements: air, water, earth, wind and fire. In Tibet, this force is considered to be the psychic energy of the Universe, as something inaccessible and unattainable for comprehension by the human mind. At an altitude of 5680 meters there is the famous “Death Valley”; you can only pass through it along the sacred road. If you go off the road, you will find yourself in the zone of action of tantric power. And stone mirrors change the course of time so much for those people who got there that in a matter of years they turned into old people.

Stone mirrors of Mount Kailash
These unique stone structures have either a smooth or concave surface. The greatest mystery for science is the ability of the Kailash stone mirrors to change time. "Time" is energy that can concentrate and spread. An example of the temporary action of Tibetan mirrors - mysterious death four climbers who, during the expedition, left the specified sacred road, and after returning within one year, they grew old and died. Medicine was unable to determine the cause of their death. All stone mirrors have different shapes and different sizes. One of them, which is 800m high, is called the “Stone Palace of Happiness”. It is believed that it is a place of transition to other parallel worlds. The largest “mirrors” are the flat slopes of the western and northern sides main pyramid Kailash. They have a clearly concave shape. The height of each of them is 1800m. Scientists claim that such huge planes have the ability to transmit energy that accumulates in the pyramids themselves, connecting it with the flows of other energy forces of the Universe.


Kailasa Mirrors and Bible
John the Theologian received a revelation two thousand years ago on the island of Patmos that concave mirrors are capable of “stretching” or “compressing” time. He considered time not an abstract concept, but a concrete energy capable of either concentrating or spreading. The most striking thing is the fact that people who were inside Kozyrev’s mirrors clearly felt dizziness, fear, and were transported to their childhood. This is because they were literally immersed in an energy called time. And under the influence of this energy, we felt changes in ourselves and in our perception of the world. At the same time, Kozyrev’s mirrors did not exceed a height of two to three meters. And the stone mirrors of Kailash, according to Muldashev, are almost the size of a two-kilometer mountain. It's about about the largest stone mirrors. Placed in a certain way in relation to each other, they create the desired effect of a “time machine”, which is capable of transporting the initiate not only to different time periods, but also to other worlds.

Kailash - the cosmological center of the galaxy
Tibet... The most mysterious, the most mysterious, the most amazing place on the planet. Everything here is the very best - the highest lake, the highest river, the highest capital (Lhasa), the highest sanctuary in the world and the most gigantic mandala of natural origin - the mystical Mount Kailash. The only one of all the mountains on the planet, it has the shape of a regular tetrahedral
pyramids, the slopes of which are oriented to the cardinal points. But its top is not sharp, but rounded. Covered with a cap eternal ice, it shines like a huge crystal. The mountain itself “sits” in the center of the open “bud” of an eight-petalled lotus, formed by the intricately curved smooth rocks surrounding it purple. The “body” of Kailash is composed of thirteen horizontal stepped layers, and they, in turn, are divided into hundreds of smaller ones. Each of the slopes of the mountain is called a face. The southern one, from the top to the bottom and right in the middle, is cut by a straight, even crevice. The layered terraces form a giant stone staircase on the cracked walls. At sunset, the play of shadows creates an image of the swastika sign - the solstice - on the surface of the southern side of Kailash. The exact same swastika is on the top of the mountain. Here it is formed by the Kailash ridges and the channels of the sources of the four great rivers of Asia, originating on the ice cap of the mountain: Indus - from the north, Karnapi - from the south, Sutlej - from the west, Brahmaputra - from the east. These streams supply water to half the territory of all Asia. No one knows the true height of Kailash. Measurements show that it changes every year: the mountain sometimes “grows” by several tens of meters, sometimes it becomes lower. The average amplitude of Kailash's "breath" is 6666 meters! It is believed that three sixes are the “number of the beast,” but the biblical Apocalypse says that this is also the number of man. And in esoteric teachings, three sixes are an expression of the highest creative principle of the Cosmos and symbolize the power of the Divine Mind.
After the Chinese opened Tibet to foreigners, several European, American and Japanese expeditions, equipped with the most modern instruments and equipment, took place to Kailash. However, all attempts to climb this relatively low, by mountaineering standards, mountain ended in complete failure: not only was no one able to climb Kailash, but absolutely all participants in the climb died a painful death immediately after the descent. Moreover: not a single plane has ever flown over the mysterious mountain, and not a single space station has been able to take clear photographs of these places! Since climbing to the top is also impossible due to the categorical prohibition of the local authorities, pilgrims make a ritual circuit around the mountain - the kora. This movement (along the circle of rotation of the Sun) symbolizes the believer’s involvement in the cycle of time and fate. Pilgrims know: Kailash is a natural mandala, meditation in which leads to an altered state of consciousness and opens the way to other worlds. The outer side of this path, the dismemberment of bodies and “funeral into the sky” - the pecking of remains by eagles - looks terrifying to the uninitiated. However, many come here in search of just such a fate. The inner, forbidden bark to the “heart” of Kailash occurs once every 60 years, when a special period begins in the life of the mountain.


Myths about Mount Kailash
Mount Kailash (Kailash)
Many myths and legends are associated with Kailash. Four world religions consider Kailash a sacred place:
- Hindus believe that Kailash is the cosmic center of the universe, and it is there that the powerful god Shiva lives, and the nearby sacred lake Manasarovar was created by the god Brahma. In Hindu tradition, there is a mythical Mount Meru, corresponding to Kailash. In the Mahabharata, she is described as “kissing the heavens at their very highest, shining like the morning sun, like fire not obscured by smoke, immeasurable, and inaccessible to people who bear sin.”
- Jains revere Kailash as the place where their first saint achieved liberation.
- In the history of Bon-a, the first master Tongpa Shenrab descended from heaven on Mount Kailash.
- In Buddhism, it is believed that Demchok, the wrathful form of Buddha Shakyamuni (analogy with Shiva), lives on Kailasha.
However, it is distinguished from others by its pyramidal shape with a snow cap and edges oriented almost exactly to the cardinal points. On the southern side there is a vertical crack, which is crossed approximately in the middle by a horizontal one. It resembles a swastika. In Bon-e, Kailash is sometimes called “Swastika Mountain”. Most pilgrims and pilgrims get to Kailash specifically for the purpose of making a ritual round. It is believed that even a single circumambulation of Kailash eliminates all sins in life. And 108-fold ensures the transition to Nirvana in this life. Rounds 3 and 13 are also considered favorable. Kailash is surrounded by valleys, so the kora does not require special preparation or equipment. Distance 53 km. Many pilgrims from India, Nepal and Tibet overcome the “Path around Kailash” component in one day, from early morning to late evening. The most high point when going around Kailash, - Dromla La pass (Dremla-la pass) with a height of 5630m. Before you start walking around, make a wish.


Mount Kailash


Kailash is a mountain in the mountain range of the same name in the Gandhisishan mountain system in the south of the Tibetan Plateau in the Tibet Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China


Kailash additionally distinguishes itself from others


The tetrahedral pyramidal shape of Kailash with a snow cap and edges oriented almost exactly to the cardinal directions Kailash

“Strangers have rarely visited this wild land.
In places we could look across the border of Tibet and see Mount Kailash.
Although the height of Kailash is only 6666 meters, Hindus and Buddhists
It is considered the most sacred of all the Himalayan peaks.
Near it is the large lake Manasarovar, also sacred, and the famous monastery.
At all times, pilgrims came here from the most remote parts of Asia.”
Tenzing Noghray, conqueror of Everest.

Fact No. 1. Many names

Mount Kailash (Kailash) is one of the most mysterious places on our planet.
She is also known by other names: Europeans call her Kailas, the Chinese call her Gandhisishan (冈底斯山) or Ganrenboqi (冈仁波齐), in the Bon tradition her name is Yundrung Gutseg, in ancient texts in Tibetan she is called Kang Rinpoche ( གངས་རིན་པོ་ཆེ; gangs rin p-che) - “Precious snowy.” A bunch of interesting secrets and the legends about Kailash do not leave people, both pilgrims and researchers, indifferent.



Fact No. 2. Center of 4 religions

Mount Kailash is the sacred center of 4 religions: Hinduism, Jainism, Tibetan Bon religion and Buddhism. The dream of every Hindu is to see Kailash with his own eyes at least once in his life. Related to this desire are serious visa restrictions issued by China for Indians wishing to visit these places. In the Vedas (ancient texts of this religion), Mount Kailash is the favorite place of residence of Shiva (cosmic consciousness, personifying the masculine principle of the Universe).
The Tibetan ancient religion Bon considers Mount Kailash to be the place of origin of life in the Universe and the center of power. According to their legends, this is where the mystical country of Shangshung (Shambhala) is located, and the first Jain master Tongpa Shenrab descended into the world from Kailash.

Buddhists revere this mountain as the abode of Buddha in one of the main incarnations - Samvara. Therefore, every year during the Buddhist religious holiday Vesak (other names - Saga Dawa, Visakha Puja, Donchod Khural), dedicated to the enlightenment of Buddha Gautama, thousands of pilgrims and tourists from all over the world gather at the foot of Mount Kailash.

Fact No. 3. Beginning of 4 rivers

According to Hindu mythology, the four main rivers of Tibet, India and Nepal originate on the slopes of Mount Kailash: Indus, Brahmaputra, Sutlej and Karnali. Jains believe that at Mount Kailash their first saint, Jina Mahavira, achieved enlightenment, after which he founded his own teaching - Jainism.



Fact No. 4. Swastika symbol from the shadows

Swastika Mountain- another name for Kailash. The appearance of this name is associated with the pattern formed by two cracks on its southern side. IN evening time the shadow cast by the rock ledges depicts a huge image of a swastika on it. The swastika is a sacred symbol for many peoples of the world. In India, for example, the swastika is considered as a solar sign - a symbol of life, light, generosity and abundance, closely associated with the cult of the god Agni. A wooden tool was made in the shape of a swastika for producing sacred fire. They laid him flat on the ground; the depression in the middle served for a rod, which was rotated until a fire appeared, lit on the altar of the deity. The swastika was carved in many temples, on rocks, and on ancient monuments in India. The swastika is one of the symbols of Jainism.



Fact No. 5. Orientation to cardinal directions

Mount Kailash has a pyramidal shape, strictly oriented to the cardinal points. There is also evidence to suggest the presence of voids both in the mountain itself and at its foot. Some researchers who have studied the mountain and its secrets claim: Kailash is an unnatural artificial formation, erected in ancient times by an unknown person and for what purpose. It is possible that this is some kind of complex, a pyramid.

Fact No. 6. Liberation from sins

In the Bon religion and Hinduism, there is a legend that says: walking around Kailash (kora) allows you to cleanse yourself of all sins committed in a given life. If the kora is performed 13 times, the pilgrim who completes it is guaranteed not to go to Hell; if the kora is performed 108 times, he breaks out of the circle of rebirths and reaches the degree of enlightenment of the Buddha. A kora performed on a full moon counts as two. That is why there are always many pilgrims around the mountain today, making their way to atone for sins.

Fact No. 6. Climbing Kailash is impossible

Mount Kailash is closed to climbers: not a single person has yet visited its peak. This is due not only to the fact that climbing it is officially prohibited. There are legends that Kailash is able to incomprehensibly change the desire of climbers to climb, thereby not allowing anyone to approach him. Those who get too close to it, and those who intend to climb to its top, are suddenly instructed to go in the opposite direction.
Whether this is true or not, the top of the mountain still remains unconquered. In 1985, the famous mountaineer Reinhold Messner received permission to climb from the Chinese authorities, but refused at the last moment.
In 2000, a Spanish expedition for a fairly significant amount purchased permission to conquer Kailash from the Chinese authorities. The team set up a base camp at the foot, but were never able to set foot on the mountain. Thousands of pilgrims blocked the expedition's path. The Dalai Lama, the UN, a number of large international organizations, millions of believers around the world expressed their protest against the conquest of Kailash and the Spaniards had to retreat.

Fact No. 7. Mirrors of Time on the surface of Kailash

Another mystery of Kailash, around which there are numerous disputes and judgments, is the mirror of time. They mean many rocks located near Kailash, having a smooth or concave surface. Whether these surfaces were created artificially in ancient times or are a play of nature is still not known.

There is an assumption that these formations are a kind of “Kozyrev mirrors” - concave mirrors, in the focus of which the speed of time can change. A person who comes into the focus of such a mirror may experience various abnormal and psychophysical sensations. According to Muldashev, the mirrors around Kailash are placed in a certain system in relation to each other, which creates something like a “time machine” capable of transporting the initiate not only to different time periods, but also to other worlds.


Fact No. 8. Lakes Manasarovar and Rakshas Tal - so close, but so different

Two lakes located at the foot of Mount Rakshas Tal and Manasarovar are located nearby and are separated from each other by only a small isthmus. However, both these lakes are strikingly different from each other, which represents another mystery of Kailash.




The waters of Lake Manasarovar, revered by Tibetans as sacred, are fresh. According to legend, Lake Manasarovar was the first object created in the consciousness of Brahma. This is where its name comes from: in Sanskrit “Manas sarovara” means “Lake of Consciousness” from the words manas (consciousness) and sarovara (lake). According to one of the Buddhist legends, this lake is the same legendary Lake Anavatapta, where Queen Maya conceived Buddha. Manasarovar, like Kailash, is a place of pilgrimage, around which a ritual circumambulation - kora - is also performed in order to cleanse karma. Pilgrims come here to take ceremonial baths in the purifying waters of Manasarovar. It is believed that this lake is a place where “purity” lives; in its bottom layer, near the northwestern shore, the water is alive. Anyone who touches the sacred land of Manasarovar or bathes in this lake will definitely go to heaven. Anyone who drinks water from the lake will ascend to heaven to God Shiva and be cleansed of his sins. Therefore, Manasarovar is considered the most sacred, revered and famous lake in all of Asia. The area around the sacred lake is 100 km.


Lake Manasarovar

Lake Rakshas

Near Manasarovar there is a salty dead lake Rakshas tal (also Langak, Rakas, Langa Tso (Chinese: 拉昂错, pinyin: Lā'áng Cuò). In Hindu mythology, this lake was created by the lord of the Rakshasas, the demon Ravana, and on this lake there was a special island where Ravana sacrificed one of his heads to Shiva every day. On the tenth day, Shiva gave Ravana superpowers. Lake Langa Tso is contrasted with Lake Manasarovar, created by the gods. Manasarovar has round shape, and Langa-Tso is elongated in the form of a month, which symbolizes light and darkness, respectively. According to local customs, touching the water of the dead lake is prohibited, because... it can bring bad luck.
Number of legends, stories and various legends The amount of money associated with this place is simply enormous: it is unlikely that any other place on our planet can boast so many secrets and mysteries.

The first group to Kailash is being recruited in 2020: in addition to the crust around Kailash, you will see the North Face of Everest, beautiful lakes, the Ancient Kingdom of Guge, the Garuda Valley and rarely visited ancient cave complexes in Western Tibet - Dungkar and Piyang. Route . Arrival in Lhasa on April 26, 2020. Unique tour to Kailash Kora with a Russian guide! Join us!

Mount Kailash (Kailash) - Jewel of the Snows, the center of the universe, the abode of Shiva and Buddha Shakyamuni in the guise of the wrathful deity Chakrasamvara, the patron of one of the highest tantras of Vajrayana Buddhism. There is a belief that if you walk around the sacred mountain 108 times, you can achieve enlightenment.

Kailash has attracted ascetics, yogis and pilgrims for many centuries. Nowadays, more and more more people are interested in the journey to this peak. And it’s not just the unusual tetrahedral shape of the mountain, reminiscent of an artificially built pyramid, but rather the fact that Kailash is a shrine for millions of representatives of four religions: Hindus, Jains, Buddhists and Bonpos. Every year, thousands of pilgrims make a sacred circumambulation around Kailash, offering prayers and performing religious practices.

Geography

Mount Kailash is located in the Tibetan province of Ngari in Western Tibet, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. Kailash is one of the peaks in the Gandhisa mountain system (冈底斯山脉pinyin: gangdisi shanmai), located in the south of the Tibetan Plateau and running almost parallel to the Himalayas.

Kailash is the highest mountain peak in its area (6714 meters / according to other sources 6638 meters), which also differs in appearance from neighboring mountains with its tetrahedral pyramidal shape, oriented to the four cardinal directions. In the Kailash region, the four main rivers of Tibet, India and Nepal originate and spread to the cardinal points: the Brahmaputra in the east, the Indus in the north, the Sutlej in the west, and the Karnali (a tributary of the Ganges River) in the south.

Name

Kailash is known by many names. The most common name in Russian Kailash is the name of the sacred mountain in Sanskrit. It is also quite common to write Kailash.

So which is correct: Kailash or Kailash? - Both options are correct, since both spellings are found in ancient Indian texts - both with the sound “s” at the end and with the sound “sh”:

  • कैलाश Kailāśa (“Kailasha”) and केलास Kailāsa (“Kailasa”). It should be noted that modern India now says "Kailash", while "Kailas" is perhaps a more authentic name, for such a spelling is found in the ancient Indian epic "Mahabharata".
  • In Tibet, the most popular name for the peak is Kang Rinpoche(གངས་རིན་པོ་ཆེ wylie: gangs rinpoche), which translated means “Snow Jewel” or “Precious Snow Peak”. In classical texts the peak is called Kang Tise(གངས་ཏི་སེ wylie: gangs tise) or simply Tise (ཏི་སེ wylie:tise).
  • Followers of the Provobuddi religion of Tibet Bon call this sacred mountain Yundrung Gutsek (གཡུང་ དགུ་ བརྩེགས བརྩེགས wylie: gyung drung dgu brtsegs), which means "nine -story Mountain of the Swastika."
  • IN English language the most common name for a peak isKailash, originating from Sanskrit.
  • The Chinese names for Kailash are derived from the Tibetan ones: Gan Renboqi(冈仁波齐 pinyin: gang renboqi) from the Tibetan name Kang Rinpoche and Gandhisishan(冈底斯山 pinyin: gangdisi shan) from Tibetan Kang Tise. Also, Kailash in Chinese is popularly called simply “sacred peak” - Shenshan(神山 pinyin: shenshan).

Kailash in world religions

Mount Kailash is sacred to representatives of four religions: Buddhism, Bon, Hinduism and Jainism. For Buddhists, Kailash is the abode of Shakyamuni Buddha in his wrathful form. For Hindus, it is the abode of Shiva, the destroyer of illusions. For Jains, Kailash is sacred as the place where their first saint, Adinatha, achieved enlightenment. Followers of the Bon religion believe that from here the founder of the religion, Tonpa Shenrab Miwoche, descended from heaven to earth.

Despite the fact that believers of these four religions have different interpretations of the significance of Kailash, they all consider this peak to be the most sacred place, the “heart of the world,” the axis of the universe (Latin axis mundi), connecting heaven and earth, through which a practitioner can contact higher powers.

Kailash in Buddhism

For Tibetan Buddhists, Kailash is the abode of Shakyamuni Buddha in the form of the wrathful deity Korlo Demchog (འཁོར་ལོ་བདེ་མཆོག་ wylie: ‘khorlo bde mchog) or Chakrasamvara in Sanskrit. Demchok is depicted in conjunction with the spiritual consort Dorje Pakmo (རྡོ་རྗེ་ཕག་མོ wylie: rdo rje phag mo) or Vajravarahi. Their union is a symbol of the unity of emptiness and bliss (བདེ་སྟོང་དབྱེར་མེད wylie: bde stong dbyer med). Diligent spiritual practice is the only way knowledge of this symbol.

For Buddhist followers of the Lesser Vehicle (Thailand, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, etc.), Kailash is a place that Buddha Shakyamuni himself sanctified along with 500 arhats, emanating himself in the Kailash area.

After Shakyamuni Buddha, Padmasambhava, also known as Guru Rinpoche, an 8th century AD Buddhist master revered as the second Buddha, meditated here. He left behind terma treasures in the rocks around Kailash.

Three centuries later, Milarepa, a famous Tibetan meditation master, hermit, mystic and poet, meditated here. Despite the rapid spread of Buddhism in Tibet since the 8th century, Kailash and the surrounding area remained a place especially revered by followers of the Bon religion. But after Milarepa, the secrets of Kailash were also revealed to Tibetan Buddhists. Having achieved spiritual realization, Milarepa and his disciples went to Western Tibet to the places of Buddha Shakyamuni. Arriving in the Kailash region, he met a Bon master named Naro Bonchung. A dispute arose between them over dominance in the Kailash region, which they agreed to resolve through competition using siddhis - supernatural powers. The first competition was on Lake Manasarovar near Kailash: Milarepa stretched his entire body across the surface of the lake, and Naro Bonchung stood on the surface of the water from above. Not satisfied with the results, they continued the competition by running around Kailash: Milarepa ran clockwise and Naro Bonchung counterclockwise. Having met at the top of the Dolma la pass near the northern slope of Kailash, they continued the magical battle, but again could not decide who the winner was. Then Naro Bonchung proposed the following competition: whoever climbs to the top of Kailash on the day of the full moon immediately after dawn will be the winner. On the appointed day, Naro Bonchung, riding his shamanic drum, flew to the top of Kailash. Milarepa rested calmly below, causing his disciples to worry. But, as soon as the first rays of the sun reached the peak of Kailash, Milarepa grabbed one of the rays and instantly reached the sacred peak. Naro Bonchung was stunned and fell from his drum. Thus, Milarepa won, and the followers of the Bon religion lost control in the region, moving their spiritual center from Kailash to Mount Bonri east of Lhasa.

Since then, and right up to the present day, Mount Kailash has been sacred both to Tibetan Buddhists and, in particular, to adherents of the Kagyu school, to which Milarepa belonged. But followers of the Bon religion continue to revere this peak. Thus, Buddhists make a pilgrimage around Kailash clockwise, and Bon followers counterclockwise.

In the 13th century, master Gotsangpa discovered magical powers Kailasa for adherents of the Drukpa Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism. He also spent 5 years meditating at the Dirapuk Monastery, located before the Dolma la pass opposite the northern elephant of Kailash. Therefore, to this day, this monastery, Kailash and all the surrounding areas of the peak are especially revered by adherents of the Drukpa Kagyu school.

Although there are many sacred peaks in Tibet, only the Kailash region is a powerful and comprehensive mandala, where every peak and every hill is the abode of one or another deity, where every cleft in the rocks was a place of meditation for hermits. Nowhere else are there so many places of power with self-manifested symbols of the path to enlightenment.

Kailash in Bon religion

bon symbol

The founder of the Bon religion was named Tonpa Shenrab Miwoche. He lived about thirty thousand years ago in the spiritually perfect place of Olmo Lung Ring, where only enlightened beings could enter. According to the surviving descriptions, this place looked like a mixture of ideas about the mystical land of Shablale, Mount Kailash and Mount Meru. Despite the fact that Olmo Lung Ring is a magical place, according to some sources it was located in the territory of the country of Tazik to the west of the kingdom of Shang Shung in Western Tibet. In the center of Omolungring there was the sacred peak of Yundrung Gutsek - the “Nine-Storey Swastika Mountain”, symbolizing the “Nine Paths of Bon”, from where Tonpa Shenrab descended into the world of people. At the foot of the mountain, four great rivers originated, spreading in four directions. Some followers of the Bon religion believe that Mount Yundrung Gutsek is the sacred Kailash. According to other versions, Tonpa Shenrab moved the power and magic contained in Mount Yundrung Gutsek inside Kailash. At the end of his life in our world, using the axis of the world located on Kailash, he returned to heaven. In any case, Mount Kailash is a sacred place for followers of the Bon religion, symbolizing the place of the god Shang Shung Meri. The teachings and lineage of Meri (Me Ri) were one of the main practices in Shang Shung and are preserved to this day.

Kailash in Hinduism

In Hinduism, Kailash is the abode of God Shiva - the supreme God of gods, destroyer of illusions, master of yoga and tantra. Shiva, along with his wife Parvati, resides on the peak of Kailash in the highest meditative state of Absolute Bliss. According to Vishnu Purana, Kailasa peak is a reflection of Mount Meru, which is the center of all universes in both material and spiritual aspects.

Due to the hemispherical shape of Mount Kailash, it is personified with the lingam - the main symbol of Shiva, the masculine principle. In the Puranas, the Lingam is the manifested image of the Eternal Unmanifested Shiva, who is beyond time, space, qualities and forms. At the base of the lingam there is a yoni - a symbol of shakti, the universal feminine energy. Thus, the sacred lake Manasarovar, located near Kailash, is the personification of yoni and the abode of Parvati, therefore, together with Kailash, it is especially revered among followers of Hinduism. For them, a pilgrimage to Kailash and Manasarovar is, first of all, a meeting with God. Therefore, millions of believers go to the sacred peak every year.

Kailash in Jainism

For followers of Jainism, Kailash is also both a sacred peak and Mount Meru, personifying the center of the universe. Rishabha, who became the first saint in Jainism, achieved nirvana in the Kailash region, thereby marking the beginning of the Tithankara tradition. In the Jain worldview, the world has no beginning or end, and time moves in a circle, like the wheel of existence. Thus, our world has already completed countless time cycles, and countless cycles will also come after our time. Each cycle or “kalachakra” is divided into two half-cycles: growth and decay. In each half-cycle, 24 Tirthankaras are born, the first of which was Rishabha, also known as Adinatha.

stupas at the Dirapuk monastery on the northern slope of Kailash

Scientists are still arguing about the history of this amazing mountain. Is Kailash an artificially created pyramid or a mountain of natural origin? Today there is no reliable information about this, as well as how many years ago Kailash was born and why it has the shape of a pyramid, the edges of which accurately indicate parts of the world. It is also surprising and inexplicable that the height of the mountain is 6666 m, the distance from Kailash to the Stonehenge monument is 6666 km, and the same to North Pole, and to Yuzhny – 13,332 km (6666*2).

Kailash is a place shrouded in thousands of secrets and legends. And until now, the top of the sacred mountain has not been conquered by anyone. Kailash does not allow mere mortals to reach the peak, where according to legend the gods live. Many tried against all odds to get there. But no one was able to overcome the invisible wall, which, as would-be travelers claim, arose on their way, preventing them from reaching the sacred peak. Kailash seems to push them away, allowing only those who really believe to perform ritual kora.

The 4 greatest rivers of Asia, possessing powerful energies, originate from Kailash. It is believed that when a person circumambulates Kailash, he comes into contact with this power. Kailash is a very powerful center of power. It carries the energy of dissolving everything old. The one who performs the kora is filled with energy and vitality to help people.

It is a custom to circumambulate Kailash. A custom of faith that contains enormous power. In Kailash they say that the one who goes through the kora with faith and a feeling of unity with God gains special divine power here.

The large kora around Kailash takes 2-3 days. Throughout the entire journey, a person passes through the strongest energy centers where divine flows are felt. Kailash is like a temple. All stones on the path have a certain charge. Pilgrims believe that demigods or supreme souls live in the stones. According to ancient legends, many divine beings who visited here once turned into stones. And now these stones have special divine power.

The first day of the kora is anticipation, lightness, elation. On the second day, you pass the highest and most difficult pass – Death Pass. They say that during this period you can experience death. For example, a person may fall and go into a trance. Many people say that during such a trance they felt their body at the very top of Kailash.

The Drolma-la pass symbolizes new birth. People try to leave something personal in this place. It is believed that this is how a person clears his karma. This is a symbol of leaving the past, a certain dark, negative part of the soul. Having thrown off everything unnecessary at this pass, it becomes easier and freer to go further.

Around Kailash you can walk either along the outer circle - the large one, or along the small one - the inner one. Only those who have walked around the outer one 13 times are allowed to enter the inner one. They say that if one immediately goes there, the high divine energy will block the person’s path.

There are beautiful lakes on the inner crust, the water in them is sacred. On the shores of these lakes there is a monastery. People believe that the enlightened still live there. And if someone is lucky enough to meet them, he will be blessed.

When a pilgrim passes the kora, he turns to higher powers and addresses them with prayer. Kailash is the symbol of the supreme deity. And the external journey to Kailash is actually an internal journey to one’s deity.

There is a belief that the god Shiva lives on Kailash. For Hindus, Shiva is a force and energy capable of creating and destroying worlds. They believe that there are three main forces in the universe: creation, maintenance and destruction. The power of Shiva is the connection with universal energy.

On the way of a wanderer, obstacles often appear, both physical and spiritual. Kailash tests a person’s strength and points out weaknesses. Overcoming all difficulties in pilgrimage is the best way to purify and change.

When a pilgrim leaves Kailash and descends lower, he understands that he doesn’t need much to be happy. We have air that we can breathe, we have food, a roof over our heads - and this is enough for external material happiness; everything else must be sought within.

For hundreds of years people have been coming here and bringing prayer into their hearts. Lake Manasarovar, like Kailash, is revered as sacred. To his right is the peak of Gurla Mandhata. According to legend, she was a king in a past life. Then there was no water here and the king began to pray. One day, God heard his prayers and created a lake from his mind. This lake is the sacred Lake Manasarovar.

Another lake near Kailash, called Rakshas Tal, is considered cursed. It is separated from the sacred lake by a narrow isthmus. Surprisingly, with such a close location, these two bodies of water have huge differences. You can take a dip in the sacred lake, there is fish there and you can drink the water from it. The water in this lake is fresh and is considered healing. Lake Rakshas Tal, on the contrary, is salty and you cannot plunge into it. And places where there is a source with dead and living water nearby have been considered places of power since ancient times.

Kailash also has another sacred lake - Gaurikund. According to legend, it was created by Shiva for his wife Parvati. She helped people a lot, which left her body very exhausted. Having bathed in this lake, Parvati acquired a new body, and since then no one else can touch its sacred waters. There are many legends about the death of people who touched Gaurikund Lake.

There are 4 caves in the vicinity of Kailash. One of them, Milarepa's cave, is located southeast of Kailash next to the sacred path. According to legend, the great yogi Milarepa placed two stone blocks at the entrance of the cave, on which he installed a huge granite slab. This slab cannot be moved by hundreds or even thousands of people. And Milarepa carved it out of granite and laid it with the help of his spiritual power. And it was in this place that he achieved his enlightenment.

There is a legend that Milarepa and the Bonn priest Naro Bonchung fought for power over Kailash. During the first confrontation between supernatural forces on Lake Manasarovar, Milarepa stretched his body across the surface of the lake, and Naro Bonchung stood on the surface of the water from above. Not satisfied with the results, they continued the fight by running around Kailash. Milarepa moved clockwise, and Naro Bonchung moved counterclockwise. Having met at the top of the Dolma-la pass, they continued the magical battle, but again to no avail. Then Naro Bonchung proposed to climb to the top of Kailash on the day of the full moon immediately after dawn. Whoever rises first will win. On the appointed day, Naro Bonchung, riding his shamanic drum, flew to the top. Milarepa was resting calmly below. And as soon as the first rays of the sun reached the peak of Kailash, Milarepa grabbed one of the rays and instantly reached the top, gaining power over the sacred mountain.

Kailash has prayer flags hanging everywhere. These are protective symbols. People hang them to achieve success in some good endeavors. These flags are also called "Wind Horses". The symbol of prayer flags is a horse carrying a jewel on its back. It is believed that it fulfills wishes, brings well-being and prosperity. The flags are made of five primary colors, symbolizing the five elements of the human body. Mantras are applied to them, which are activated upon contact with the wind and carry encrypted messages throughout the world.

Kailash is a place of spiritual power that awakens believers and purifies their minds. People flock here to say the prayer that everyone carries in their hearts. It is believed that the one who makes this pilgrimage will be cleansed of all his sins and learn the secret of the universe.

Films about the secrets and mysteries of the sacred Mount Kailash:

On Earth there are a huge number of stunningly beautiful and at the same time mysterious places, attracting the attention of travelers and researchers. One of these is Mount Kailash (or, as some sources also call it, Kailash), which is located in the southern part of the Tibetan Plateau of the Trans-Himalayan (Gangdise) system and territorially belongs to China. Kailash is translated from Tibetan as “Jewel of Snows”. Kailash is the highest part of this mountain system, its height is 6638 meters above sea level, although data may differ - the question is a few tens of meters.

From the slopes of Mount Kailash originate the four most big rivers Indian subcontinent: tributaries of the Ganges - Brahmaputra and Karnali, Indus and its tributary Sutlej.

Due to the height and lack of civilization, difficulties arise in exploring the mountain - very little is known about Kailash so far, but this mountain is fraught with many mysteries, unconfirmed theories that are waiting in the wings. Many attempts to conquer the very top of the mountain have failed. So far no one has managed to do this. The expeditions were not given permission by the Chinese authorities, the UN and the Dalai Lama; pilgrims staged demonstrations and blocked the path.

Her appearance- is already a mystery in itself. The faces of Mount Kailash are located according to the four cardinal directions and some scientists believe that this ancient pyramid, to which smaller mountains adjoin and form a whole system. Geologists believe that over millennia the shape of the pyramid was given to it by wind and water, and the mountain itself appeared under the ocean, as a result of movements and collisions of the earth’s crust, being pushed to the surface.

And the cracks on the southern side of the mountain look like a swastika, which in Buddhism means the highest divine power and perfection. Perhaps such cracks could have formed as a result of an earthquake, but Tibet is a place where incredible miracles happen. It looks like someone did this on purpose for their own secret reasons. According to some assumptions, it is one of the ancient civilizations.

Mount Kailash is mentioned in many ancient myths, legends and religious texts of Asia and is recognized as sacred among four religions:

  • Hindus believe that at its peak is the favorite abode of Shiva; in the Vishnu Purana it is indicated as the city of the gods and the cosmic center of the Universe.
  • In Buddhism, it is the seat of the Buddha, the heart of the world and the place of power.
  • Jains worship the mountain as the place where Mahavira, their first prophet and greatest saint, gained true insight and interrupted samsara.
  • The Bon people call the mountain a place of concentration of vitality, the center of an ancient country and the soul of their traditions. Unlike believers of the first three religions, who make a kora (purifying pilgrimage) after sun exposure, Bon followers go towards the sun.

Mount Kailash is overgrown with many myths and legends. This is one of the most famous places pilgrimage, because Hindus have Kailash - sacred mountain, where the god Shiva resides, and Buddhists consider it the palace of Buddha. Many are firmly convinced that the mountain is supposedly hollow inside and the enlightened have found refuge there. To make a complete circuit around it, you need to walk a distance of 53 kilometers along the valley at the base. The special name for such a pilgrimage is “kora” and it came from Tibetan monks. Anyone who has committed kora at least once in his life is freed from karma, all the sins he has committed during his life and can be calm about his next incarnation - he will definitely be lucky with his future incarnation. There are three monasteries around the mountain, where pilgrims are sure to come during their tour. The entire circumambulation (necessarily clockwise) lasts about three days, during which believing pilgrims stop for the night right in the open air. Funeral rites are also performed in the valley and being buried in this place is considered a blessing, since the soul is cleansed and the torment of hell does not threaten it. And the one who performs the kora 108 times will achieve the highest enlightenment, like the Buddha.