Many pilgrims start their pilgrimage around Mount Kailash from the town of Darchen. All pilgrims, except those fr
Image details
Contributor:
Paul Quayle / Alamy Stock PhotoImage ID:
H35WT5File size:
85.8 MB (5.1 MB Compressed download)Releases:
Model - no | Property - noDo I need a release?Dimensions:
4437 x 6761 px | 37.6 x 57.2 cm | 14.8 x 22.5 inches | 300dpiMore information:
Many pilgrims start their pilgrimage around Mount Kailash from the town of Darchen. All pilgrims, except those from the Bon religion walk around the mountain in a clockwise direction. If doing so the first viewing point of Mount Kailash is at this point shown in this photo where pilgrims leave an article of clothing. Two of our hiking group pass the mass of clothing. The mountain's four sides are surrounded by valleys and it is possible to walk the 32 miles around the mountain. The circumambulation, .known as a "kora" in Tibetan and "parikrama" in Sanskrit. A single circuit of the mountain is said to erase the sins of a lifetime, while 108, a holy number, ensures nirvana. Most Tibetans prefer to walk around Kailash in a single day, an ordeal that takes 12-17 hours, but means they don't need to carry much luggage. Mount Kailash, known in Tibetan as Kang Rinpoche, (The Precious Snow Mountain) rises to an elevation of 6, 675 metres (22, 028 feet). No man has ever set foot on its summit - except say Tibetans, for the Buddhist yogi Milarepa, who magically flew to the top. To climb the mountain would be an act of desecration for those who worship it. For Hindus it is the throne of Shiva, for Buddhists it is a gigantic natural mandala. The photo shows the southern face which has a vertical gully intersecting with horizontal striations in the rock creating for some a nine-storey swastika mountain. The swastika to Hindus, and to followers of Bonpo, the local shamanistic religion, is an ancient symbol of power.