INTRODUCTION

Are you ready to embark on a journey to one of the most mysterious and
sacred places in the world? Mount Kailash is not only known for its
stunning beauty and breathtaking scenery but also holds great religious
significance for several cultures. Many mysteries surround this mountain,
from unexplained natural phenomena to ancient myths and legends that
continue to fascinate scholars and adventurers alike. Join us as we
unravel the mysteries of Mount Kailash, uncovering its secrets layer by
layer, and experiencing its magic firsthand.
Significance Of Mount Kailash In Different Religions

Mount Kailash is considered to be a sacred mountain in four different

religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Bon. Each religion has its
own unique beliefs and stories associated with the mountain.

In Hinduism, Mount Kailash is believed to be the home of Lord Shiva, one

of the most important deities in the Hindu pantheon. It is also said to be
the place where Shiva performed his cosmic dance of creation and
destruction. Many Hindus make a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash each
year, believing that it will bring them closer to Shiva and help them attain
salvation.

Buddhists believe that Mount Kailash is the home of the Buddha

Demchok, who represents supreme bliss. They also believe that making a
pilgrimage to the mountain can help them achieve nirvana, or liberation
from the cycle of rebirth.

Jains believe that Mount Kailash is the site of Rishabha Deva's tapasya,
or intense meditation. Rishabha Deva was the first Tirthankara (
liberated being) of Jainism, and his tapasya is said to have lasted for 100
years. Jains believe that making a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash can help
them achieve moksha, or liberation from the cycle of rebirth.

The Bon religion of Tibet believes that Mount Kailash is the home of
Shenlha Okar, one of their most important deities
Discovered As The Center Of The World

Mount Kailash is a sacred mountain in the Tibetan Plateau. It is known as

the center of the world and is considered to be the home of the gods.
Mount Kailash has been a pilgrimage site for centuries and is sacred to
Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, and Bonpos. Every year, thousands of pilgrims
make the arduous journey to its summit in search of enlightenment.

The mountain is said to be the abode of Lord Shiva, one of the most
important deities in Hinduism. Hindus believe that Mount Kailash is the
place where Shiva meditates and grants boons to his devotees. Buddhists
believe that Mount Kailash is the home of Buddha Demchok, who
represents wisdom and compassion. Jains believe that Mount Kailash is
where their first prophet attained liberation from the cycle of birth and
death. Bonpos believe that Mount Kailash is the seat of power for their
supreme deity, Yungdrung Bon.

Pilgrims often walk around Mount Kailash three times as a form of

devotion or perform kora, a ritual circumambulation of the mountain.
Some even attempt to climb to its summit, which is said to bring great
spiritual rewards. Regardless of why they make the journey, all pilgrims
are awed by the majesty of Mount Kailash and feel a deep sense of peace
in its presence.
No Human Could Ever Climb To The Peak

It is said that Mount Kailash is the center of the universe and the home of
Lord Shiva. Many Hindus and Buddhists believe that it is a place of great
spiritual power. It is also believed to be the site where the first human
beings were created. The mountain is located in Tibet, and its peak rises
22,028 feet (6,714 meters) above sea level. The area around Mount
Kailash is extremely rugged and remote, making it very difficult to reach.
In fact, there are only a few routes that lead to the base of the mountain,
and even fewer that go all the way to the top. So far, no human being
has ever climbed to the summit of Mount Kailash. Some people have
come close, but they have always been turned back by strong winds or
other obstacles. It seems that the mountain is just too difficult to
conquer.
A Stairway Between Heaven And Earth

In Tibetan Buddhism, Mount Kailash is considered to be the abode of the

Buddha Demchok, who represents supreme bliss. Legend has it that
Milarepa, one of Tibet's most famous saints, once meditated on the
mountain for three years, three months, three days and three nights.

Today, thousands of pilgrims from all over the world make the arduous
journey to Mount Kailash every year. The 52-kilometre kora around the
mountain is believed to cleanse a person of all their sins. For many, it is a
once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage. But what exactly is this mysterious
mountain? Why is it so revered by so many different religions?

Mount Kailash (also known as Mount Meru) is a sacred peak in the

Himalayas. It is located in Tibet Autonomous Region, China. The
mountain is 6,638 metres tall and is considered to be the centre of the
universe by Hindus, Buddhists and Jains.

For Hindus, Mount Kailash is the home of Lord Shiva. It is also said to be
the place where Shiva defeated the demon king Ravana. Buddhists
believe that Mount Kailash is the place where Buddha Shakyamuni
attained enlightenment. For Jains, it is where their founder,
Rishabhadeva, achieved moksha or liberation from the cycle of birth and
death
Creation Of Om Symbol

The creation of the Om symbol is a mystery that has been debated by

scholars for centuries. Some believe that it was created by the sages of
India, while others believe that it was created by the Chinese Emperor
FuXi. There are many theories about the origins of the Om symbol, but no
one knows for sure how it was created.
The Uncanny Resemblance Of The Lakes With Sun
And moon

There are many mysteries surrounding Mount Kailash, including the

uncanny resemblance of the lakes with sun and moon. Some believe that
the lakes were created by a meteorite impact, while others believe they
are natural formations. Regardless of their origin, the lakes are truly a
sight to behold.

The lake with sun is called Manasarovar and is said to be the birthplace
of Lord Brahma. The lake with moon is called Rakshesa-tal and is said to
be the residence of Lord Shiva. Both lakes are surrounded by snow-
capped mountains and are incredibly beautiful. While the origins of these
lakes are still a mystery, one thing is for sure: they are both definitely
worth a visit!
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 i n 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, cro ssing
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 Kailas h –
are geographically correct.
In the Ramcharitmanas, Tulsidas says ‘Param ramya giriva r 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 MtKailash 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 th eir
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).

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 powe rs 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 lege ndary mountain describes
its four faces as being made of gold, crystal, ruby, and lapis lazuli.

.
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.
.

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).

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 t h and early
20 t h 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.

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 impo rtant 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.
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!

Other rearchers’ 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.

Conclusion

The mysteries of Mount Kailash have been captivating the minds of explorers,
scientists and mystics alike since its discovery. Though it has been subject to
speculation for centuries, one thing is certain: this sacred mountain will remain an
object of fascination for many years to come. Its beauty and power are undeniable
and should be respected by anyone who attempts to ascend its heights. We can
only hope that in time more secrets about the mysterious Mount Kailash will
eventually be revealed, granting us a deeper understanding of this majestic peak .