Brief information on Mt Kailash  

Mount Kailash, meaning “crystal” in Sanskrit, is located in the Gangdisê Mountains, situated in a particularly remote and inhospitable area of the Tibetan Himalayas. The Tibetan name of the mountain is Gangs Rin-po-che, which means “precious jewel of snows”. It is acknowledged as a sacred mountain, and is simultaneously considered to be the world center by five different religions: Buddhism, Hinduism, Bön faith, Jainism as well as the Ayyavazhi. In Hinduism, Mount Kailash is regarded as the abode of God Shiva, the destroyer of evil and sorrow, and his wife Lord Parvati, daughter of Himalaya. Although it is not the highest peak in the area, Mt. Kailash is very pointed and appears as a pyramid piercing the sky, full of religious symbolism and wonderment.

Each year, thousands of pilgrims walk around the mountain and make a pilgrimage to Kailash. They believe that circumambulating Mount Kailash on foot is a holy ritual that will bring good fortune. In Buddhism, completing one circle around the mountain will atone for all the sins committed throughout one’s lifetime. The path around the mountain is about 52 kilometers long and takes about 15 hours to complete a lap, for a person in excellent shape. According to the sayings of Buddhists and Hindus, the journey should be made in a clockwise direction, while pilgrims from Jain and Bönpo will circumambulate the mountain in a counter clockwise direction.

*You can download the bilingual note to show it to a taxi driver or someone else to find your way to Mt Kailash if you plan to visit Mt Kailash and have language problems.