Kailash Mansarovar Yatra - A spiritual experience!

Blessed are those who get the opportunity to traverse through a spiritual and divine experience while embarking on the journey of their lifetime- ‘The Kailash Mansarovar Yatra’. The journey to Kailash Mansarovar has been a life-changing experience for millions of pilgrims across the globe. Every year thousands of pilgrims experience of being in the most divine and spiritual spots in the world revered by people from different religions of the world. Since time immemorial, many pilgrims have been visiting this spiritual destination of Mount Kailash and the holy emerald lake, Lake Mansarovar.
Raghukul Holidays, one of the best tour organizers in Pune, have been helping many individuals to seek the blessings of the divine. Through this Yatra many individuals have the opportunity of feeling oneness with the divine and also a sense of self-realization. The journey to this isolated, beautiful and fascinating spiritual spot completely helps to transcend one’s soul and provide the most blissful and soulful experience of their lifetime.

Mount Kailash a magnificent and majestic mountain is located in the Southwestern corner of Tibet. This 21,779 feet tall beautiful mountain, is a part of the Himalayan mountain ranges and is the source of four mighty and sacred rivers of Asia- Ganges, Indus, Brahmaputra and Sutlej. This mystical and magical spot has been drawing people from different religions due to its divinity. The Hindus consider it to be the abode of Lord Shiva and his consort Parvati and the true manifestation of heaven. For the Buddhists this sacred mountain, the home of the Buddha Demchok, symbolizes supreme harmony. The Jains refer to the mountain as Ashtapad and it is here that the creator of their faith, Rishabhadeva attained enlightenment. The Bons consider it to be the spiritual seat of power.  The 3 day Kailash sacred walks or the parikrama starts from the Yam Dwar where one experiences immortality. After completion of circumambulation of the mountain the soul gets cleansed and is liberated from your sins.

The eternal jade blue Manasarovar Lake created by Lord Brahma lies 20 kilometers away from Mount Kailash and is considered to be the epitome of purity. This sacred lake considered by Buddhists to be the place where Queen Maya conceived Lord Buddha,  is believed to have healing properties and has the power to wash away one’s sins of a lifetime. An individual can experience a sudden surge of energy within themselves, the reason for which is unknown. During Brahma Muhurta (between 3 and 5 am) it is believed that the Gods descend to bathe in the lake.  One gets transformed into a state of tranquility, peace and bliss while meditating in the surreal and peaceful surroundings of this beautiful pristine lake.

The Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, a sojourn to this roof of the world is truly an intense spiritual experience. Every single yatri despite the arduous and trying journey undergo an enlightening transformation which is beyond words. This rewarding experience cannot be described but needs to be felt.
This mystical and magical spot has been drawing people from across the world. Come be a part of this beautiful and enlightening journey with Raghukul Holidays. We have a team of highly skilled, dedicated and trained volunteers who will help you to take upon this memorable journey with ease and comfort. All our fellow travelers who have embarked on this spiritual journey have returned from this trip with a positive transformation. Get a chance to have a peek into your own self through this wondrous and incredible experience.

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My Experience of Kailash Mansarovar Yatra

Mt. Kailash

The journey to Kailash MansarovarYatra was indeed a journey of a life time. I am truly blessed to be ordained by the Almighty to take up this wonderful yatra.  

The best time to visit Mount Kailash Manasarovar is during the period between May to November. It is a very ideal time and I had the opportunity to enjoy the most exciting spiritual experience.  The place is so tranquil and peaceful that I was able to meditate in its midst. Kailash Parvat or the Gangs Rinpoche (Tibetan name) lies near Lake Manasarovar and Lake Rakshastal.  This snow peaked abode of Lord Shiva looks like a precious jewel or crystal.  It is also the source of many Holy rivers like Ganges, Indus, Brahmaputra or Tsangpo, Sutlej and Karnali.

On Way To Kailash

I was able to feel the radiation of spiritual energy and could achieve a sense of inner-peace. The KailashParikrama or circumambulating on foot and prostrating full-length are a holy ritual which brings good fortune. A single set of parikrama around the Kailash Mountain washes away our sins of a lifetime. 108 such parikramas will help in achieving Nirvana or Moksha.  The entire parikrama is a three-day trek covering 53Kms.  Just ahead of the Dolma pass is Gouri Kund which comprises of five small kunds and is the essence of all the Vedas. The Kund comprises of emerald green water and it is believed that Goddess Parvati bathed here. I took few sip of the holy water which is believed to free a human being from sins committed in a hundred lives. Oblations are also offered to your ancestors by taking a ceremonial bath in this lake. It was truly a heavenly experience for me to do the Parikrama. 

Lake Mansarovor

The Lake Manasarovar is a feast to the eyes. Lord Brahma the Swayambu created this lake which is considered in the Hindu Mythology to be the source of all creations. The word Manas means ‘mind of Lord Brahma’. It is the highest fresh water body in the world.  I truly lost my heart in this enthralling place. Entering this water in which it is believed that the Gods gave a bath to Queen Maya before Lord Buddha was born is an experience beyond words. I could feel the freezing water energize my body. I was in a state of elation while having a holy bath in this lake and calling out ‘Om Namah Shivaya’. Another ethereal sight is during the Brahmamuhurtha i.e., around 3 a.m. to 5 a.m. It is believed that Gods come to have a dip. We could see a few figures coming down to Manas and then disappear. Then lots of stars began to appear which is truly phenomenal. 

I feel that the Mount Kailash Yatra is a most rewarding thing that can ever happen. The whole mystery of mankind and the mysticism gets unfolded in this sacred place. I am indeed fortunate to have stepped foot in this holy place where Gods and spiritual philosophers have submerged in a trance of bliss.

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Please feel free to submit your commnets below.

About Author :- Amit Kulkarni is the founder of Raghukul Holidays.

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How is the Nightlife in Lhasa ???

Flavor of Tibetan Night Life  

Lhasa with its 3000 hours of unadulterated, unpolluted sunshine has just as beautiful a nightlife!

Meaning the "Place of the Gods", it is the capital of TAR, an acronym for Tibet Autonomous Region, which is the southern-most part of the People's Republic of China,. It is in the same region as the revered Mt. Kailash and Lake Manasarovar.  When you intend to go for mount kailash yatra from Nepal, most seasoned tour operators, would take you to Lhasa as a part of the circuit. Well, that is like hitting two birds with one stone!

Situated at a height of 3490 meters between the co-ordinates 29°39′N 91°07′E, it is one of the highest cities in the world. Winter climates dip to a low of −1.6 °C (29.1 °F) in January and are in addition, dry. Summers are mild in comparison to most of India at 16.0 °C (60.8 °F). Nights are a cool 4.0 °C. It rains mainly from July to September with most of the rains coming at night leaving Lhasa beautiful, clean and sunny during the daytime. Lhasa is thus best visited between March to October.Day or night, Lhasa is thus the perfect place to do the one thing most folks enjoy. Sight seeing!

Spirituality is what Lhasa is all about. Day time sees one being spiritual visiting the Potala Palace, Jokang Temple, Barkhor Street and the monasteries. Night time ring in the the spirits from the bottle! Also called tipple.

It is better to err on the side of caution and go through seasoned tour operators when you intend to visit Lhasa and time soon. Raghukul Holidays of Pune mention that it is not cakewalk to visit Lhasa given the Chinese penchant for secrecy and it should be left to their likes to arrange for your visit, stay and local transport.

Its spiritual side not-withstanding, the ruling government of today has to an extent opened up the isolationist mind-set with a good mix of theaters, performers, bars and restaurants. Despite these, it is still low-key when compared to established world cities with things like live performances, sitting around a table with friends or strolls through night markets making the trip memorable. 

Tianhai Night Market with its Restaurants and street vendors is a place where one goes to for food post sundown. Varied cuisines from all parts of China be it Sinkiang Noodle with Sauce, Lanzhou Ramen, Sichuan Hotpot, Mutton Da Pai Dang to name a few, line the street. 

If you are game for some local cultural performances there are some like “The Crazy Yak Troupe” which introduce you to Tibetan singing and dancing. They entertain at a couple of venue in Lhasa, including the Crazy Yak Restaurant and the Shangri La Restaurant. The show starts with a short performance on the various aspects of the Tibetan Opera, carrying on with a drinking song where everyone is encouraged to take part and culminates in a sketch symbolizing nomads subduing and domestication wild yaks. A pantomime yak comes on stage and appears to be wild before being restrained and he then walks round kissing members of the audience. The show finishes with the nomad riding the yak. 

Bars in Lhasa are attractive for their unique exotic flavors be it western, oriental, local or an exotic crazy mix.

Some of the place worth a visit are:

Bars & Tea Houses

5238

48 North Duosenge Road, Chengguan District

Tel: 0891-6815222

Jianghu Bar

Facing Ya Hotel (100 East Beijing Road)

Tel: 0891-6348158

Yangjinma Bar

In Danjielin Bar-street, Danjielin Road, Chengguan District (near Jokhang Temple)

U.N.D.C Coffee

The east side of the Potala Palace in East Kang'ang Road

Tel: 0891-6360971

Lhasa Spinn Café

The east of the crossing for East Beijng Road and North Qingnian Road

Tel: 0891-6361163

U.B.C Coffee

Middle Beijng Road, Chengguan District

Try the Tibetian Butter Tea here!

Tibetan Family Feast

Try the Tibetian Butter Tea and Steamed stuffed buns made of potatoes and barley wine.

75 East Area, Tuanjie Xin Village, Chengguan District

Tel: 0891-6332886

Take some time out of your busy schedule and give this beautiful city a visit that it deserves. So, Safe Journey & Happy Holidaying !!!

SOURCES :-

1) Wikipedia 

2)  TripAdvisor

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Please feel free to leave your comments below.

About Author : Amit Kulkarni is the founder of Raghukul Holidays

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What are the tourist attractions in Lhasa ?

Potala Palace - Lhasa City

Lhasa, literally meaning "Place of the Gods", in its earliest form it was likely a place surrounded by a wall or enclosure suggesting that it may have been a hunting preserve within the royal residence on Marpori Hill.

It is the Capital city of TAR, an acronym for Tibet Autonomous Region, part of the People's Republic of China, our “Friendly” neighbor to the north and also in the same region as the revered Mt. Kailash-Mansarovar.

Situated at a height of 3490 meters between the co-ordinates 29°39′N 91°07′E, it is one of the highest cities in the world with a cool, semi-arid climate with frosty winters and mild summers. Being in a valley helps protect from the elements such as intense cold, heat and strong winds. It is also called the “sunlit city” which enjoys nearly 3,000 hours of sunlight annually! almost the same as most Indian cities, minus the killing heat and moisture! The coldest month is January with an average temperature of −1.6 °C (29.1 °F) and the warmest month is June with a daily average of 16.0 °C (60.8 °F).  It rains mainly from July to September with most of the rains coming at night leaving Lhasa beautiful, clean and sunny during the daytime. The best time to visit Lhasa is thus between March to October.

This then is the perfect setting for the one activity enjoyed by most- sightseeing!! and Lhasa offers a lot – though of a different kind. One has to have a strong spiritual leaning to enjoy it. Despite its strife-torn, chequered past, the Chinese dispensation has seen to it that its spiritual essence best displayed in its temples, relics and life on the streets is not lost to commercialization. Given the complexity involved, one would be advised to go through seasoned tour operators. In Pune, Raghukul Holidays is one such entity.

Some of the more known tourist landmarks are:

Ø The Nietang Buddha: In downtown Lhasa on the way to the Gongkar Airport, this is one place meant for the snapshots and shutterbugs what with the Buddha being up close!

Ø Potala Palace: You could not miss this, even when you are not in TAR. Synonymous with Tibet, the Potala Palace features in every article mentioning Tibet. Situated on the Red Hill of central Lhasa, the Potala Palace is the world’s highest ancient palace reaching 3,767.19m (12,359.55ft) at the highest point. Part of the Qing Dynasty’s accomplishmen(1644B.C. - 1911B.C.) and the continuous expanding work since the 17th century, it is composed of 2 parts, the Red Palace as the center and the White Palace as two wings.

Ø Jokang Temple: Included in UNESCO's World Heritage list in 2000 as part of the Potala Palace complex, the Jokhang Temple located in Central Lhasa covers an area of approximately 25,000 square meters ie. about six acres. Legend has it that King Songtsem Gampo, the 33rd king of Tibet successively married Princess Bhrikuti of Nepal and Princess Wen Cheng of the Tang Dynasty. The two wives arrived here with a statue of Jowo Sakyamuni each. To house the Buddha brought by Princess Wen Cheng, the King constructed the Little Jokhang. Jealous of her, Princess Burikuti asked Gampo to build a Jokhang for her as well. Therefore, in 647 the giant complex was built. The original complex included only eight shrines. After multiple renovations, over centuries, the complex grew to the scale seen today.

Ø Barkhor Street: It is the present form of the area surrounding the Jokhang Temple. It houses shops selling things like prayer wheels, long-sleeve 'chuba' (the Tibetan people's traditional clothes), Tibetan knives and religious artifacts. Some even sell the 'Thangka', the Tibetan scroll painting which in itself is a unique art form with varied themes like religion, history, and customs. A must-visit for die-hard pilgrims who throng it from dawn to dusk either walking or moving prone to the ground, in a clockwise direction, it still retains the intense spirituality of the original Lhasa.

The three main monasteries in Lhasa are also not to be missed. They are Sera Monastery, Ganden Monastery and Drepung Monastery. So, take some time out of your busy schedule and visit this wonder of nature. Happy Holidaying !!!

SOURCES :-

1) Wikipedia

2) TravelChinaGuide

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Please feel free to leave your comments below.

About Author : Amit Kulkarni is the founder of Raghukul Holidays

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What is it that pulls people to the Kailash Parikrama?

Kailash Parikrama

To the religious amongst the Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and Bons, the place calls you. The Almight commands and you HAVE to go! Period. To the rest, it the sheer sense of adventure which brings them to Kailash Mansarovar. Doing the Kailash Parikrama tests one’s endurance to its limits as also the sense of devotion!

 

Those of you who intend to make this journey, there are varied tour operators in India as also Pune. Try doing a reliability test on these before committing yourself. This is no walk-in-the-park activity and needs a humongous amount of preparation what with the entire area of Kaliash Manasarovar and Kailesh Parikrama being in a disputed territory and that too in a country sharing not exactly very friendly relations with India. Raghukul Holidays of Pune is one such reliable tour operator with requisite experience. 

Location of Mount Kailash is also very interesting. Mt Kailash stands at 6638 meters above sea level in a plateau region of Tibet Autonomous Region coming under China. Its location on the map shows its proximity with India being about 200 kilometers by foot. The Kailash Parikrama itself is another 55-60 kms. In itself, Mt Kailash is quite a quirk of nature. It stands tallest on a high, windy, dry and desolate plateau which is devoid of any kind of vegetation. No trees for miles together. On the plateau, you get to see two things, rugged mountains….and Mt Kailash standing majestically in the backdrop. It does have a weird pyramid-like shape with all kinds of theories about its origins. 

The circumambulation of this mountain known in India as “Kailash Parikrama” takes 55-60 kilometers and has to be done only on foot. Means like vehicles, ponies, yak etc do not figure- at least as far as the parikrama goes. It takes approximately 3 days of walking/ trekking to make one round of Mt Kailash. Starting from a height of approx 15,000 ft (4,600 m) past the Tarboche (flagpole) to cross the Drölma pass at 18,200 ft (5,500 m), and encamping for two nights en route. First, near the meadow of Dirapuk gompa, some 2 to 3 km (1.2 to 1.9 mi) before the pass and second, after crossing the pass and going downhill as far as possible.

One thing everyone should know clearly is that doing this parikrama is very, very touch and challenging. One is pitted against nature’s worst in terms of extreme climate, thin air and treacherous terrain. You can reach the base of the mountain by mechanized means such as jeeps but to be able to go around it is another story. There are no roads and one has to trek through high mountain passes situated at a great height making breathing an excruciatingly difficult exercise. But then, to gain the presence of the almighty, you have to give up something which may be your precious time, efforts and resources. 

Go right ahead. Plan, execute and be blessed because it happens only once in a lifetime that you get to visit the almighty- ALIVE! 

Sources :-

1) Wikipedia

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Please feel free to post your comments below.

About Author :- Amit Kulkarni is the founder of Raghukul Holidays.

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Where is Kailash Mansarovar situated ???

Kailash Mansarovar Yatra

The Kailash-Mansarovar area is part of in the south-western tip of the Tibetean Plateau. In a way, it is on the leeway side of the himalayas on the other side. If one were to put a straight line from New Delhi to Kailash Manasarovar, it would be just 550 kms! But then, only crows and eagles would be able to tread this path. For us humans, given the tough terrain, heights and frosty political climate, the distance is much more- approx 900 kms. These days, though there are organizations which take guided tours for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra taking good care of the participants.

 

The kailash parikrama or circumambulation of the Kailas Parvat is about 54 kms.

Mt Kailash, revered amongst Hindus as the abode of Rudra, the angry though benevolent and his consort Devi Parvati, overlooks the Mansarovar at a distance of 32 kms with the Rakshas Tal to its south. 

Mount Kailash is a peak in the Kailash Range, part of the Trans-himalaya in Tibet.

With its four facades facing north, east, south, and west, Mount Kailash looks like an enormous diamond. Seventy-five percent as high as Mount Everest, the mountain is one of the tallest peaks in the Himalayas. On its southern face, a vertical gash crosses horizontal layers, creating the image of a swastika. The word comes from svastika, Sanskrit for well-being and good fortune. Buddhists regard the mountain as a mandala -— the sacred circle from which the sacred rivers flow like the spokes of the eternal wheel. At sunset the whole of the Kailash range on the north becomes a fiery region all of a sudden, throwing an observer into a trance, and by the time he returns to consciousness he sees only the Silvery Peak in front.

 

Manasa-sarovara is probably the holiest, most enchanting amongst lakes, water bodies and pilgrimages. For its size, it is majestically calm and dignified with hues of bluish green emerald color. It is set between two mighty and equally majestic mountains, the Kailash to the north and the Gurla Mandhata to the south. To its west is its sister lake Rakshas-Tal with some hills to the east. Manasarovar is located at an impossible height of approx 46000 meters (14950 feet). above sea level. Its vast expanse covers an area close to 90 kms in circumference and an are close to 320 sq kms with a crazy depth of approx 90 meters! Ie approx 300 feet!! Winters turns this whole water body into a solid block of ice. Come spring and it melts to reveal clear blue waters. It has the distinction of being the highest fresh water lake in the world. By the side of it, there are caves and areas where one can set camp. 

         During the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, weather overall is unpredictable most of the year round. One moment you have scorching Sun, the next moment it begins to hail and snow and shortly after having a nap and coming out of your camp, you will see a clear blue sky and bright Sun above and a bed of pearl-like hail and white snow on the ground.

·          

 Summers (May to August) are very pleasant with moderate climate, with average around 15°C.

·          Monsoons (September to November) are accompanied with little rain falls and also             temperature drops down to 10°C.

·         Winters (December to April) are chilly days with average minimum touching near 5°C. Minimum can touch sub zero levels to -15°C. Snow falls often during winters.

In winter all mountains and river lakes are frozen and covered with snow, so the time of yatra is from May to September. Indian pilgrims visit from June to September in 16 batches. (30-40 in every batch). In Pune, there are but a few seasoned operators Raghukul Holidays which take regular batches for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra. Selected people go through medical tests and other formalities before they do yatra in their batches.

Sources :-

1) Wikipedia

2) Adishakti

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Please feel free to post your comments below.

About Author :- Amit Kulkarni is the founder of Raghukul Holidays.

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