Mount Kailash - Rudra's Abode

Mount Kailash

An Arabic saying goes - Muhammad (the Prophet) does not go to the mountain. The mountain goes to Muhammad. 

In a weirdly similar way, one does not go to Mt Kailash. It calls you. Standing at a majestic 6,638 meters above sea level on the western-most fringe of the Tibetean plateau, this is one mountain with no comparison in the entire Himalayan range starting from the steamy forests of Burma in the east to the dry, freezing heights of the Karakoram Ranges in Central Asia. It is almost as though a great force (not certainly human!) thought of building a near-perfect pyramid on top of a plateau! This fact has been validated by Russian Geologists who opine that given its dimensions, someone has actually made a pyramid-shaped mountain! Beat it!! And that too with sides perfectly aligned to the four corners of the earth! Wow! And to top it all, it is also called “Svayambhu” ie that which has developed on its own! Food for thoughts? 

At first sight what seems most conspicuous is that this mountain stands not in the usual setting of snow and ice all around but on a rugged, dry moon-like surfaced plateau making its presence even more formidable. On a clear full moon night, the sight of a single peak in white against a backdrop of darkness makes it look ethereal. A perfect setting then for the abode of “Rudra” the Angry though Benevolent One! It evokes near-similar sentiments in parts amongst the Buddhists, Jains and local communities here.

People who visit Mt Kailash can broadly be segregated into die-hard ie pilgrims or rock-hard ie the adventure seekers. If reports are to be believed, the Chinese Government intends to add another category shortly. The softies ie couch potatoes! They intend to open this hitherto secluded sector to tourists and exploit it to the extent possible. Imagine the plight of die-hard pilgrims mingling with camera totting, cola-sipping, pot-bellied tourists! For the pilgrim, grim indeed. Hope the project takes a loooong time to fructify. Let the sanctity of the place remain. To only a few, the idea permeates that it is not only the place but the journey that makes it what it is. From time immemorial, people have been visiting this sacred, awe-inspiring place and gone back with insights branded into their subconscious.   

Most pilgrims come with long-standing issues which seems unsolvable by earthly means. At this juncture, the gods are expected step in. It is said that the presiding deity “Shankara” or “Shiva” converses with his pilgrims by means of insights and visions which end-up remaining in one’s conscience for all times to come. The lessons learnt over the course of the arduous journey and the sights here seem to bring new insights for most pilgrims with relation to life and its challenges. 

Most pilgrims tend to circumambulate (called kora) around the base of the mountain which is a distance of 32 miles. Mind it, this is no walk-to-the-mall stuff with a mountain pass en-route going upto 18000 feet!! Local Tibetians are said to be able to complete this in under a day but for most outsiders given the prevailing weather conditions, it takes upto 2-3 days.

Well, after reading this if you feel breathless, try going to the park next door and building some stamina. Who know, the sights of Mt Kailash just might take your breath away!

Sources :-

1) Wikipedia

2) Yowangdu

3)  VedicEmpire

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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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Lake Mansarovar : Serenity at its Peak

Mansarovar Lake

Derived from the words “Manas” meaning the mind and “Sarovar” the lake, Manasarovar does imbibe peace in those determined enough to have gone close to it. It is not only the Hindus who revere it; Buddhists, Jains and some local communities too share religious beliefs about the lake and have entire legends devoted to it.

Situated at the foothills to the south of the revered Mount Kailash or Meru, Manasarovar along with Rakshas Tal or Ravan Harda form the reservoir of one of the biggest watersheds in Asia and is home to some of the biggest river systems known like the Indus, Satluj and the Brahmaputra. Located on a high plateau with the backdrop of mountains including the Mt Kailash, Manasarovar is the embodiment of beauty and tranquility. Its bluish-green hue adds to the aura of mystique.

Legend has it that Brahma (of the Hindu trinity of gods) created it for his progeny to cleanse themselves when the latter visited these parts to pay obeisance to Shiva and his consort Parvati. Another mentions its connect with the Nagas who resided in the lake and ate from the Jambu tree growing therein. It is said that fruits of the Jambul tree turned into gold when they fell into the lake! Coincidentally, there is an unused gold mine close-by! This also happens to be the final resting place of some of the mortal remains of the one we call the Father of our Nation, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.

In times gone by, surrounding the lake were eight Buddhist gompas of Trugo, Gotsuk (Gossul), Chiu, Cherkip, Langpona, Bönri, Seralung, and Yerngo representative in Buddhism of the spokes in the Wheel of Life with the lake itself being the hub. The circumference of the lake is about 54 miles though for Buddhist pilgrims visiting the eight shrines, it stretches to 64. For the Buddhists, the lake is also a representation of the Lake Anotta where the Buddha’s mother bathed and had a vision of him appearing from the direction of Mt Kailash on a white elephant before he was born.

Being close to 4600 meters from mean sea level, getting there is anything but easy. Besides the arduous walk over varied and often challenging terrain, the altitude makes it a strict no-no for most faint-hearted sedentary folks. This then is the stuff for the tough who may include seasoned trekkers, soul searchers and die-hard pilgrims and yogis.

If you think you have it in you, this is the place to be at least once in this lifetime. Be warned, this is no idyllic picnic spot or carefully preserved garden. This is the modern equivalent of tapasya where nothing other than hardships comes easy.

Sources :-
1) Wikipedia
2) University of Colorado Boulder 

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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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Kailash Mansarovar Yatra by Helicopter – The most delightful journey

I am a travel freak. I like spending most of my time in travelling and excavating new places and things. One of the excellent places I travelled is Mansarovar with the best travel experience. It was my most comfortable and content journey with Raghukul holidays tour package. The entire package was full of fun and enjoyment with the set of agency people who were always ready to assist the passengers with all aspects. And I was very much happy with the facilities provided throughout the package. With the perfect blend of package and place my Kailash Mansarovar yatra by helicopter became the most tremendous journey.

Mansarovar is the lake connected with Mount Kailash which is a lord shiva’s holy place. It is one of the most eye catching lake which is at the midst of snow filled mountain ranges. The divine blessings of lord Shiva have made the lake look more and more beautiful and fascinating. Mansarovar can be reached either by walk with the help of yalks and horses or by helicopter. I choose the second option. The entire lake view from the helicopter was enchanting with a slight snow fall at the top. When we choose to have a glance from that height we felt as if we have gone melted with in the clouds. This Mount Kailash Mansarovar yatra by helicopter gave me the most astonishing view of god’s the best creation.

The package included delighted food, beverages, restaurant and travelling facilities. Pick up and drop facilities right from the airport to hotel rooms were available along both the ways. The service people were very much responsible towards passengers; they made sure we reach back our destinations safely. Finally I am glad to have a satisfying journey with the most reliable tourist packages. All the above factors, made my Kailash Mansarovar yatra by helicopter the most cherishing journey.

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Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage – A visit to Lord Shiva’s Abode

A dream long cherished was to make a pilgrimage visit to the abode of Lord Shiva. This was fulfilled when this long waited Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage was undertaken by my family and me. This yatra has a special emphasis is all Lord Shiva’s followers.

The entire trip was made memorable due to the Raghukul team. This trip was once a life time experience in all our lives. The staff of Raghukul, is a team of excellent and well oriented professional who made our travel to this pilgrimage a wonderful experience. This team actually thinks of everything and even provides you with a translator so that you are at your ease in a foreign land. This team understands the devotion that a devotee of Lord Shiva has for him, also they are very sensitive to their needs.

The Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage is a trip for 12 nights and 13 days, each day is chalked out in such a way that one does not feel the strain of travelling the altitude and the distance that one makes from ones home town to the Lord’s abode and get acclimatized gradually. In this trip we not only visited the Mt. Kailash and the Mansarovar lake, but we also got to visit other temples like the Pashupatinath Temple, Swayabhunath and Budhaneelkantha in Kathmandu and got a pleasure trip at the capital of the mountain country Nepal. The entire journey was full of beautiful sites that filled one’s mind with peace and tranquillity.  Help is provided for immigration formalities also.

If anyone is planning to take the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage then our suggestion is to undertake this pilgrimage through Raghukul Holidays. They will ensure that you have a wonderful experience while visiting the abode of Lord Shiva, like our family did.

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Kailash Mansarovar Pilgrimage – For The Truly Devoted Souls

This pilgrimage is considered one of the greatest pilgrimages in Hindu religion. Every year thousands of devoted souls visit the Kaislash Mountain to visit the Shrine of Lord Siva. Manasarovar is a Sanskrit word made up of two separate words – Sanas and Sarovar, Manas means mind and Sarovar means Lake. This Lake was firstly created before earth according to the Hindu religion. Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage is one of the most sacred yatra and this is a life time experience.

Situated in the Tibetan plateau, there are rough terrains and dusty roads that lead to the Kailsh parvat or the Kailash Mountain. The road leading to the top is not an easy road to take, booking the Raghukul Holidays package was the most right thing we did. They have good facilitator that had taken care of everything required in this journey.

From helping us in visa and passport processing to the booking of the air tickets everything was taken care by this travel group. They also helped us with the accommodation and food. They guided and trained how to prepare oneself for the journey up the Kailash Mountain. They also guided us to several sightseeing spots; it seemed as if nature has multiple layers of beauty hidden in these mountains.

Not only with the journey up the mountain, there is much more fun in this pilgrimage. With the purification of mind and soul, there are facilities for fun activities like trekking, bungee jumping, river rafting and much more. Raghukul Holiday packages include all these fun options and not to forget they are under the supervision of highly trained professionals who take care of all safety measures.

Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage is really a blissful experience and it energizes our body, purifies the mind and gives eternal solace to the souls.

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