Circumambulation of Mount Kailash

The north face of Mount Kailash

The Nepali tour operator decided to give me a new occupation on our permits.

Limi shop

Many Limi villagers spend 4-5 months in the summer in Purang (Taklakot) selling wooden bowls (phurba), the best quality of which are made of maple. The proprietor of this shop, from Tsang, sells both bowls and expensive coral and dzi jewelry.

Rafi's height

On the street in front of the Purang hotel, two men wanted to take a photograph with Rafi.

Khenpo Jigphun and other thangkas for sale in Tarchen

The town of Tarchen is the starting point for circumambulations of Mount Kailash. In the market one can find prayer flags, incense, thangkas, and other religious items, as well as jewelry and clothing. Here a shop displays prints with Khenpo Jigphun's injunction for Tibetans to speak Tibetan, as well as prints of Gendun Choepel. Though Khenpo Jigphun's influence is greatest in Kham and Gendun Choepel was from Amdo, theiir presence is also here in the far western part of Tibet. Many of the shop-keepers are from Markham and other parts of Kham.

A thangka depicting the Karmapa's 3rd eye

Thangkas depicting the 17th Karmapa are very popular in Tarchen.

Chinese adventure cyclists

Here two cyclists with all of their gear are biking in Tarchen. We met quite a few young Chinese who had cycled to Kailash, several groups starting off from Xinjiang. One group had ridden for 13 days from Kashgar to Kailash, and were planning to go on to Mount Everest next and then to Lhasa. Another cyclist described Tibet as the ultimate destination of all cyclists in China and had previously ridden from Chengdu to Lhasa. Though we met a few Han Chinese pilgrims who had come for religious reasons, they were outnumbered by those whose primary motivation was adventure. Indeed, one said when I asked him if he was here for religious reasons, "no, we are not religious, we are Han."

A flag on every building

A street in Tarchen. Gurla Mandhata (Memo Nanyi) in the distance.

"Dynasty together with families and friends hostel"

The Tibetan says, "Dharma friends' gathering hotel."

Foreigner Service and Management Station of the Public Security Bureau of Tarchen

Our police escort

Our complicated tour group consisting of people of three different citizenships (US, Nepal, India) had a police escort wherever we went.

Visitors' Center for Lake Manasarovar

In the grand ticket collection and information center by the shore of Lake Manasarovar were a number of items for sale, including tea and instant noodles, plastic jugs in which pilgrims could take the sacred lake's water home, and a number of books, including several of Larung Gar's Khenpo So Dargye, who is particularly popular with Han Chinese disciples. The entire area is managed by Tibet International Shangdi Travel, which has quite a few CSR signs about their environmental protection and development work in the visitors' center.

Newly carved mani stones

There was a large area by Manasarovar filled with power tool-carved mani stones newly made in 2014. The Year of the Horse - the last of which was 2014 - is the most auspicious year to circumambulate Mount Kailash. That year, many craftsmen from Shigatse came to the circumambulation routes (kora) around both Kailash and Manasarovar to locate and transport large stones and then carve and paint them on commission from pilgrims. We met a number of pilgrims who were circumambulating Manasarovar after having completed a number of circumambulations around Mount Kailash. Two women from the prefecture seat of Ali (Ngari) had done the Kailash kora 13 times and were completing their 4th circumambulation of Mapham Yumtso, which is 88 km in circumference.

Here one can see both Rakshas Tal (lag ngar mtsho) to the right (west) and Manasarovar (ma pham gyu mtsho) to the left (east).

Heading for a dip in Manasarovar

Rakshal Tal, which means "lake of the demon" in Sanskrit, is a closed drainage basin, and thus its water is saline. We saw dark, brackish water lapping up on its shores. Manasarovar is a freshwater lake which is connected to Rakshal Tal by a small channel. For Hindus, taking a ritual bath drinking the water of Manasarovar is said to cleanse all sins, and the lake is a more important destination than Mount Kailash. Here, most of our group is heading for a dip in Manasarovar.

Reflection of clouds on the surface of Mapham Yumtso.

Mapham Yumtso in the morning.

Tibetan pilgrims

Tibetan pilgrims packing up at a simple guest house at Thrugo, the main bathing gate at the south side of Manasarovar.

First prostration point

First prostration point (lcags tshal sgang) around the Kailash kora. This pilgrim, who came with his family from the Ngari prefectural seat for circumambulation over the weekend, decided to crash my photograph.

Deepen the Strategy of Loving the People and Securing the Border, Serve Economic and Social Development

looking down at Darboche from near sky burial site

Darpoche

Looking down at Darpoche from one of two sky burial sites around the Kailash kora (this one has now been closed, due to packs of dogs that roam the area). On Sagadawa, the large flag is raised in a festival here.

looking back from near 2nd prostration point

Looking south from near the second prostration point

Second prostration point

Self arisen Gesar saddle

At the second prostration point is this self-arisen saddle of King Gesar's. Some pilgrims chip away at the stone and bring the powder home as a precious medicine for food poisoning and other ailments, as well as to put in walls for the auspicious construction of new houses.

Pilgrim performing circumambulation by full-body prostration

Rather than simply walking around the 52 kilometer path, some pilgrims perform full-body prostrations along the entire circuit.

Taking a break with pilgrims

Just beyond the second prostration point, Gyatso (Sagar), Abhimanyu, Pasang and I stopped to take a break with three women from Gerze who were doing full-body prostrations around Kailash. They are pastoralists who herd sheep, goats, and yaks. They come every year, though this is their first time doing full-body prostrations. They said they do so to rid themselves of demerits (dikpa) and to repay the kindness of their parents.

Line of stupas in front of Drira Phug monastery

Line of stupas in front of the newly reconstructed Drira Phug ('bri rwa phug) monastery. In back of the monastery is painted the Tibetan alphabet. Four monasteries were built around Mounta Kailash in the four cardinal directions. Drira Phug is one that also serves as a nail to hold it down and prevent the mountain from changing.

Front of Drira Phug

Drira Phug ('bri rwa phug) means 'cave of the female yak ('bri) horn.' Gyalwa Gotsangpa, who 'opened' the circumambulation route around Kailash in the thirteenth century, was led by Sengdongma, the manifestion of a goddess of Dzogchen, in the form of a female yak to a cave at the place where the monastery now stands, where it put its horns onto and then disappeared into a rock. He meditated in the cave here for 3 years, eating only the food of gods and dakinis, rather than human food. The cave around which the monastery is built is said to have a history of 2500 years. Yeshe Tsogyal, Guru Rinpoche's consort, meditated here in the 8th century, in the 11th century, Marpa ordered Milarepa to meditate in this cave, and Shabkar also meditated here. The monastery was completely destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. In 1996, the main lama, Tenzin Namgyal, began to rebuild a small part of the monastery. In 2013, the monastery received permission to rebuild more of it, and when we were there, there was quite a lot of activity, with a number of interior rooms being painted.

View of Kailash from the north, near Drira Phug Monastery

Mount Kailash against the blue sky

We spent an entire day here, walking into the valley to a glacier on the north side of Kailash.

Cairns in the stream

Pilgrims have built many cairns by the path as well as in the stream that runs from the Ganglan glacier.

Second sky burial site

A pilgrim stopping to meditate at the second of two sky burial sites, Srid Pa Tshal (or srid pa chags p'i dur khrod). Pilgrims leave pieces of clothes, or cut their nails or a bit of hair and leave them at this sky burial site to represent their bodies, as dying at Mount Kailash is considered very auspicious.

Pilgrim testing out Dikpa Karnag

This pilgrim from Gertse at las dkar nag blta sa, or 'the place to see whether one's karma is white or black. One must squeeze on the ground through a narrow, turning passageway through a tight space formed by four boulders. It is said that if one is successful, one's karma is white; otherwise, it is black. It's also said that those with fat bodies but white karma can get through with no problem, whereas very skinny people with black fates cannot get through no matter how hard they try. This was only one of several tests of karma along the way. Another, the 'mirror of fate' involved pitching forward with one's waist hinged upon a small stone wrapped in kathaks. With both feet off the ground and one's body leaning down, one then arches one's head back to gaze at a large rock with a flat red face some distance away. If it appears solid red or brown, one is said to have few sins, whereas if it appears spotted, then one has many sins. Another feature consisted of one large boulder perched precariously upon another, where Milarepa and Naro Bonchung famously competed with each other in feats of strength.

The place to see if one has repaid one's parents' kindness

Here there is another well-worn rock with many kathaks draped around it, in front of which are two prominent round indentations and one less prominent. One's task is to close one's eyes, and then aim one's finger toward the indentations. One should pray and then try three times. If one is able to hit an indentation exactly, then one has repaid one's parents kindness; otherwise not. To do it is nearly impossible, and that's the point. As one tour guide remarked, "It's impossible! How can one ever repay parents' kindness? Children don't give birth to parents."

affixing photos is said to bring good luck

Photos affixed to an auspicious boulder

Further along the path toward Drolma La is this auspicious boulder on which pilgrims have used butter to affix photographs of themselves as well as money. Someone affixed a photograph of an entire junior high class from Shigatse. Some say this was the original "place to see white or black karma," where one's karma will be white if one manages to affix one's photograph or other item on the boulder.

Do not step on the prayer flags

Perhaps a response to recent incidents when Chinese pilgrims have done just that at other sacred mountains.

Drolma La

The Drolma La pass, at 5600 meters (18,500 feet), is considered the abode of Tara (Drolma), the consort of Demchog, whose seat is Kailash (or for Hindus, it is Shiva who dwells at Kailash). Tibetan pilgrims offer prayer flags at the pass, the crossing of which is also said to represent a transition from one's former life to a new one with all of one's previous demerits erased by Drolma. Stones on the pass are considered to be permeated with the three qualities of the Buddha (mind, speech, body) and to represent the Three Jewels (Buddha, dharma, sangha). One practice is for pilgrims who are on the pass at the same time to put their prayer beads in a pile and draw out two at a time. Each pair are henceforth chos grogs, or Dharma friends. The pass is said to be so-named because 21 drolmas (Taras) appeared to show Gyelwa Gotsangpa the path over the pass. He had gotten to a place where there were three paths and he was unsure which to take. Then 21 wolves appeared, representing the 21 drolmas. As he followed them up, each wolf gradually disappeared until the last one disappeared into a boulder at the pass itself.

Dakini washing pond

Just over Drolma La, descending to the east, is this turquoise-colored glacial ponds, known as the 'Dakini washing pond' (mkh'a 'grol m'a 'khrus dzing) as well as the 'Lake of Great Compassion' (thugs rje chen po mtsho), or 'pillar lake.' Hindus call Gauri Kund, and believe it to bestow everlasting happiness as well as fertility for infertile women.

Head of Tamdin's horse

This unusual rock formation is called "head of Tamdrin's [Hayagriva] horse"

Pilgrims at the "unmovable spike"

Pilgrims at a tent on the east side of the route. It is called "the unmovable spike" ('gul med sa gzer), referring to one of four nails that the Buddha is said to have put in each of the four cardinal directions around the mountain to make sure it would never change. Nearby is Buddha's footprint on a boulder.

Sahaj yoga practiioners

We encountered a tour group of 22, 16 Chinese and 6 foreigners, all of whom belonged to a group practicing Sahaj yoga who came here because of their devotion to Shiva, said to reside at Kailash. A Han Chinese woman from Xinjiang, and a Polish man from this group convinced us that they wanted to hear about our experiences at Kailash, but it turned out instead that they wanted to do what seemed to be a rather New Age-y ritual, here with Pasang and Swapnil. She had them close their eyes in a circle, with their hands held out and told them to feel their connection to "divine nature." The sight of the Han woman and Polish man proselytizing a South Asian practice to two South Asians while at Kailash was one that many Tibetan pilgrims found curious indeed.

Newly carved mani stones

As with Manasarovar, many newly (power tool) carved and painted mani stones were made by people from Shigatse in the Year of the Horse in 2014. A few Shigatse men were also making mani stones on commission when we were there.

Self-arisen Karmapa hat

There are many "self-arisen" (rang byon) phenomena, such as this Karmapa hat, along the route. Newly carved and red-painted mani stones can also be seen in the photograph.

from the annals of really bad translation

From the Annals of Bad Translation

In Tibetan and Chinese it says, "Kang Ti Si (Kailash) Pilgrimage Teahouse, Restaurant, and Lodge"

Lodging at Dzutrul Phug monastery

We stayed in these rooms in front of Dzutrul Phug monastery, not far from the end of the circumambulation route, on the last night.

The flag and the monastery

Dzutrul Phug (rdzu 'phrul phug) Monastery, or "Miracle cave" monastery is so-named for the feats that Milarepa performend here. In the 11th century, Milarepa was circumambulating clockwise and Naro Bonchung counterclockwise when they met here. There was a tremendous hail storm so they needed to build a shelter to protect themselves from it. They decided to divide up the tasks but the two used this as an opportunity to show off their strength. Naro Bonchung moved some tremendously large boulders as the walls. Then Milarepa split a huge boulder in half and lifted it up to be the roof. Then it was too low so he pushed it upwards with his head and hands. Hence even today you can see the imprints of his head and hands on the inside of the cave. He also stomped down three times to put the boulder in place, and so you can see three of his footprints on top of the boulder. During our visit, there were only two caretakers, out of a total of five, all tantric practitioners (sngags pa) rather than monks. Restoration appears to have been rather minimal here, as all of the thankgas were merely framed prints produced in Byallakuupe. We also saw some fluorescent pink, green and yellow electronic spinning prayer wheels and recorded chanting, which are typical of Southeast Aisa but rarely seen in Tibet.

Self arisen "water"

Within Dzutrul Phug Monastery, a stone with the "self-arisen" character "chu" meaning "water."

86 year old pilgrim

This 86 year old pilgrim, wearing second hand clothing bearing random English words, is from Gyegi and circumambulates Mt. Kailash every year.

Resting with a thermos and cell phone

Cell phone reception around the circumambulation route was surprisingly good.

Guru Gyam

In addition to Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar we also visited Guru Gyam Monastery, which was founded in 1936 by the Bonpo lama Khyung sprul at a place he believed to be near the old Zhang Zhung capital. This is the only Bon monastery in the region and has been important for both Bonpos and Nyingmapas. The monastery was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution but is now being rebuilt. The cave complex above, pictured here, is said to be three thousand years old. Other ancient cave sites can also be seen along the hill.

Restoration at Guru Gyam

Restoration is currently taking place at Guru Gyam, with many artists hired from Kham, meticulously painting wall murals under the direction of a master painter.

Stairs up to the cave temple above Guru Gyam

Guru Gyam Valley below

An occupied cave room

One room in the cave complex is stacked with books, scriptures, and thangkas, but also a TV and the requesite PRC flag and ubiquitous poster of China's highest leaders from Mao to Xi.

Tirthapuri

Tirthapuri lies 28 miles southwest of Mount Kailash and is the site of a sacred hot spring, as well as a Guru Rinpcohe cave. It is the third most important pilgrimage site in Western Tibet after Kailash and Manasarovar, and was formerly visited by Hindu pilgrims before going on to Kailash, though now many come after. There is also a cave where Gyalwa Gotsampa meditated, and another where Dorje Phagmo meditated. It lies along the Sutlej River.

Hot springs water

Water from the hot springs flowing along the side of the road, down into the Sutlej.

River Sutlej below

From the kora around Tirthapuri Monastery one can see the River Sutlej below.

The place to take white or black stones

By the monastery is another place to test one's karma, the "place to take white or black stones." Here you put a hand into the hole in the rock and take two stones to see whether your karma is good (2 white ones), bad (2 black ones), or mixed (one of each).

Limi woman weaving in Taklakot

This 72 year old woman from Til village in the Limi Valley, is weaving a carpet. She is paid piece-rate in Purang (Taklakot) for weaving carpets and chubas. A widow with no children, she first started to come to Purang three decades ago to weave for income.

Indian yatris at the Purang Customs and Immigration Building

Indian pilgrims (yatris) at the Customs and Immigration building in Purang (Pulan)/Taklakot.

Circumambulation of Mount Kailash

Published: Jan. 6, 2017

Photo essay by Emily Yeh.

Mount Kailash, or Gang Rinpoche (Gangs rin po che), is associated with Mt. Meru, the axis mundi or center of the world, and is thus considered one of the world’s most sacred mountains. Four major rivers – the Indus, Sutlej, Brahmaputra, and Karnali – originate in the four cardinal directions nearby. As such, it is a destination for pilgrimage and circumambulation for Tibetan Buddhists, Bonpos, Hindus, and Jains. Tibetan Buddhists consider it a dwelling place of Demchog (Chakrasamvara) and for Hindus it is the abode of Lord Shiva. For Jains, it is the place where the first Tirthankara attained enlightenment, and for Bonpos, Mt Kailash is a nine-story swastika mountain that is the seat of spiritual power. Moreover, the region of the mountain and nearby Lake Manasarovar is where Thonpa Sherab founded and disseminated Bon.

Located in western Tibet, near the contemporary borders of the PRC, Nepal, and India, the symmetrical cone-shaped Mount Kailash, at 6638 meters (21,778 feet), rises alone above the rugged landscape. Tibetan pilgrims typically complete the 52-kilometer circumambulation route over the 5600-meter (18,500 feet) Dolma La pass in 15 hours, rising at 3am and finishing at 6pm. Most do more than one circuit; we met quite a few groups of pilgrims who had done or were planning to complete 13 circumambulations. One Bonpo pilgrim in his 50s, a former businessman who had renounced everything, had walked the circuit 800 times over five years and was planning to complete 1000 circumambulations altogether. Still others complete the circuit doing full-body prostrations. Whereas Buddhists and Hindus circumambulate clockwise, Bonpo pilgrims circumambulate counter-clockwise.

At the time of our visit, most Tibetan Buddhist pilgrims we met were from Ngari prefecture, especially from Gerze, Gegye, and Tsochen counties. We also met pilgrims from Nyingtri, Dechen (Yunnan) and Kyirong. The Tibetan Bonpos we met were mainly from Bachen County in Nagchu and Dengchen County in Chamdo. Passing each other as they walked in opposite directions, they greeted each other with “blessings” (byin rlabs byed) or “Tsering!” (“long life,” a common greeting in Nagchu).

There is now a government agreement in place that allows Indian pilgrims to visit Kailash and Manasarovar. However, the quota to come directly from India, which requires a long trek, is very limited and so most Indian pilgrims instead fly through Kathmandu and visit through private tour operators. Upon arrival in Simikot, they take a 15-minute helicopter ride to the border (in contrast to our many-day walk) and then head directly for a ritual bath in the waters of Manasarovar. Because of their sudden arrival at very high altitudes, twelve pilgrims had already died in 2016 when we visited.

Along the route, Tibetan pilgrims visit monasteries and other important sites. Among these are a number of footprints, including those of Milarepa, the Buddha, and Gyalwa Gotsangba (who ‘opened’ the circumambulation path in the thirteenth century), as well as numerous self-arisen forms, including a saddle of King Gesar, the Karmapa’s black hat, and prayer beads. Pilgrims touch the various manifestations with their own prayer beads or bow to touch their foreheads upon them. In still other places pilgrims test their level of merit, sin, and fortune through physical encounters with the landscape.

Lake Manasarovar (ma pham g.yu mtsho, the Unconquerable Turquoise Lake) lies at 4590 meters and is located to the south of Mount Kailash. Pilgrims also circumambulate the lake, which is eighty-eight kilometers in circumference. This is now possible by car as well as foot. For Hindus, bathing and drinking from the lake cleanses all sins and guarantees going to the abode of Shiva after death. Though Kailash is now the more important focus for Tibetans, there is considerable historical evidence that the earliest sacrality was of the lake rather than the mountain. Indeed, Alex McKay has found that as late as the early 1900s, Kailash was more an ideal heavenly place than one associated with any particular place on the earth’s surface. He finds little evidence that the earthly mountain was considered sacred until the twelfth or thirteenth centuries, or that Kailash was considered the premier pilgrimage site of Tibet until the twentieth century. Its emergence as sacred in the 12^th/13^th centuries was related to a power struggle between Buddhism and Bön, now told as a contest between the magical powers of Milarepa and Naro Bönchung.

Our visit to Kailash, Manasarovar, and the associated sacred site of Tirthapuri was motivated by a proposal by ICIMOD to have Nepal, India, and China nominate the larger Kailash Sacred Landscape as a transboundary World Heritage Site. Our goal was to understand historical pilgrimage routes, document the cultural landscape, assess current tourism, and seek to understand what effects such a designation, were it to come to pass, might be.

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Circumambulation of Mount Kailash

Circumambulation of Mount Kailash