World Famous Holy Mountain – Mt. Kailash
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World Famous Holy Mountain – Mt. Kailash

Update: Nov. 7th, 2013

World famous Mt. Kailash

Mt. Kailash has been highly respected as a holy mountain thousands years ago. Numerous devout pilgrims from different corners of the world would make a pilgrimage to Mt. Kailash every year and it has been an ancient tradition to make kora around Mt. Kailash in the year of horse.

World Famous Holy Mountain – Religious Status of Mt. Kailash

For the pilgrims circumambulating around Mt. Kailash circle after circle, their steps and kowtows will bring them good fortune and get them blessed. Actually, Mt. Kailash is not only a holy mountain for the followers of Buddhism, but also a holy mountain for the believers of Hinduism and Bon. Tourists join the Tibet trekking tours to Mt. Kailash would find that the Buddhists and Hindus would walk/kowtow around Mt. Kailash clockwise while the followers of Bon would circumambulate around Mt. Kailash counter clockwise.

It is measured that the rough perimeter of the footpath around Mt. Kailash is about 53 kilometers. Generally, tourists would spend about 3 days to complete this trekking journey in consideration of the poor road condition, high altitude and severe climate. Except for walk around Mt. Kailash, some devout pilgrims would kowtow or even perform body-length prostration around Mt. Kailsh. It is said that it takes about one month to finish the circumambulation around Mt. Kailash by devout body-length prostration.

2014 is the year of horse according to the Tibetan calendar. The number of the pilgrims coming to Mt. Kailash would be even more than the other years. The pilgrims do believe that it would be more efficacious if they make kora around Mt. Kailash in the year of horse according to their tradition. In fact, there are two circumambulations at Mt. Kailash. Just as mentioned above, the exterior route enjoys a total length around 53 kilometers and the interior route is relatively shorter. Pilgrims could choose the interior route only after you finish the trekking along the exterior route for 13 circles.

World Famous Holy Mountain – Tips for Pilgrimage/Trekking around Mt. Kailash

Foreign pilgrims planning to make kora to Mt. Kailash could enter into Tibet via Nepal or Lhasa. It would be relatively time-saving if you start your trip to Mt. Kailash via Zhangmu Port. It takes about 5 hours driving to get to Zhangmu Port from Kathmandu. It will take less time to get to Darchen from Zhangmu than from Lhasa. For pilgrims willing to explore the culture and nature in Lhasa and Shigatse before the pilgrimage, start the pilgrimage trip to Mt. Kailash from Lhasa will be a better choice. Generally it takes about 4 days on the way to Darchen if you take the scenic spots along the highway into your schedule.

According to the local policy, all foreign pilgrims and tourists are required to apply for the Tibet travel permit and border/military permit. Indian pilgrims planning to make kora around Mt. Kailash should connect the local Pilgrims Center and that center will help you to arrange your trip to Mt. Kailash. To ensure a smooth pilgrimage are strongly suggested to avoid visiting Mt. Kailash in the cold season between November and May. Instead, the period between May and October is good season for trekking or pilgrimage around Mt. Kailash.

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