Kailash Manasarovar Yatra

THE LAND OF SHIVA


“He is the God of forms infinite, in whose glory all things are, smaller than the smallest atom, and yet the Creator of all, ever living in the mystery of His creation.” This is how the Yajur Veda describes the Supreme Being – Lord Shiva. The One without a beginning or end. The Absolute Power who creates, preserves and destroys.

Mount Kailash

The images of Lord Shiva have been traced to the Indus Valley civilization. Sacred literature of the Hindu religion – the Vedas, the Upanishads and the Puranas – speak of Shiva pervading the entire Universe. The Hindus nevertheless believe Mount Kailash to be the abode of Lord Shiva and his consort Parvati. Shiva Purana, a religious text of the 13th century, describes Mount Kailash as the favourite spot of Lord Shiva and Parvati. Valmiki’s Ramayana, Tulsidas’s Ramcharitmanas and Shrimadbhagvat also refer to Mount Kailash as the holy place of Lord Shiva. This mountain, 22,028 ft in height, is the most worshipped peak in the world.

The Jains revere Mount Kailash because Adinath Rishabhadeva, the first of the twenty-four Jain Tirthankars, is said to have attained Nirvana here. Mount Kailash is called Ashtapada in Jain literature. It is said that Chakravarti Bharat, son of Adinath Rishabhadeva, constructed 72 beautiful Jain temples in the memory of his great father after he had attained salvation at Mount Kailash.

The Tibetans call this mountain Gang Rinpoche, implying the jewel of snow. In Tibetan mythology, the deity Demchhok or Pavo is said to reside on Mount Kailash. He wears a tiger skin with a garland of human skulls around his neck. He is also said to hold a damroo in one hand and a trishul in the other. The deity is thus remarkably similar to the popular image of Lord Shiva. Dorje-phangmo or Vajra-Varahi is the consort of Demchhok and is shown, in Tibetan paintings, holding Demchhok in an embrace.

Bonpos, the followers of Bon religion who inhabit Tibet, refer to this mountain as the nine-storeyed Swastika Mountain called Kang Tise. They believe that the soul of their kingdom resides within this holy mountain. Bon is a pre-Buddhist religion which developed in the Shang shung kingdom of Western Tibet. The Bonpos regard Kang Tise as the site where the legendary battle was fought between the Buddhist monk Milrepa and the Bon shaman Naro Bon Chung. The victory of Milrepa over Bon Chung led to Buddhism becoming the dominant religion of Tibet.

The holy river Ganga is believed to have descended from the heavens on this mountain. Four rivers originate from Mount Kailash – Satluj, Karnali, Brahmaputra and Indus. Tibetan literatures also mention rivers Langchen, Mapcha, Tamchok and Senge as coming out of Meru mountain, which is synonymous with Kailash.

Manasarovar Lake

The origin of Manasarovar lake has an interesting story. It is said that a number of rishis were doing penance in the pre-Vedic times in this region to propitiate Lord Shiva. There had been no rainfall in the area for over twelve years and all the nearby lakes and rivers had dried up. The rishis went to Lord Brahma and sought his blessings. Lord Brahma then created the great lake Manasarovar from his mind, and that is why the lake is call Manas which means mind or consciousness while Sarovar means lake. The lake is also called Lake of Consciousness. The very sight of this large lake, its transparent bluish waters, the calmness and solitude pervading all around transport a person to a different world and remind him of what Wordsworth described as

“A presence that disturbs me with the joy
Of elevated thoughts; a sense sublime
Of something far more deeply interfused,
Whose dwelling is the light of setting suns,
And the round ocean, and the living air,
And the blue sky, and the mind of man;
A motion and a spirit, that impels
All thinking things, all objects of all thought,
And rolls through all things.”

The lake is situated 30 kms. south-east of Mount Kailash at a height of 14,950 ft and has a perimeter of 110 kms. It is said to have been discovered by king Mandhata. A majestic mountain named after the king, Gurla-Mandhata, overlooks the lake.

The Tibetans call it Tso-Mapham or Tso-Mavang or the precious lake. It is said that the Gods had bathed Queen Maya in its holy waters before she gave birth to Lord Buddha. The Pali scholar Buddhaghosha also refers to Anotata as a water source in the Himalayas with four rivers flowing out of it.

The Hindus take a holy dip in the ice cold waters of Manasarovar and this is believed to liberate them from the cycle of birth and death. The devout carry back prasad in the form of holy water, coloured sand, pebbles or herbs for people who are not fortunate enough to undertake the pilgrimage. The Buddhists do not take a dip in the lake because, according to them, Manasarovar is meant only for the gods to bathe in. They however drink its holy water.

Parikrama

The parikrama of Mount Kailash has a length of about 57 kms and takes three days to complete. Interestingly, the Hindus perform the parikrama clockwise while the Bonpos do the same anti-clockwise. It is said that one parikrama of Mount Kailash rids a person of all his sins in this birth and 108 parikramas gives him Nirvana or enlightenment. Some Tibetans like to finish the parikrama in one day only, they call it Ningkor.

Dolma La is the highest point one crosses while doing the parikrama of Mount Kailash. It is 19,500 ft above the sea level. Dolma in Tibetan is the same as Goddess Tara while La means a pass. A big boulder at this point represents Goddess Tara. She is said to extend protection to all those who come to the Dolma La. The place is full of colorful flags and buntings with writings from Tibetan scriptures. These flags are believed to spread the message of peace, happiness, love and brotherhood as they flutter in the wind.

The Hindus as well as Tibetans do parikrama or kora of Mansarovar lake also. Here again, there is an interesting comparison. The Hindus undertake the parikrama in summer months; the Tibetans go through the kora even in winters when the lake is frozen. There are a number of gompas or monasteries on the banks of Mansarovar, the important ones being Chiu, Cherkip, Langbona, Seralung, Qugu and Zaidi.

The journey to Kailash-Mansarovar could be undertaken from either India or Nepal side. It is an unforgettable experience when the philosophy and the truth behind the following lines is driven home to the pilgrim:

“The One remains, the many change and pass;
Heaven’s light forever shines,
Earth’s shadows fly”

( 1,126 words)

(published in Swagat- inflight magazine of Indian Airlines - July 2004 )