Kailāsa

Abode of Śiva · Ngari, Tibet (China)

Mount Kailāsa, a striking pyramid of snow in western Tibet, is revered as the abode of Śiva and Pārvatī. It is sacred to four religions: to Hindus; to Buddhists, as the home of Cakrasaṃvara; to Jains, as Aṣṭāpada, where the first Tīrthaṅkara Ṛṣabhadeva attained liberation; and to followers of Bön. Out of respect, it has never been climbed.

Pilgrims walk the kora or parikramā around the mountain, a high-altitude circuit of roughly fifty kilometres usually done over three days. Indian pilgrims travel through the government-organised Kailash Mānasarovar Yātrā or private operators via Nepal, subject to permits.

The Purāṇas describe Kailāsa as the centre of Śiva’s world, where he sits in meditation and where Pārvatī joined him. Tradition says that Rāvaṇa once tried to lift the mountain, and Śiva, with a gentle press of his toe, pinned him beneath it, until Rāvaṇa sang the Śiva Tāṇḍava Stotram in praise and was released.

Tibet (China) · Śiva and Pārvatī · Parikramā ~50 km · Sacred to four faiths

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