Located in western Tibet,
Mount Kailash is known to be the abode of Lord Shiva. Standing tall at
22,000 ft, it is famously called the stairway to heaven. Nobody has climbed this mountain till this date, so there are many mysteries regarding the expedition of this massif. Only a few thousands of devotees are able to do the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra every year due to its high altitude and remote location.
Kailash Mansarovar is believed to be the ultimate journey to the center of the universe. Devotees of Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Bonism, and many other faiths consider Kailash and Mansarover as the holiest pilgrimage area. It is surrounded by five monasteries and each one presents different legendry stories. These monasteries are decorated with distinctive sculptures, murals, statues, thankas, and other Tibetan cultural pieces.
Here are the 11 of the most interesting and little known facts about one of the most mysterious and sacred mountain, Mount Kailash.
- Mount Kailash the forbidden peak
The mountain is sacred for the followers of Hindus, Buddhist and Bon religion. So, the act of climbing to the summit is forbidden as the act will intrude on the sanctity of the mountain and disturb the divine energies residing in the peak. It is believed that once a monk named Milarepa scaled up to the summit of the peak and after his return, he warned others not to dare to bother God.
Two famous lakes are close to Mount Kailash and there are many myths around ancient times. Mansarovar is considered to be the Good Lake whereas the Rakshas Tal is regarded as a Devil Lake. It is said that the two lakes at the side of the mountain indicate that humans have both sides means there is not any evil outside, we are the evil. Another fact is the Mansarovar has freshwater and Rakshas Tal has saltwater.
Om Parbat represents the fusion of Shiva and Shakti. This mysterious creation of nature is regarded as the blessing of divine power. An interesting mystery of this Parbat is that when the snow falls on the peak, it takes the pattern of OM. Parvati and Jonglingkong are other two Lakes near OM Parbat, which are sacred to the Hindus as Mansarovar Lake.
Gauri Kund is associated with Shiva’s better half Parvati. It is regarded to be the lake of Compassion, a water body. Local tradition claims that Lord Shiva and Parvati married at Triygi Narayan, which is near to the Kund. At the same time, there is a saying that, goddess Parvati produced her child Ganesa from the cleanser foam of her body and gave life to it.
There is a saying that one who climbs Mount Kailash age quickly. The duration that a man takes to age two weeks takes 12 hours in the mountain. A lot of hikers claim that they feel like their hairs and mails are growing rapidly within 12 hours.
Mount Kailash has a strange shape which prompted the theory that by anyway, shape or form the mountain isn’t a mountain. According to the Russian researchers, Mount Kailash isn’t a mountain as the way it is too perfect and symmetrical to be regarded as a natural occurrence.
Hindus believe that Mount Kailash is the home of Lord Shiva and his wife Parbati. That is why; the supports of Hindu won’t scale the mountain and never allow any other as well. Apart from that, the follower of Buddhism, Jainism, and Bon also consider the Kailash as a holy site and the Jains regard this area as the place where their first Tirthankar accomplished nirvana.
- Mystery Geographical Measurement
According to the ancient Vedas and other holy texts, Mount Kailash is the center of the world, the cosmic axis and the stairway to heaven. There is a belief that the mountain provides a connection between the earth and heaven which represents the physical world and the spiritual world. Another amazing fact is that the four faces of the mountain face the four directions of the compass.
- Formation of Swastika shadow
At the time of sunset, the mountain is said to form a shadow that is similar to the religious image of Swastika. Hindus considered Swastika as a favorable sign. The Swastika appeared on the flag, posters, armbands, and badges of the Nazi party in Germany.
- Regular Change in Position
The Kailah Parvat keeps on changing its position, which is the main reason why people can’t reach the summit. Numerous climbers attempted to reach the top but till date, nobody has succeeded. Either the climbers would out of the blue move in the opposite direction or encounter bad weather conditions which forces them to return to the base and many of them never returned.
There is a legend that a secret entrance in Mount Kailash leads to a legendary kingdom called Shambhala which is supposed to be a land safeguarding the Kalachakra teachings. The one who believes in the existence of Shambhala was a Himalayan explorer Nicholas Roerich(1874-1947). Many people who went to search for Shambhala have disappeared. Being the center of power, Shambhala is protected by unknown forces and energy.
