"...to the north of India, across the ragged rampart of the Great Himalaya, there is a sacred mountain called Kailas. For more than two millennia the faithful have made the arduous journey here..." (1)
Prayer flags and pebble cairns marking the first sight of
Mount Kailas (white peak on horizon to the right of Derek) 1992
"South of Mount Kailas, across the great plain of Barga at the base of the majestic Mount Gurla Mandhata" (7728m) "are the two lakes Manasarova...and Rakshas Tal...They are the highest bodies of fresh water in the world, with Manasarova...at 4,558m...the larger of the two lakes (330 sq km...) and considered by both Buddhists and Hindus to be worthy of veneration." (4)
"Manasorova ...is...liberally endowed with both religious and mythological associations. Its beauties have been lavishly praised, in particular the rich colouring of its waters, which grade from the limpid blue near the shores to a deep emerald green as they approach the centre." (1)
Lake
Manasorova
west shore 1992
"...Manasorova and Rakastal...the former is shaped like the sun and represents the forces of light, while the other is curved like the crescent moon and represents the hidden forces of the night..." (3)
"...the meeting of Kailas and Manasorova is beyond coincidence...Manasorova is Kailas' inseparable complement in every respect. The lake is female to the mountain's male, receptivity to its activity, depth to its height, a mirror to a proud statement; and Manasorova's depths and colours contain a mystery equally sublime. Kailas is an immutable temple, a focus of adoration; Manasorova is a shifting fluid mirror meant for contemplation." (2)
Sheila on the west shore of
Manasorova surrounded by stone cairns 1992
South face of Kailas from
Barga Plain (16000ft)
1992
"Personality
consists in the
power to influence others...due to consistency, harmony and one-pointedness of
character...If these qualities are
present in a
mountain we recognise it as a
vessel of cosmic power, and we call it a sacred
mountain...There is no mountain
comparable to Kailas...To Hindus and Buddhists
alike Kailas is the centre of the
universe..." (3)
Derek at the gateway chörten to Kailas kora 1992
Derek at the gateway chörten to Kailas kora 1992
"Mount
Kailas is
remarkable in
that four of the largest rivers in Asia have their sources within 100km. of it: the
Indus flowing to the north, the
Brahmaputra to the east, the
Karnali, one of the main tributaries of the Ganges, to
the
south, and the Sutlej to the
west...The power of this strange, domed peak has
gripped the imagination of the
people of India and Tibet since time
immemorial...it has always been the
most sacred of mountains for Hindus, Buddhists,
Jains and 'Bonpos'...many Hindu and
Buddhist ascetics, hermits and pilgrims have been drawn to the area...to see it,
circumambulate it, and to practise
austerities and meditation." (4)
Derek at the north face of Kailas 1992
Derek at the north face of Kailas 1992
"Few
mountains in the world
can rival the
grandeur of Mount Kailas (22,028ft...), the famed holy peak of Western
Tibet...Tibetan Buddhists...recognise
Kailas as the manifestation of
Mount Meru, the 'navel of the world,'
rising 'like the handle of a mill-stone' into the heavens...Kailas is also regarded as the residence
of Demchog...and
his consort, Dorje Phagmo. The
mountain also has a special association with Milarepa, who spent several years here meditating in a cave...The
pilgrimage to Kailas has always
been considered the most difficult in Asia, if not the world. The
distances are
tremendous the weather particularly
harsh, supplies almost nonexistent...Nevertheless
pilgrims came from the far corners of Asia defying these hardships to walk the 32
mile...circuit around Kailas."
(5)
Derek at Dölma Rock at the summit of Dölma Pass (18700ft) 1992
Photographs © Derek & Sheila
Henderson 1992 2006
Bibliography
Derek at Dölma Rock at the summit of Dölma Pass (18700ft) 1992
Derek
and Sheila made the
pilgrimage to visit Manasorova and circumambulate Kailas in August
1992,
setting out from the Nepal/Tibet border with a crew of four Tibetans, a
Landcruiser and a 3 ton truck carrying the camping gear and provisions.
Within
days, they were reminded of the words of Brian Beresford: "It's a very
rigorous undertaking...It's a very, very difficult journey to make"
(1),
when Derek started suffering from amoebic dysentery, with all its
unpleasant
consequences. After five days hard travelling, camping in some of the
remotest
places on Earth, they arrived at Manasorova, collecting some of its
sacred
water, and savouring the unique space and silence of the region.
Two days
later they set off, accompanied by two baggage yaks, and completed the
three
day circumambulation of Kailas.
Derek and Sheila at the end of the kora 1992
It
took several weeks, and
medication back in England, to shake off the disease. The
journey remains clear in their minds in every detail.
Bibliography
(1) John
Snelling "The Sacred Mountain" East-West
Publications 1990
(2) Russel Johnson & Kerry Moran "Kailas On Pilgrimage To The Sacred Mountain Of Tibet" Thames & Hudson 1989
(3) Lama Anagarika Govinda "The Way Of The White Clouds" Rider 1966
(4) Stephen Bachelor "The Tibet Guide" Wisdom Publications 1987
(5) Gary McCue "Trekking In Tibet" Cordee 1991
(2) Russel Johnson & Kerry Moran "Kailas On Pilgrimage To The Sacred Mountain Of Tibet" Thames & Hudson 1989
(3) Lama Anagarika Govinda "The Way Of The White Clouds" Rider 1966
(4) Stephen Bachelor "The Tibet Guide" Wisdom Publications 1987
(5) Gary McCue "Trekking In Tibet" Cordee 1991
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Henderson 2016 All rights reserved No material may be
reproduced without prior permission