78 JOURNEYMountains – the earthly points closest
to the sky gods – have been holy
places since ancient times, and one
of the tallest of those peaks still holds
us entralled. At 6,638 metres, Mount
Kailash, or Gangs Rinpoche (‘precious
jewel of snows’), is a sacred site for four
different religions: Hinduism, Jainism,
Buddhism, and Bon. Hindus believe
Lord Shiva resides at the mountain’s
summit; for Jains, the neighbouring
mountain, Ashtapada, is where the first
sage attained nirvana. Mount Kailash
Mount Kailash, Tibet
has both spiritual and historical
significance for Buddhists – it is the
home of the Buddha, representing
supreme bliss, and it was also visited
by the tantric Buddhist teacher Guru
Rinpoche. Followers of Bon consider
the mountain to be the source of all
spiritual power.
In spite of its understandable allure
for mountaineers, Mount Kailash has
never been climbed. It has been said
by the people of the Ngari region that
‘Only a man entirely free of sin couldclimb Mount Kailash. And he wouldn’t
have to actually scale the sheer walls of
ice to do it – he’d just turn himself into
a bird and fly to the summit.’ But the
reality is not due to a lack of climbing
expertise or inclination amongst
climbers, but rather a ban on climbing it,
going back to 2001. Mount Kailash is, it
seems, too holy a site to be summited,
in the eyes of the Chinese government.
If you do visit Mount Kailash, it
must be as a pilgrim, as the faithful
have done for thousands of years.