About Mount Kailash: The Holy Abode of Lord Shiva

About Mount Kailash

Mount of Kailash is the place where the four parallel religions bend their paths to meet the holiness of this world. Mount Kailash is not just a mere mountain of stone and snow; it is a cluster of Belief, Spirituality, Religion, Hope & eternal source of cosmic energy of Shiva. And day by day this pile is getting enormous with its mysticism and splendidness. It is a place to visit at least once in this lifetime.

Sitting in the corner of south-western Tibet, dominating a large part of the region with its magnificence, the Kailash Parvat height rises at 6638m(21778 ft) which is among the highest mountains in the Himalayas. The great Kailash is also known as ‘Meru’ which means the Navel of The Earth.

The Mansarovar Kailash is one the holiest place for the Hindus, according to the legends it was the place where lord Shiva lived for years and it is still believed that Shiva (the lord of destruction and creation) resides at its peak along with his wife Parvati in a state of perpetual meditation. The Kailash Mountain is defined as the Pillar of The World because it is located at the heart of the six mountain ranges representing a lotus. Mt. Kailash is a magnificent mountain with a diamond-like shape that is encircled by a harsh, parched landscape.

Every year thousands of people from all across the world make their pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and bathe in the divine Mansarovar Lake which is located at the foot of the Holy Mountain Kailash. Lake Mansarovar has a circumference of approx 90 KMs which the tourists and locals cover in one single day to get washed away from their sins, not just of this birth but of the last 7 births.

Mount Kailash Structure:

Mount Kailash is an extraordinary mountain, different and divine from rest of the snow peaks. The shape of the Kailash Mountain is like a huge Shivalingam placed in the middle of a 16 petalled lotus like structure formed by surrounding mountains. These louts like mountains are also in such a way that they seem to have become Argha for the Shivalinga. The 14 petalled top of the mountain can be clealry counted, however the 2 tops in the forefront of the Shivalingam cannot be counted because of being bowed down. One can spot them only with great attention. This bowed part of it looks like the front long part of Argha and from this part the Mount Kailash water falls in Gaurikund. In the four corners of the peak of Kailash Parvat, such a temple architecture is made naturally, as it is made around the shikaras of many temples.

Kailash Mountain stands taller than all other surrounding mountains. The lotus like mountains are made of red colored raw stone, while Mount Kailash is made of solid black Kasauti stone and is completely covered with white snow from top to bottom. The Kailash Parvat height is approximately 6638 meters (21778 feet).

Unique things about Mt. Kailash :

Apart from being the eternal abode of God Shiva, Mount Kailash has numerous strange factors which make Shiva devotees more attached to the holy land of Shiva.

1. The shape of Mt. Kailash :

Generally, all mountain peaks are pointed from the top & nothing is different in Shiva's region of the Himalayas. But, there is only one strange mountain in that whole region which is not pointed but curved from the top like Shivlingam & this is the reason that we don't need to introduce people there, they themselves identify Mount Kailash on their own. It is said that Lord Shiva lives on Mount Kailash. Mt Kailash has a shiv lingam-like shape & a source of cosmic energy, that's the reason that it's an unclimbable mountain.

Also Check: Who Climbed Mount Kailash

2. Nandi Parvat in front of Mount Kailash :

In all Shiva Temples across the globe, we always see Nandi Ji in front of Shivlingam. Mount Kailash is the abode of Shiva & has the shape of a Shivling. It's a strange mystery that there is an exact Nandi-like structure just in front of Mountain Kailash. The size of the Nandi structure is huge & on another mountain. It can be easily identified that it's a natural structure and not man-made. Secondly, it's not easy to build such a huge structure at such a height.

Just like other Shiv Temples, here also Nandi Ji is looking at Mt Kailash Shivlingam. It couldn't be just a coincidence too.

Also check: Nandi Parvat

3. Jalabhishakam of Mt. Kailash Shivlingam :

Till May month, most of the mountains of the Himalayas are covered with snow but after rain in July & August months, mountain peaks in the Himalayan region of Bhole Baba are clear & don't have snow on top. But Mt Kailash is a unique mountain in that area which is covered with snow throughout the Year, its like nature is doing Jalaabhishakam of Lord Shiva Kailash Mountain.

Also See: Mysteries of Mount Kailash

4. Relation with Number 4:

The Kailash Parvat is not just the home of the four different religions (Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism and Bon religion), but the great Mt Kailash also has four rivers flowing in four directions within 50km of range. The great Sutlej to the west, Brahmaputra to the east, Karnali to the south and Indus flows to the north. It also has a narrative in the Puranas which dictates that the Four Faces of Mount Kailash are made of Crystal, Ruby, Gold and Lapis Lazuli.

Mount Kailash Parikrama:

Mount Kailash has a circumference of approx 40 KMs. Shiva devotees do the parikrama of The Kailash Parvat which is called Mount Kailash Kora. The Parikrama of Mount Kailash is completed in 2 and a half days. The first day Mount Kailash parikrama is of 10 km from Yamdwar to Diraphuk. The second day Mount Kailash parikrama is of 22 km from Dirapuk to Zuthulpuk. The last day Mount Kailash parikrama is of 8 km downwards from Zuthulpuk. It is believed that if a person does Kailash Parvat Parikrama 108 times then they attain Nirvana or Moksha or Salvation which in real terms means one’s own paradise.

Places we see during Mount Kailash Parikrama:

There are many other places for the pilgrims to visit around the great Mountain Kailash Kailash, one of which is the divine Gauri Kund, a group of 5 natural small reserves with emerald green water. The lake is known as the lake of compassion and holds very significant importance in the Hindu Religion. It is said that the Goddess Parvati used to bathe in Lake Gaurikund and here only the lord of good fortune the great Ganesha was born. Apart from Gauri Kund; Trirthapuri, Yam Dwar, Asthapad, Siwasthal, Dolma La Pass, Gaurikund, and Tarboche are a few other tourist places near Kailash Parikrama.

The greatness of the Mount Kailash Lord Shiva cannot be truly explained or understood through mere words. It only can be grasped by feeling the aura of the place inside the heart, which can only happen when you are at Mount Kailash.