One of the most important and meaningful journeys for me was my second expedition to Tibet, when I made the kora around Kailash in May 2009.
The mountain lies in a remote, sparsely populated region of western Tibet. For two and a half thousand years Kailash, called Kailas in some sources, has kept its secrets, not allowing anyone to come close to unraveling them.
The mountain is a place of pilgrimage for the followers of four religions: Buddhists, Hindus, Jains and followers of the Bon religion. All of them believe that Kailash is the main place of power on the planet, and that approaching it without the blessing of the Higher Powers can lead to tragic consequences.
Until 1984 not a single European had reached Kailash, and to this day no human foot has ever stepped on its summit.
In ancient Tibetan texts it is said that no mortal may climb the slopes of Kailash with impunity: “Whoever sees the faces of the gods must die.” Even in the 21st century the exact height of Kailash remains unknown. Tibetan monks claim that the height of the “precious jewel of snows” is 6,666 meters. Scientists put forward two versions: that Kailash rises 6,714 or 6,668 meters above sea level.
When you see Kailash for the first time, you get the feeling that it is man-made, that the mountain is alive, and that it is not a mountain at all, but a pyramid created by human hands.
The ancients claimed that our planet has seven energy centers of the Earth’s spiritual body. They form a kind of energy chain, which begins at the summit of Kailash in the Himalayas.
In the sacred “Ramayana” the story of how the sacred mountain appeared is told like this. The divine Rama sent his helper and friend, the mighty Hanuman, to Shambhala. He was to find the flower of immortality on the mountaintop. Not knowing what this flower looked like, Hanuman brought Rama the whole mountain. After the flower had been picked, Hanuman dropped Kailash among low peaks. That is how a fragment of heavenly Shambhala appeared in the mountains of Tibet.
Followers of Hinduism claim: “Kailash is none other than Shiva, immersed in self-contemplation.” The many-armed Shiva is the god of transformation and death, which is why the valley around Kailash is considered the dwelling place of the spirits of the dead, and only a person who has passed through the highest forms of religious initiation may enter into contact with them.
Around the sacred mountain a pilgrimage route has formed, with the mysterious name “kora” in Tibetan and “parikrama” in Sanskrit. For several hundred years now, countless pilgrims and seekers of truth have walked the 53-kilometer trail around the mountain, which must be covered in three days. The route climbs to the Drolma La pass, its highest point, at an altitude of 5,486 meters. Along the kora, pilgrims come across ancient stone cairns with mantras written on them, and monuments with garlands of prayer flags created by representatives of the four religions.
It is believed that a person who has completed the kora is freed from the sins of their present incarnation, and whoever walks this path 108 times will surely attain enlightenment and reach nirvana. For the new to be born, one must free oneself from the old, and so, as they approach Kailash, every traveler, in their own language, as best they can and as their heart prompts, turns to Shiva with a request to destroy the wheel of Samsara. The kora usually takes 3 days. It can be done in 2 days. Some Tibetans, pilgrims from India and other ascetics walk around Kailash in 1 day — that is about 55 km! Buddhists striving for enlightenment often take the hardest way of all, literally crawling the route on their hands, making endless prostrations.
I was fortunate to contemplate Kailash for several days and nights, staying at a hotel with a view of the northern face of the mountain. At night many flashes, like ball lightning, appeared above the summit. Some articles by travelers who made the kora in their time describe how these balls of white, scarlet and violet light come together into a figure resembling a dancing man. And Hindus say that this is how Shiva appears to the chosen fortunate ones. Unfortunately, I did not see the dancing Shiva, but I too received my blessing from Kailash. For me, the northern face and the first day of the kora are what matter most.
The southern face is split by a vertical crack, which is crossed roughly in the middle by a horizontal line. In certain light they shine brightly, forming the Sun’s sign of protection, the swastika. In the Bon religion Kailash is called just that: the swastika mountain.
All the few attempts by mountaineers to climb and conquer Kailash ended tragically.
In the late 1990s a group of American climbers conquered the nearest peak for the first time. And very soon these young, healthy men suddenly began to age, and within two years they died of various illnesses. In 2007 an attempt by Russian climbers ended in the death of one of the expedition members. The same happened to English climbers who tried to conquer the sacred mountain. Today mountaineers are sure: Kailash does not let people in.
On the approach to the valley that the western face of the mountain looks out on, where the kora begins, I felt a kind of barrier that is hard to describe in a single word. Many travelers note it too, by the way: some call it a thickening of the air, others feel a sharp change in temperature, still others a difference in pressure, but all agree that the boundary can be traced quite clearly and is physically felt even when crossed many times. I made sure of this myself by trying to cross it twice.
During the kora, a complete immersion in oneself comes, along with a reluctance to communicate. First the desire to speak disappears, then you feel it is impossible to utter even a single word, while your mind remains perfectly clear. Buddhists say that as one approaches Kailash, the Higher Powers place a seal of silence on one’s lips. You do not want to eat or drink. For taking any food defiles communion with the Higher energies.
I did not experience the complete loss of strength and inability to move that some travelers describe in their memoirs. I had a steady feeling: I had come home; I felt an incredible lightness, as if I were flying, and the Power was carrying me on a wave. I remember it, and it called me. During the days of the kora, a complete spiritual transformation took place with me and within me. For me, Kailash is a deep, powerful realization of myself as “I AM.” This is my initiation. Truth is born in silence. That is why I will not write much about it. I only know that chance tourists and adventure seekers do not come here. Those who come here are the ones Kailash allows, the ones it calls.
Allow yourselves to be free and blessed by Eternity.
With respect for you and for your Path.
Elena Nikolaeva.