Excerpts from A pilgrimage to Kailas Manasarovar - An Odyssey in Tibet by Tarun Vijay KAILAS PARIKRAMA(circumambulation) Kailas PARIKRAMA(circumambulation) starts at Tarchen. The route is 54 kilometres long route through the 18,500 ft. high Dolma valley. The first day's camp was at Zerbu 22 kilometres away from Tarchen. We started at 6 in the morning and reached Zerbu at 5 in the evening. It was only 22 kilometres--but exceedingly tiring because the route is extremely un-levelled and rock-strewn. Dorji our guide from Tarchen and his wife Drokpa Zangchub were travelling with us. Drokpa Zangchub had strapped her one year old daughter, Dolma on her back and she is walked with great ease chewing on a piece of dry yak meat like chocolate. In the beginning of the PARIKRAMA(circumambulation) we crossed Lha chu river. Along the river one gets a breathtaking view of the southern face of Kailas which is sorrounded at the base with rocks bearing natural inscriptions. These inscriptions appear like various Shiva symbols like the Nag (serpent) Ganapati and his vehicle the mouse. On the way of Zerbu some of us were riding yaks. A yak moves as it pleases, sometimes it leaves the trail, climbs elsewhere, starts grazing or halts for a drink and the rider tries to control it ineffectually with peculiar sounds and gestures. It is definitely not the most comfortable of vehicles. THE LIBATION We reached Zerbu at five in the evening. Zerbu had a guest-house of six rooms,-- two of which are the residence of the manager and his family. One room was turned into a kitchen and the pilgrims were accommodated in the remaining three. In spite of hunger and exhaustion some of the pilgrims took the responsibility of cooking while others looked after the luggage. After the first course of coffee and biscuits and the second of noodles and soup the tired pilgrims prepared to enjoy the beauty of nature. We came out--and there before us was the grandeur of the northern side of Kailas. The summit was hidden in the clouds. A thin translucent curtain of clouds was slowly descending. This side of the mountain awakens a sense of awe. A forbidding, dark mountain, with a broad forehead, and thin streaks of snow looking like a beautifying Tripunda mark. We gazed for a few moments--and then this view hid among the clouds. Evening descended--and with it came a thrilling disbelief of having reached so far. I kept gazing at Kailas to experience the moment at its fullest. The very idea of returning from this heaven to Delhi was hell. For millions of Hindus just a glimpse of this mountain is enough to make them feel they are in the presence of the Almighty Himself. And this faith is not new, it has endured for ages. Shuddha Tattva says: Prabhvadbhutadbhumeh Saliasyacha tejasah, Parigrahanmuniaamcha Tirthanam punyata smrita. "It is because of the presence of sacred soil, water, fire and the sages that places of pilgrimage are considered holy." Is Kailas in China, or in Tibet? The Hindu mind is not bound by these political barriers as it seeks the solace of the supreme Shiva. Darkness fell. All around there was an overwhelming stillness. The peaks were hidden in the clouds. Doors were shut and inside the rooms the pilgrims had taken refuge in their quilts. The ambience of the place awakened strange longing in the heart to have a few words with God. To read more, place your order in the BUY section |