ITBP Challenger Cup 2009 - Indo-Tibetan Border Police

Kailash Mansarovar : A Holy PursuitShri Manmohan GuleriaSecond-in-CommandantNature in her wildest and most rugged formsbears witness to the correctness of the belief thathere is the home of the great God. All the aids toworship in the shape of striking scenery, templesand mystic are present, and he must be indeed dull,who return from this pilgrim unsatisfied. I was luckyto perform the duties of Liaison Officer with the fi rstbatch of Kailash Mansarovar Yatra-2009. Kailash-Mansarovar, known as abode of the universe is theultimate destination for Hindus, Buddhists, Jains andBopnas. This pilgrimage is unique in many ways andits criticality can only be realized by those who arefascinated by its charms and peculiar vibrations.Our batch consisted of 47 Yatris, of which 13were females. All Yatris hailed from different socioeconomicbackgrounds, hobbies, likes, dislikes andpursuits. Pilgrimage is an effort to cleanse the souland open the mind. Every year, thousands of peoplemake a pilgrimage to Kailash. Pilgrims of severalreligions believe that circumambulating MountKailash on foot is a holy ritual that will bring goodfortune. Hindus and Buddhists make the peregrinationin a clockwise direction. Followers of Jainism andBönpo religions circumambulate the mountain in acounter clockwise direction. The path around MountKailash is 55 km long. In the succeeding paragraphs,I shall briefly touch upon the religious signifi canceof Kailash, Manas Lake and Gauri kund. Due tospace constraints the nitty-gritty of yatra is not beingcovered.THE ROUTE865 Kms from Delhi, stand Mount Kailash andLake Mansarovar constituting one of the grandestof the Himalayan beauty spots. The route is reallytough and lots of self motivation and inspiration isneeded. The Lipu Lekh pass(16650’) and the Dolmapass(19900’) are the two highest passes enroute.Generally it is believed that with out the will of LordShiva, pilgrims cannot visit Kailash. The journey islong, at times frustrating, very tiring, and unending,but this pilgrim is the litmus test for those who knowthat when going gets tough, the tough get going.The world-famous and holy Mt. Kailash &Manas Lake has been the source of inspiration formany religions and beliefs. Despite many diffi cultiesand long distances, people are keen to go there atleast once in their lives. Continued from centuries,this pilgrimage had been stopped from 1959 to1980, and when it restarted in 1981 it was welcomedeverywhere.THE HOLY MOUNT KAILASHHigh on the remote western Tibetan plateau inthe northern most region of the Himalayas, sits MountKailash, the holy mountain. The Tibetan people havenamed it Kang Rinpoche, or snow jewel, and theITBP Patrika 14 January - 2010