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Hindus refer to it as Mount Meru.Buddhist, Hindu and Jain pilgrimsfrom the world over go to this holymountain to circumambulate ratherthan scale the 22,028- foot highpeak.Some pilgrims believe thatthe entire walk around Kailashshould be made in a single day. Thisis not easy. A person in good shapewalking fast would take perhaps15 hours to complete the 55 kmtrek. The mountain is located in aparticularly remote and inhospitablearea of the Tibetan Himalayas.According to all religions that reverethe mountain, setting foot on itsslopes is a dire sin. A legend claims that many peoplewho dared to defy the taboo have died in the process.Can this be another reason why the mountain is not climbed?THE HOLY MT KAILASHHindus who walk around circumference of Mountbelieve that lord Shiva, one of their three main gods,resides atop what they call Mount Meru. Tibetans referto the clockwise circumambulation as a kora. A Singlecircumambulation around Mount Kailash wipes away thesins of a life time. The Jains who refer to the Kailashas Mount Ashtapada believe the founder of their faith,Rishabanatha, resides atop the mountain. The Bons thereligion which predates Buddhism in Tibet believes thatthe entire mystical region and the nine stories SwastikaMountain is the seat of all power. Mount Kailash is also thesource of four major rivers: the Indus, the Brahamputra,the Karnali and the Sutlej.The weather is always uncertain. Mount Kailashis revered in Sanskrit literature as the abode of the allblissfulLord Shiva and his divine spouse Parvati, theall-enchanting Nature (Prakriti). Its circumference is 32KM and is overlooking the Holy Mansarovar and theRakshas Tal, in the south.THE GAURI KUNDWhile proceeding downwards from Dolma - La(Dolma Pass), a steep descent will lead you to GauriKund at 5608 m. Some call it the ‘Lake of compassion’.In the religious book Shiva Purana, this is the setting forYartris on their waythe legend of Hindu goddess Parvati and how Ganesh(Parvati’s son) acquired his elephant head while bathingin the emerald waters of the lake. Parvati fashionedan image of Ganesh from the soap suds on her body,breathed life into it and placed it at the entrance of herhome to prevent anyone entering. Lord Shiva happenedto return at this point of time and was stopped byGanesha. Indignant at this affront, an angry Shiva cutoff the boy's head. Parvati was inconsolable and insistedthat the boy be brought back to life. Helpless, Shiva tookthe head of a wandering elephant and placed it on thebody. Life was restored and Parvati had her son back.THE MANSAROVAR LAKELake Manasarovar is a fresh-water lake in Tibet2,000 km from Lhasa. It is the highest freshwater lakein the world. To the west of Lake Manasarovar is LakeRakshastal and towards the north is Mount Kailash. Thesight of a huge lake with a refl ection of snow-cappedmountains in its lucid waters is jaw dropping. Be preparedfor a feast for the eyes. Manasarovar Lake lies at 4,556 mabove mean sea level. It is relatively round in shape andits circumference is 88 km, depth is 90 m and it occupiesa total area of 320 square kilometres.The lake freezes inwinter and melts only in spring. The Mansarovar Lake isthe holiest, the most fascinating, the most inspiring, themost famous of all the lakes in the world and the mostancient that civilization knows. It is a famous lake in theHindu mythology.Like Mount Kailash, Lake Manasarovar is aplace of pilgrimage, attracting religious people fromIndia and Tibet. Bathing in the lake and drinking its wateris believed to cleanse all sins. Pilgrims come to takeITBP Patrika15 January - 2010