What to Know About Mount Kailash, Sacred to Pilgrims Missing in Nepal and Tibet Floods
- Mount Kailash is a Himalayan peak in southwestern Tibet near the borders of China with Nepal and India, standing over 6,400 meters (21,000 feet) above sea level.
- The mountain holds sacred significance for Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and the Tibetan Bon tradition, each associating it with different religious beliefs and stories.
- In Hindu tradition, Kailash is considered the home of Shiva and Parvati; in Bon tradition, it is viewed as a seat of spiritual power associated with the founder Tonpa Shenrab.
- Pilgrims typically walk around Kailash rather than climb it, completing a circuit of approximately 53 kilometers (33 miles) believed to cleanse them of sins, taking about three days.
- Hundreds have died and over 1,000 are missing following massive floods along the Nepal-China border, with at least 178 missing Indians believed to have been on pilgrimage to Kailash.
Mount Kailash is a Himalayan peak located in southwestern Tibet near the borders of China with Nepal and India, rising over 6,400 meters (21,000 feet) above sea level and situated near Lake Manasarovar. The mountain and lake have long held significance in Sanskrit religious and literary traditions.
Kailash holds sacred meaning for multiple religious traditions. In Hinduism, it is believed to be the home of Shiva, the god of destruction, and Parvati, a goddess associated with marriage, fertility, and motherhood. In the Tibetan Bon tradition, it is considered a seat of spiritual power linked to Tonpa Shenrab, the tradition's founder. The mountain is also associated with the mythical Mount Meru, regarded as the center of the world in Hindu and Buddhist cosmology.
Pilgrims undertake journeys to Kailash as a spiritual purification ritual. Each year, India's government organizes official pilgrimages between June and September, with private operators also arranging trips through Nepal. Rather than climbing the peak, pilgrims typically walk around it in a circuit of approximately 53 kilometers (33 miles), believed to cleanse them of sins and typically taking about three days to complete. Hindu and Buddhist pilgrims circumambulate clockwise, while Bon followers move counterclockwise. Some Hindu pilgrims bathe in nearby Lake Manasarovar as a spiritual purification ritual.
Following massive floods along the Nepal-China border, hundreds have died and authorities have counted over 1,000 people missing. Among the missing are at least 178 Indians, the majority of whom were believed to be on pilgrimage to Kailash.
关于冈仁波齐峰的信息：尼泊尔和西藏洪灾中失踪朝圣者心中的圣山
冈仁波齐峰是位于西藏西南部的喜马拉雅山峰，靠近中国与尼泊尔和印度的边界，海拔超过6400米（21000英尺），位于玛旁雍错湖附近。该山及其湖泊长期以来在梵文宗教和文学传统中具有重要意义。
冈仁波齐对多个宗教传统具有神圣意义。在印度教中，它被认为是湿婆神（毁灭之神）和帕尔瓦蒂女神（与婚姻、生育和母性相关的女神）的住所。在藏传苯教中，它被视为与苯教创始人敦巴辛饶相关联的精神力量之座。该山还与被视为印度教和佛教宇宙中心的神话中的须弥山相关联。
朝圣者前往冈仁波齐进行精神净化仪式。每年，印度政府在6月至9月期间组织官方朝圣活动，私人运营商也通过尼泊尔安排朝圣之旅。朝圣者通常不是攀登山峰，而是绕山行走，环绕路线约53公里（33英里），据信可以洗净罪孽，通常需要三天时间完成。印度教和佛教朝圣者顺时针环绕，而苯教信徒则逆时针行走。一些印度教朝圣者在附近的玛旁雍错湖中沐浴，作为精神净化仪式。
尼泊尔和中国边境地区发生大规模洪灾后，已造成数百人死亡，当局统计失踪人数超过1000人。失踪者中包括至少178名印度人，其中大多数据信正在朝圣冈仁波齐。