Kang Rinpoche: Precious Snow Mountain

Kang Rinpoche: Precious Snow Mountain, originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

Mt. Kailash *(South Face)* from Diaraphuk.

Though other westerners like the Jesuit priest Desideri & in the early part of the 1800's amp; William Moorcroft (with Hyder Jung Herseay) had put Mt. Kailash on the map one of the first westerners to measure it was Henry Strachey, a lieutenant in the 66th Bengal Native Infantry and belonging to one of the most outstanding and influential British families who made their mark in Brtish India.
During the hot weather of 1846 ostensibly on sick leave but determined to visit the holy lake Mansarovar and unfettered by a new government ban on travel to Tibet he made his way to Milam and with the assistance of Deb SIngh Rawat (grand father of Nain Singh Rawat the first explorer Pandit) he crossed over the Lampiya Dhura Pass disguised as a Hindu pilgrim. Traveling fast and keeping off well known paths and passes he reached the south west corner of Rakas Tal in 5 days after crossing the border.
After measuring the flow rates of both the Rakas Tal and Mansarovar, his attention was taken up by the "most beautiful peak he had ever seen. " A King Of Mountains, full of majesty which he estimated to be 21,000 feet high ... This clandestine trip won him the Patrons Gold Medal of The Royal Geographic Society as well as a place in the British Mission to Ladakh.

In 1848 it was the turn of his younger brother Richard Strachey, who was serving as an Engineer in the Bombay Army. Richard was perhaps the most talented of the 5 generation of Strachey's who served in India. He also started his clandestine visit from Kumaon again with the help of Deb Singh Rawat, taking as his guide his son Mani Singh Rawat. After confirming his brothers figures and drainage of the holy lakes he turned his attention to establishing the position and height of Kailash , later topographical figures showed that his figure of 22,000 ft to be just 28 feet on the low side.

The Midnight Special

Midnight Special, originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

A Beacon of Light The Magnificient Potala Palace པོ་ཏ་ལ lit up in the Lhasa Night, Tibet.

Perched upon Marpo Ri hill, 130 meters above the Lhasa valley, the Potala Palace rises a further 170 meters and is the greatest monumental structure in all of Tibet.

Early legends concerning the rocky hill tell of a sacred cave, considered to be the dwelling place of the Bodhisattva Chenresi (Avilokiteshvara), that was used as a meditation retreat by Emperor Songtsen Gampo in the seventh century AD.

In 637 Songtsen Gampo built a palace on the hill. This structure stood until the seventeenth century, when it was incorporated into the foundations of the greater buildings still standing today.

Construction of the present palace began in 1645 during the reign of the fifth Dalai Lama and by 1648 the Potrang Karpo, or White Palace, was completed. The Potrang Marpo, or Red Palace, was added between 1690 and 1694; its construction required the labors of more than 7000 workers and 1500 artists and craftsman.

In 1922 the 13th Dalai Lama renovated many chapels and assembly halls in the White Palace and added two stories to the Red Palace. The Potala Palace was only slightly damaged during the Tibetan uprising against the invading Chinese in 1959. Unlike most other Tibetan religious structures, it was not sacked by the Red Guards during the 1960s and 1970s, apparently through the personal intervention of Chou En Lai. As a result, all the chapels and their artifacts are very well preserved.

From as early as the eleventh century the palace was called Potala. This name probably derives from Mt. Potala, the mythological mountain abode of the Bodhisattva Chenresi (Avilokiteshvara / Kuan Yin) in southern India. The Emperor Songtsen Gampo had been regarded as an incarnation of Chenresi. Given that he founded the Potala, it seems likely that the hilltop palace of Lhasa took on the name of the Indian sacred mountain. The Potala Palace is an immense structure, its interior space being in excess of 130,000 square meters. Fulfilling numerous functions, the Potala was first and foremost the residence of the Dalai Lama and his large staff. In addition, it was the seat of Tibetan government, where all ceremonies of state were held; it housed a school for religious training of monks and administrators; and it was one of Tibet's major pilgrimage destinations because of the tombs of past Dalai Lamas. Within the White Palace are two small chapels, the Phakpa Lhakhang and the Chogyal Drubphuk; dating from the seventh century, these chapels are the oldest surviving structures on the hill and also the most sacred. The Potala's most venerated statue, the Arya Lokeshvara, is housed inside the Phapka Lhakhang, and it draws thousands of Tibetan pilgrims each day.

The Center of The World.

The Center of The World., originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

There is a old legend of Asia, of a great sacred mountain which is the center of the world and from its flanks emerge four mighty rivers of the east which bring sustenance to the region

There are no mountains like the Himalayas for in them lie Kailash & Mansarovar
-The Skanda Purana

To the early Aryans it was Mount Meru not only the navel of the Earth but the centre of the universe as well. On its summit is located the Swarga – the heaven – presided over by the king of the Hindu Gods, Indra, who is also the God of rains that bring prosperity to the vast food bowl of the Gangetic plains.

To the modern Hindu's it is known as Kailash (Crystal), where The Great God Shiva resides along with Parvati his consort.

To the Tibetan Buddhists it is known as Tise (Ice Peak) or Kang Rinpoche. (the Precious Snow Mountain) and regard it as the dwelling place of Demchog (also known as Chakrasamvara) and his consort, Dorje Phagmo.

The Bön,. the religion which predates Buddhism in Tibet, maintain that the entire mystical region and the Nine story Swastika Mountain ( Tagzig Olmo Lung Ring) and its the seat of all Spiritual power.

For Jains, this is the region of Mount Ashtapada, on the summit of which Rishabanatha, the first tirthankar, gained spiritual liberation.

It rises to a height of 6,638 m (21,778 ft) and remains unclimbed.
From time immemorial it has been the goal of pilgrims and explorers and the legends that surround it make it one of the most sacred and revered mountains in the world.

Mount Kailash is also the source of four major rivers: the Indus, the Brahmaputra, the Karnali and the Sutlej. The comparison to the Indian legend of Mount Meru from whose summit flows four great rivers that irrigate all of Asia is hard to miss.

Eighteen miles southeast of Kailash is the circular, turquoise Lake Manasarovar, or Tso Rinpoche, [Precious Lake], a 64-mile circuit, which is rarely completed except by the most devout. Bathing in the lake, or even dousing one’s head with the holy water, is said to be of enormous spiritual benefit to those who can brave the icy water which many claim contain miraculous powers. Hindus are told that complete immersion into the lake ensures they be reborn as a god. This is a freshwater lake, three miles above sea level. There is a saltwater lake, separated by a narrow peninsula, named Raksas Tal, or "Ravan's (The Demon King of the Ramayana) lake. Pilgrims don’t bathe or circumambulate this crescent moon-shaped body of water, but do pay their respect by glancing in its direction.

Five monasteries have been rebuilt on the shores of Lake Manasarovar since 1981—before the Chinese invasion in 1959 there were eight. Fatigued pilgrims are allowed to stay in the monasteries.

Fewer than 500 Indian nationals are allowed "officially" to make the pilgrimage per year due to the Chinese and Indian governments. Most of the Indians allowed in are selected via a lottery and the ability to pay their own way (Rs. 1.5 lakhs) is evident in the fact that the majority of them are middle-aged businessmen from large cities. Lately some Indians have used the various travel tours available from Nepal to get rid of these limitations.