Mount Kailash (Devanagari: कैलाश पर्वत)(Kailāśā Parvata) is a peak in the Gangdisê mountains which is part of the Himalayas in Tibet, the source of some of the longest rivers in Asia—the Indus River, the Sutlej River (a major tributary of the Indus River), the Brahmaputra River, and the Karnali River (a tributary of the Ganges River) —and is considered as a sacred place in four religions—Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Bön faith. In Hindu religion, it is considered to be the abode of Lord Shiva. The mountain lies near Lake Manasarowar and Lake Rakshastal in Tibet.

There have been no recorded attempts to climb Mount Kailash; it is considered off limits to climbers in deference to Buddhist and Hindu beliefs. It is the most significant peak in the world that has not seen any known climbing attempts.

Answered by Jitendra , an ibibo Master, at 2:44 AM on October 07, 2008

According to Hinduism, Shiva, the destroyer of evil and sorrow, resides at the summit of a legendary mountain named Kailāśā, where he sits in a state of perpetual meditation along with his wife Pārvatī, the daughter of Himalaya. Kubera, the god of wealth was also said to have his abode on or near the mountain.

This Kailāśā is regarded in many sects of Hinduism as paradise, the ultimate destination of souls and the spiritual center of the world.

Some traditions also aver that the mountain is Shiva's linga and Lake Manasarowar below is the yoni of His consort. According to one description in the Vishnu Purana, Mount Kailash is the center of the world, its four faces are made of crystal, ruby, gold, and lapis lazuli. It is the pillar of the world; is 84,000 leagues high; is the center of the world mandala; and is located at the heart of six mountain ranges symbolizing a lotus. The four rivers flowing from Kailash then flow to the four quarters of the world and divide the world into four regions.

The largest and most important rock-cut temple, Kailash Temple at Ellora, Maharashtra is named after Mount Kailash. Many of its sculptures and reliefs depict episodes relating to Shiva and Parvati, including the demon Ravana's attempt to dislodge them by shaking Mount Kailash.

Answered by Rajani , an ibibo Citizen, at 1:34 PM on October 03, 2008

Mount Kailash is the abode of Lord Shiva. That is supposed to be the first of the Lord Shiva temples in importance and prominence. One darshan of Kailash is equal to attainment of Moksha.

Answered by Niraimathi , an ibibo Master, at 12:48 AM on October 03, 2008

Mount Kailash (Devanagari: कैलाश पर्वत)(Kailāśā Parvata) is a peak in the Gangdisê mountains which is part of the Himalayas in Tibet, the source of some of the longest rivers in Asia—the Indus River, the Sutlej River (a major tributary of the Indus River), the Brahmaputra River, and the Karnali River (a tributary of the Ganges River) —and is considered as a sacred place in four religions—Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Bön faith. In Hindu religion, it is considered to be the abode of Lord Shiva. The mountain lies near Lake Manasarowar and Lake Rakshastal in Tibet.

There have been no recorded attempts to climb Mount Kailash; it is considered off limits to climbers in deference to Buddhist and Hindu beliefs. It is the most significant peak in the world that has not seen any known climbing attempts

Answered by Anju Singh , an ibibo Master, at 1:36 AM on October 02, 2008

Kailash is a Mountain that is said to be the abode of Lord Shiv.It is said that the most important of the Indian Gods often visit Kailash to seek counsel from Shiv.
The scriptures also suggest that in the old age it is always better to spend the rest of your life in the surroundinmgs of the Kailash hills takes you to the Heavens.It is said to be the Holiest of all places.

Answered by Vijay Kayal , an ibibo Master, at 4:30 PM on October 01, 2008

Mount Kailas (22,028 ft, 6,714 m), the famed holy peak, is situated to the north of the Himalayan barrier in Western Tibet. This legendary snow-shrouded rock dome is one of the most revered pilgrimage sites for Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and Bonpos (Pre-Buddhists) and draws pilgrims from India, Nepal, Mongolia, Tibet, Japan, China, Southeast Asia and other parts of the world. At the slopes of Kailas, a stream is said to pour into Manasarovar and from this lake, flow four of Asia's great rivers ­ the Indus, the Brahmaputra, the Karnali and the Sutlej.

For well over a thousand years, pilgrims have journeyed here to pay homage to the mountain's mystery, circumambulating it in a ritual that continues to this day. Their faith proclaims that not just the mountain's ice - capped summit but the entire region is the abode of the Gods.

Hindus cross the frozen mountain passes of India and Nepal to circle the peak that is Lord Shiva’s throne and bathe in the lake created from the manas (mind) of Brahma. Buddhists journey from Nepal, Bhutan, Ladakh, Mongolia and every corner of Tibet to this holiest of mountains they call Kang Rinpoche. Jainism knows Kailas as Mount Astapada. Atop the summit, the religion's founder, Rishabhanta, gained spiritual liberation. And to the Bonpo, followers of Tibet’s old pre-Buddhist beliefs it is the ‘Nine - Storey Swastika Mountain’, the mystic ‘soul’ of the entire region. Each holds different beliefs, each sees different Gods, but the underlying reality is the sameManasarovar, the lake born from the mind of Brahma, is among the most ancient and holy of Hindu pilgrimage sites. Hindu legend tells of twelve Rishis, wise 'Seers' of pre-Vedic times who retreated to this remote region for meditation and prayer. They stayed many years performing penances and austerities, and were awarded a vision of Shiva and Parvati, the divine Lord and Lady of Kailas. But still they lacked, in this dry land, a suitable place to perform the daily ablutions required of devout Hindus. The Rishis prayed to Brahma so that they might fulfill their duties. From the infinite depths of his all-encompassing mind Brahma created Manasarovar. Manasarovar's clear waters are said to possess miraculous healing properties.

According to ancient Hindu folkfore, it was Brahma - the Creator, who himself created Manasarovar and the divine Jambu tree, which though invisible to the human eye, grows in the centre. It is for this reason that the world was called Jambudwipa by the ancients; and it is said that because of the fruits of this divine tree that the waters of the Manasarovar have turned into a life - giving elixir! Manasarovar's clear waters are said to possess miraculous healing properties.

'When the earth of Manasarovar touches anyone's body or anyone bathes in the lake, he shall go to the Paradise of Brahma, and he who drinks its waters shall go to the heaven of Shiva and shall be released from the sins of a hundred births. Even the beast who bears the name of Manasarovar shall go to the paradise of Brahma. Its waters are like Pearls.' (The Ramayana).

The pilgrimage to Kailas and Manasarovar has always been considered the most difficult in Asia. The distances seem unending. The weather is harsh. The temperature could soar to 40 Degrees C and drop to 0 Degrees just in a matter of a few hours. Supplies are virtually non-existent. The pilgrim has to undergo extreme hardship under extreme temperatures. The terrain is not very friendly either. Nevertheless, pilgrims come from all parts of the world, defying all hardships. They trek for 53 km around Kailas and 90 km around Manasarovar at altitudes between 15,000 - 19,000 feet above sea level.
Mt. Kailash has long been an object of worship for four Major religious, for Hindu, it is domain of Shiva, It is also the abode of samvara-a multiarmed, wrathful deity worshipped in the chakrasamvara Tantric cycle of Tibetrian Buddhism. The joins of India

Answered by Vipan Thapar , an ibibo Master, at 11:56 AM on October 01, 2008

Mt Kailas is unique in that it rises up from the highest point of the Tibetan Plateau, like the hub of a giant wheel. From this hub four mighty rivers form and flow in four different directions like spokes radiating outward from the hub of the wheel. Unlike the range of Himalayan peaks to the south, Kailas stands isolated on the Tibetan highland so that the pilgrim can walk around it in less than a weeks time. The mountain itself appears like a great symmetrical domed temple coated with ice and snow, shining white and dominating the landscape in all directions around it.

To further enhance the symbolic mysticism of the mountain as a sacred place, Lama Govinda's rendering of Tibetan Tanka - Kailas and two lakes two lakes are situated at the base of the mountain. The higher lake, Manasarovar, is round like the sun, and a lower lake, Rakastal is the shape of the crescent moon. The two lakes represent the solar and the lunar forces respectively. The inner consciousness of man (the solar force) is often compared to the Manasarovar lake. When the thoughts of the mind are stilled, the reflection of the higher Buddhic mind and Atmic awareness is seen. Manas means Mind in Sanskrit. The crescent lake, Rakastal partakes of the lunar or dark forces and this is reflected in the name which comes from Rakshasas or demons; beings who are totally under the sway of the lower desires and impulses (ie lunar forces).

The outside world knows chiefly of the tallest peaks of the Himalayas - Everest, Annapurna, and the like which the egoistic mind of the modern age is motivated to "conquer" by ascending the summit. But the ancients, the religious pilgrims, and the devotees of Shiva pay homage to Mount Kailasa in a much different way - by circumambulating the sacred mountain. They would never dream of desecrating the home of the Gods by setting foot on the mountain, much less attempting to climb to the summit.

Shiva, who embodies the destroyer aspect of the trinity of God (Generation, Organization, The shimmering ice cap of Kailas Destruction) is said to reside at Mt Kailas. According to tradition Shiva wears the bones of the dead as decoration and smears himself in ash - signifying the burning of the lower desires. The higher significance of the destroyer aspect is that he cuts asunder the bonds of the ego, liberating the Atma within from the darkness of ignorance. Coincident with this theme of death is the presence of two large hollows on Mt Kailas so that from one particular angle, the ice covered dome of Kailas appears as a skull with two large eyeholes peering out from beneath the skull-like dome.

For more visit :

http://www.cosmicharmony.com/B h/BHmain.htm

Answered by Ashish Yadav , an ibibo Wizard, at 8:14 AM on October 01, 2008

Mount Kailash (Devanagari: कैलाश पर्वत)(Kailāśā Parvata) is a peak in the Gangdisê mountains which is part of the Himalayas in Tibet, the source of some of the longest rivers in Asia—the Indus River, the Sutlej River (a major tributary of the Indus River), the Brahmaputra River, and the Karnali River (a tributary of the Ganges River) —and is considered as a sacred place in four religions—Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Bön faith. In Hindu religion, it is considered to be the abode of Lord Shiva. The mountain lies near Lake Manasarowar and Lake Rakshastal in Tibet.

There have been no recorded attempts to climb Mount Kailash; it is considered off limits to climbers in deference to Buddhist and Hindu beliefs. It is the most significant peak in the world that has not seen any known climbing attempts.
According to Hinduism, Shiva, the destroyer of evil and sorrow, resides at the summit of a legendary mountain named Kailāśā, where he sits in a state of perpetual meditation along with his wife Pārvatī, the daughter of Himalaya. Kubera, the god of wealth was also said to have his abode on or near the mountain.

This Kailāśā is regarded in many sects of Hinduism as paradise, the ultimate destination of souls and the spiritual center of the world.

Some traditions also aver that the mountain is Shiva's linga and Lake Manasarowar below is the yoni of His consort. According to one description in the Vishnu Purana, Mount Kailash is the center of the world, its four faces are made of crystal, ruby, gold, and lapis lazuli. It is the pillar of the world; is 84,000 leagues high; is the center of the world mandala; and is located at the heart of six mountain ranges symbolizing a lotus. The four rivers flowing from Kailash then flow to the four quarters of the world and divide the world into four regions.

The largest and most important rock-cut temple, Kailash Temple at Ellora, Maharashtra is named after Mount Kailash. Many of its sculptures and reliefs depict episodes relating to Shiva and Parvati, including the demon Ravana's attempt to dislodge them by shaking Mount Kailash.
source:: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M ount_Kailash

Answered by Tingtong , an ibibo Master, at 8:13 AM on October 01, 2008