The pyramid-shaped mountain and the ocean-like lake are sacred sites in four religions. For me, it was an encounter with nature at its most raw, most pristine, and awe-inspiring.
I travel therefore I am. I have lost count of my travels to destinations far and near or the miles clocked, and months spent on the road. But Kailash-Mansarovar was a pilgrimage, not just travel. The pyramid-shaped mountain and the ocean-like lake are sacred sites in four religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Bön. For me, it was also an encounter with nature at its most raw, most pristine, and awe-inspiring.
Still more wondrous, the trek to the holiest mountain peak in the world was not planned. I had gone to Kathmandu in 2014 to address members of the Rotary Club of Mount Everest on stress management through ZeNLP meditation that I have evolved. There I met a travel agent who was taking a group to Mount Kailash and Mansarovar. I joined them after one enrollee had an asthma attack and dropped out.
Securing my Tibet entry permit, I enter the Forbidden Land through the Kodari border. Crossing the Friendship Bridge between Nepal and Tibet on foot, you have to complete the customs and immigration formalities on the Chinese side. The Toyota Land Cruiser waiting for us at the border would be my second home for the next two weeks in Tibet.
We start in the wee hours of the morning at Nyalam to be able to complete the 280 km drive to Saga (13,500 feet above sea level) before nightfall. We cross the windy Lalungla Pass (16,700 feet) and drive across Shishapangma High Altitude National Park. The most picturesque part of the journey begins when you reach the fringes of the deep blue Paiku-Tso lake. On the way, I could see Shishapangma peak (27,000 feet). We keep driving alongside a long mountain stream for hours. I am surprised to learn that this mountain stream is none other than what becomes the mighty Brahmaputra downstream.
Crossing the Brahmaputra, we reach the army camp of Saga by dusk and take a well-deserved rest to prepare for the tough journey to Paryang. Situated in the middle of a high-altitude desert, Saga is a slightly bigger town than Nyalam.
The 260 km drive to Paryang (14,200 feet) is covered in nine hours over mud track, gravel and rocks. The terrain was spectacular. There were barely any traces of human settlement except for a few tents of the Bon-Pa, a nomadic tribe who have lived in this hostile environment for centuries. The Bon-Pa’s are nature worshippers and strict vegans as I am. There are grasslands around the lakes en route where I see a few yaks lazily grazing.
Paryang is a small village used as a night halt by travelers. Homes here are not on Airbnb, but give shelter to trekkers, pilgrims, and tourists. I fall into a deep sleep as soon as I hit the bed and wake up to feel my toes freezing! In a few hours, we get onto the Land Cruiser driving towards Mansarovar 280 km away. Doing off-roading, all you see are large tracts of barren land, snowy peaks, and sandy hills. We cross the Mayum La pass (17,000 feet) and reach Chiu Gompa after eight hours. On a clear day, both Mount Kailash and Mansarovar lake can be glimpsed from there.
We camp alongside Mansarovar (14,950 feet) in a windproof tent. The almost circular 320 sq km lake is 90 km long. Spending the night on its edge is a magical experience. Thousands of stars are reflected in the still water of the lake, presenting a spectacle of unparalleled beauty, and making you bow to the bounty of nature. The clear skies, the altitude, the pitch darkness, and total silence combine to create an aura of spiritual energy that has to be felt to be believed.
During the day I take a dip in Mansarovar. The biting cold coupled with the freezing waters makes your body numb. However, the numbness disappears as suddenly as it appears. Then I circumambulate the lake on our Land Cruiser. I also visit Rakshas Tal, the lake where the demon Ravana is said to have meditated on Shiva. Its water is famed for its medicinal properties, particularly for the skin.
Mansarovar is the source of the Indus, Brahmaputra, Karnali, Mekong and Sutlej rivers. I enjoy the first rays of the rising sun, reflected on the waters of this mini-ocean. In the evening we watch the golden rays of the setting sun light up the evening sky. The lake reflects molten gold as the horizon turns pink and crimson. The fire in the sky is a stark contrast to the deep blue water of the lake, and the twain meet on the horizon.
We leave the next morning to start the Kailash circumambulation from Darchen. But first I finish my nine rounds of Gayatri mantra japa with the 108-bead mala. This was at the base of Mount Kailash (covered in mist and fog) between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. as I had been doing since my childhood during Brahma Mahurat, the most auspicious hour for spiritual practices. I also meditated on the banks of the lake at dawn and dusk.
The last night at our destination is spent along the eastern shore of Mansarovar with Kailash to the left and Mount Gurla Mandhata to the right. I fill up my jerry can with holy water from the turquoise blue lake for carrying back to India for family and friends.
In four days, we are back in Kathmandu. I fly back to Ahmedabad via Delhi with the holy water, Tibetan souvenirs, and atma lingas (pebbles that fall off Kailash parbat). I am home safe after the closest encounter a human being can have with fire, water, and earth, the primordial elements.
