Mt. Kailash is situated in the northern part of Purang county of Ngari prefecture of Tibet. In Tibetan, Mt. Kailash is popularly known as Gang-Rinpoche which literally translates to the holy mountain.Mt. Kailash in fact is considered as one of the holiest mountains in Tibet and around the world. Major religions of the world such as Buddhist, Hindus, Jains, and Bon practitioners all revere the Mt. Kailash.
Milarepa, a yogi student of Marpha meditated at the site of this holy mountain and attained enlightenment in one lifetime. Lord Shiva of Hindu religion also meditated at Kailash Parvat and hence it is a sacred place for Hindus. Jains call this mountain Mt. Mount Ashtapada is the place where the creator of their faith, Rishabhadeva, attained freedom from rebirth. Similarly, Tonpa Sherab-the founder of Tibet’s oldest and indigenous religion Bon is believed to be born around Mt. Kailash. Hence, pilgrims from all over Tibet, India, Nepal, and all over the world flock to this holy mountain.
The four major rivers of Asia originate from each face of this mountain. The source of each river bears the symbol of an animal. Hence, Tachok Khabab which literally translates to horse mouth fall is the source of Brahmaputra river, Langchen Khabab- the elephant mouth fall is the source of Sutlej River, Singay Khabab-the snow lion mouth fall is the source of the Indus River and Macha Khabab – the peacock mouth fall is the source of the Karnali river -a tributary of river Ganges.
These rivers feed the water demand of billions of people in central and south Asia. No wonder Tibet is called the “Water Tower” of Asia and third pole of the world. It also possesses the largest ice reserve after the north and south pole. Mt. Kailash is an epitome of mystic, myths, and mysteries.