Mount Kailash Kora

Although not especially tall by Tibetan standards, picturesque Mount Kailash is notable as the source of four major Asian rivers: the Indus, Sutlej, Brahmaputra, and Karnali. Countless stories surround it, each shaped by different religious traditions.

Hindus and Buddhists often identify it as Mount Meru, the center of the universe and abode of the gods. Hindus revere the mountain as the home of the god Shiva. Jains believe it to be where the first Tirthankara ("saint"), Rishabhadeva, attained moksha, or "enlightenment". Bön practitioners, the traditional religion of Tibet, identify Mount Kailash with the sky god Sipaimen and believe it to be the spiritual center of the universe, where heaven and earth are linked.

Some unsuccessful attempts to climb the mountain were made in the 1920s and '30s. Although it is not considered especially difficult by today's standards, the mountain is off-limits due to its immense religious importance and remains a virgin peak to this day. World-renowned mountaineer Reinhold Messner was offered permission to climb it in the 1980s. He famously declined, saying: "If we conquer this mountain, then we conquer something in people's souls."

While they can’t climb the mountain, visitors can follow in the footsteps of pilgrims on a 32-mile pilgrimage (known as yatra in Hinduism and kora in Buddhism) that circles the peak’s base. Starting and ending in Darchen, Hindus and Buddhists make the typically three-day journey clockwise, while Bön practitioners move counterclockwise. Jains follow specific meditation points and ritual stations along the trail rather than a set direction.

The route passes numerous monasteries and four chaktsal gangs, viewpoints where Buddhists prostrate before the mountain. The most devout pilgrims continuously prostrate themselves and crawl throughout the entire journey, a process that can last up to three weeks.

In addition to the increasingly popular Outer Kora around the mountain's base, there is also the Inner Kora, which goes up close to Gyangdrak and Selung monasteries. This more difficult route is only open to pilgrims who have completed the Outer Kora 13 times.