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A Pilgrimage Around Mt. Kailash - Tibetan Buddhism's Most Holy Mountain
MRIC 2007/08

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"A Pilgrimage Around Mt. Kailash - Tibetan Buddhism's Most Holy Mountain"

November 6th 
Phil Druker - English

Abstract: Mt. Kailash (22,028 ft, 6714 m) in western Tibet is the most sacred mountain and pilgrimage destination for Hindus and Tibetan Buddhists. For these two religions, this glacier covered mountain is the “navel of the world.” Completing the kora—the pilgrimage—around this holy, unclimbed mountain is said to erase the sins of a lifetime (or even many, many lifetimes). In September and October, 2006, I traveled from Kathmandu, Nepal, to Mount Kailash: a trip that involved 4 days of driving about 1100 km (700 miles) over the Himalaya and then across “the roof of the world” through western Tibet. On the three-day pilgrimage around Mt. Kailash, I hiked with Tibetan and Indian pilgrims over Drolma Pass (18,200, 5550m) and visited various monasteries along with other holy sites. In this presentation, I’ll show photos from this trip, discuss the pilgrimage in terms of Tibetan Buddhism, and touch on the political situation in Tibet.

Original url: http://www.uidaho.edu/class/mric/archives/pre-2010/fall2007/druker