At age 74, Guru, a herdsman from Naqu in northern Tibet, is making his first pilgrimage to the Kangrin Poche, known as Mt Kailash to westerners. It is situated in Ngari, 1,700 km west of Lhasa, capital of Tibet Autonomous Region. He and dozens of his native folks will travel for five days by truck to pay their respects to the summit of the Gangdise Range. Despite the dust, gale-force winds, biting cold and other trying elements on the "roof of the world," Guru is in high spirits. "It is my lifelong dream to make a pilgrimage to the Kangrin Poche," says the herdsman. "I feel so lucky that my dream is to come true, and, that too, in the year of the horse." At an altitude of 6,714 meters, the Kangrin Poche is where four of Asia's greatest rivers - the Lion Spring or the Indus; the Horso Spring or the Brahmputra; the Elephant Spring or the Karnali; and the Peacock or the Sutlej - originate. The mountain has been revered for centuries by Tibetan Buddhists, Hindus, Jains and followers of the ancient Tibetan Bon faith that pre-dated Buddhism. Its magnificent and conical snow summit, with its great swastika-like central scar, inspires awe and is regarded as the wellspring of all life forces. Followers of different faiths journey from afar to the holy mountain and circle its base, believing the act washes away the sins of a lifetime. And the mountain is so holy that the Chinese mountaineering authorities have forbidden any attempt to climb to its top. As the Kangrin Poche, meaning "snow jewel" in Tibetan, is said to belong to the "water horse," people believe that it is auspicious to make circuits around the mountain in the year of the horse, which is once every 12 years according to the Tibetan calendar. This year is not only the year of the horse, but also the year of the "water horse" on the Tibetan calendar, which comes once every 60 years. So it is supposed to be the most auspicious year to circle the Kangrin Poche. Believers say one circuit around the holy mountain in the year of the horse is worth 13 circuits in an ordinary year, and 10 circuits would rid the pilgrim of sufferings in hell before he or she starts a second life. That is why Guru and his fellow pilgrims are so excited about the journey. Each of them has to pay more than 700 yuan (US$62.5) for the transportation and they have to take food for the way. "We would have loved to have made the pilgrimage before, but we could not afford it," says the driver, Nancha. "I saved for four years to buy this truck and I'm very happy to drive all these pilgrims to the holy mountain." Aside from going round the Kangrin Poche, the pilgrims will pay their respects to a sacred lake nearby, called Mapangyong Cuo or Mansarovar. Many of them will cleanse themselves in the blue high-altitude lake and get a bottle of water from it. Mapangyong Cuo is another wonder on this wild land. Meaning the lake of consciousness and enlightenment, Mapangyong Cuo is a fresh water lake rarely seen on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Only 2 kilometers to its west is Lango Cuo, or Rakshas Taal, which mean lake of demons, a salt-water lake. Even those who have made the pilgrimage before would not miss a chance to circle the mountain and visit the lake in the year of the horse. Bianzha, another pilgrim from Naqu, says he spent six months trekking all the way from his hometown to the Kangrin Poche 12 years ago. At the time he lived on herding and did not earn much. "Now I have my own truck and earn more than 10,000 yuan (US$1,250) a year from it. And this time I will drive my wife and son to the holy mountain in just seven days," he says. Many western tourists are also joining the pilgrims. Up to May 26, the camping ground at the foot of the Kangrin Poche had received some 20,000 pilgrims and tourists, including more than 500 from India, Nepal, Japan, Germany, Netherland, Australia, Austria, Canada, the United States and Belgium, according to Wang Songping, deputy head of Ngari Prefecture. Routes to circle the Kangrin Poche vary in length, but the most popular one is a 52-kilometre route said to be opened up by Gongcangpa, a Buddhist monk of the Kagyupa sect in the 12th century, according to Professor Cering Jiabu, a scholar on Tibetan religions with the Tibetan Academy of Social Sciences. "Most pilgrims now make circuits along this route," says Jiabu, a native of Ngari who made his first pilgrimage on his mother's back when he was barely one year old. No matter what routes they take, pilgrims have to defy the high altitude averaging more than 5,000 meters. For strongly-built Tibetans, one circuit may take 12 hours. Others spend two or three days going round once. Some even take two to three weeks to show their awe by prostrating their bodies all the way. Many make more than one circuit during their pilgrimage. Ceing Lamu, a 75-year-old woman from Qamdo in eastern Tibet, stayed at the camping ground for three months during her first pilgrimage and made more than 20 circuits. "I'm to stay on and make as many circuits as I can," she says. Caile Barong, a 64-year-old retired police officer from Garze Tibetan Autonomous Region in Sichuan, feels too tired after making his first circuit so he pays 50 yuan (US$6.25) to a local herdsman to make a second circuit for him. This is permitted by tradition. Kaji, a Sherpa trek guide from Nepal, is making his 23rd pilgrimage to the Kangrin Poche. Although this is an assignment from his employer, a travel agency in Nepal, he says he loves to make the trip to this sacred place. "Mt Kailash is the holiest mountain in my heart," he says. "Even if not for my job, which gives me the chance to bring western tourists here three or four times a year, I would have liked to come to this place as often as possible." Foreign pilgrims and tourists are asked to register their Kangrin Poche travel plans with the authorities in charge of issuing Tibet tour permits, and their travel agencies will group them before or when they enter China. Most start the trip in Kathmandu, Nepal, where many travel agencies have good ties with their Tibetan counterparts, which provide them with tour guides, jeeps and logistics support. Wang says arrivals in the year of the horse are 10 times more than in other years. "In the last year of the horse, 1990, we received 50,000 pilgrims and tourists, against 5,000 the previous year," he says. "Up to October this year, when the tourist season ends, we expect to receive 100,000 pilgrims and tourists, against 9,000 last year." The figure is impressive as the entire prefecture of Ngari, which is twice as big as the United Kingdom, has a population of only a little more than 70,000. To facilitate pilgrimages this year, the prefecture government has set up temporary medical, postal and telecom services at the camping ground. But facilities, especially sanitation, could be improved in the remote place, , admits Wang. It has been reported that one pilgrim from India died of high-altitude sickness on his way to the mountain. So how does it feel to undertake such an ordeal at the cost of more than US$3,000 for an average western visitor, not including international travel? "To be able to come here is a significant moment in my life," says Hans Hazes from Holland. "After all this is a wonder land." As for Tibetans who pay between up to 1,000 yuan (US$120) each for the pilgrimage, says Cering Jiabu the scholar: "They always value their spiritual life more than their material one. It is that outlook on life which sustains them on this high land with harsh living conditions." |
