The Inner and Outer Paths of Mt. Kailash: Pilgrimage to the Abode of Chakrasamvara

Mt. Kailash in the far west of Tibet is one of the holiest mountains in the world, adored by Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and Bonpo. During the last two decades, also Westerners set out for this remote region. Improved infra- structure let their number - and that of Indian pilgrims - severely increase. Besides Mt. Kailash, there are other goals for pilgrims and tourists: Lake Manasarovar, Tirthapuri and the historical Guge kingdom, and the sources of the four major rivers Brahmaputra, Karnali, Sutlej and Indus. After several Mt. Kailash pilgrimages in the years 2002 - 2013, the author describes the whole region in detail and the recent trend to develop it as a center of tourism, coming along with the improved accessibility on paved roads. As with other holy mountains, there are several paths for the circumambulation, the Kora of Mt. Kailash. Those who performed it 12 times, are entitled for the "Inner" Kora. In the horse year of the Tibetan calendar, this condition is fulfilled already by a single Kora. The horse year 2014 will therefore see large numbers of visitors, pilgrims and trekking tourists, from many countries. The "Inner" Kora is a path leading directly into the south face of Mt. Kailash. It never leads around the holy mountain itself, but goes around Mt. Nandi, an outlier of Mt. Kailash. The author describes the "Inner" Kora, but also a real Inner Kora of Mt. Kailash: he redetected paths a long time forgotten and succeeded in exploring new ones. The exceptional views of the holy mountain on these paths and their astonishing resemblance with the iconography of the deity residing in the mountain are explained and demonstrated with graphic representations by the artist August Ohm.