In most parts of the world, in most of the Tibetan Plateau, the unique peak of Mount Kailash dominates the remote landscape.
Known to billions of people, Mount Kailash is a sacred site for devout Buddhists, Hindus and Jains, but no one has ever climbed the 22,028-foot (6,714 m) peak.
One of the holiest mountains in the world, Buddhists call it Mount Meru, the central axis of the universe, while Hindus are the abode of the god Shiva.
Thousands of pilgrims embark on an arduous adventure every year to make a stopover on the mountain located in a remote corner of southwestern Tibet. Devotees circle the base of the mountain three times in a clockwise ritual known as “Kora. “Meanwhile, pilgrims of the Jain and Bon religions counterclockwise.
Despite all this attention, no one has ever set foot on the most sensitive part of the mountain. It is forbidden to climb Mount Kailash for fear of undermining its sanctity, reports the Times of India. The newspaper references a myth in which a monk named Milarepa climbs to the top of the mountain, returning to the others with a warning “to disturb the God who rests on the top of the summit. “
Hugh Ruttledge, an English civil servant and mountaineer, visited Mount Kailash with Colonel R. C. Wilson of the Indian Army, but the attempt to climb the mountain was halted due to heavy snowfall.
When Austrian mountaineer Herbert Tichy asked a local Tibetan leader if the Kailash was climbable, the man replied, “Only a man who is completely free of sin can climb the Kailash. And I wouldn’t want to scale the ice walls to do that, him. “I’d turn into a bird and fly to the top. “
Tibetan tour operator Tibet Vista reports that Mount Kailash is “considered for climbing,” not because of the weather or its sacredness, but simply because of the “physical challenges” it poses.
“The mountain’s pyramidal shape, steep slopes, and consistent snow cover make it incredibly challenging,” reads a description on its website. “The summit stands out from the surrounding peaks with its symmetrical walls emerging into the sky. The slopes are almost vertical, making it incredibly tricky for climbers. “
The Chinese government gave Italian mountaineer Reinhold Messner the opportunity to climb this mountain in the mid-1980s. But he is said to have refused, saying, “If we climb this mountain, then we will do something in people’s souls. I would recommend going through anything a little harder. “
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