Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Trekking in Mt. Kailash Region

The holy mountain Kailash (6714m) and lake Manasarovar are situated on the artic Tibetan plateau of western Tibet. Tucked between the Gurla Mandata Mountain (7694m) in the southeast and Kunlung Mountain in the northwest. Mt. Kailash and Lake Manasarovar are worshiped by four different religions: Buddhist, Hindu, Jain, and Vaishnab. Mt. Kailash is one of the three pilgrimage sites in the area, collectively known as Kangri Tsosum. The other two are Ponri Ngaden and Lake Manasarovar. All are said to be at the heart of the ancient Shangshung kingdom.

Mt. Kailash is their soul mountain (lari), which they also call Yungdrung Gu Tse (the Nine story Swastika Mountain). This is the very place where it is stated that the sect legendary founder, Tonpa Shenrab, descended from heaven to earth. Lord Shiva, both creator and destroyer of life, is believed by Hindus to reside in the holy mountain.

Mt. Kailash and Lake Manasarovar remained unknown to the Western World until the eighteenth century, hidden behind some of the greatest natural barriers on earth. The First European to travel through the region was an Italian Jesuit missionary, Father Ippolito Desideri. In the winter of 1715 he crossed Western Tibet, a vast, sterile and terrible desert, following the course of Tsangpo river all the way to Lhasa. On the way, he passed Lake Manasarovar and a cloud-hidden mountain (Mount Kailash) that he reported was sacred to the powerful Tantrik wizard 'Urghien' or Padmasambhava.

The best time to make a tour to Mt. Kailash & Lake Manasarovar region is between mid-May and mid-October. During this time the weather in Mt. Kailash and Lake Manasarovar is generally stable and clear, with warm temperatures during the days and cool nights. July and August are usually warmer, but this is when the monsoon pushes beyond the Himalaya. Swelling the creeks and coating the valleys with greenery and wildflowers.

There are 3 different major gateways to start the tour to Mt. Kailash & Lake Manasarovar; Zhang-Mu, Lhasa and Simikot (far western border of Nepal).

The duration of the Tibet Mt. Kailash and Lake Manasarovar tour can be varied with starting from different points. It also depends on which places you would like to cover within your journey. According to your time frame or other requirements we can always customize the trip.

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Statues of Tenzing, Hillary and Boris erected in NTB premises

Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation has installed the statues of toursim heroes Tenzing Norgay Sherpa, Sir Edmund Hillary and Boris Lissanevitch in the premises of Nepal Tourism Board.

Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation Sharat Singh Bhandari and Minister for Culture of Kaluga State of the Russian Federation Alexander Tipalovin inaugurated the statues amidst a ceremony on October 11.

Tenzing and Hillary were the first summiteers of Mt Everest while Boris had opened Nepal's first tourist standard hotel -- Royal Hotel. Many tourism entrepreneurs regard Boris as a pioneer of Nepali tourism. According to ministry sources, the statue of Boris was erected also because of the request of non-resident Nepalis.

The government, during Everest Golden Jubilee Celebration in 2003, had offered honorary citizenship to Sir Edmund Hillary.

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