Travel tips for Kailash Manasarovar Yatra

There are lots of blogs and travel websites which cover the dos and don’ts, the exercise regimen, packing lists etc for the Kailash Yatra, so I will not cover that here. I will only talk about things from my experience which I have not found covered sufficiently in the existing write-ups.

·         1.  Kailash Manasarovar Yatra is a purely religious / spiritual pilgrimage. Initiating the yatra is on human effort, but the successful completion along with the darshan is entirely up to His grace. I have heard of groups who have spent 4 days at Manasarovar and come back without having darshan as Kailash remained covered with clouds. Even in my group, there were a couple of people who had booked the horse for the parikrama and were fit and strong. However they fell ill just on the night before the parikrama and couldn’t make it.

Kailash is His abode and it is up to Him who He grants the permit to visit his home. The Lord is Ashutosh – one who is easily pleased. He bestows His Grace on His devotees liberally. But one must maintain the prayerful attitude and must not take it for granted.

·         2.  Diamox – High altitude comes with its own set of issues. Typical problems experienced by people are breathlessness, severe headache, nausea, vomiting, dysentery, loss of appetite, sleeplessness. Some people (very few) may also experience loss of coherence in mental function. These are temporary problems and are supposed to go away with acclimatization – spending some time at a given altitude to allow the body to cope up. However the schedule of the trip does not allow for sufficient acclimatization and you can’t wish that away.
Diamox (acetazolamide) is a magic pill which negates most of the effects of high altitude. The typical dose is 1 tablet (250 mg) once a day after breakfast.  The side effects are a tingling sensation in hands and feet for the first couple of days and red colored urine. These negative effects go away with drinking sufficient water (3 – 4 liters a day). The pros of the drug far outweigh the cons, so this is recommended by the Himalayan Mountaineering Association.
However this being a suplha drug, it cannot be taken by people having sulpha drug allergies. These were the people in our group suffering the most. I would strongly recommend such people to consult their physician to get an alternative pill.  Homeopathic alternatives are also available; these help to some extent but are not as effective.

·         3.  Clothing – You do not need warm clothes at Kathmandu. However, throughout Tibet you would be wearing 4 layers – a thermal inner, a T-shirt / shirt, a warm thick pullover, and the down jacket (this was provided by the tour operator). For the bottoms, you would wear a thermal inner and a pair of jeans on it. Other accessories – woolen socks, ankle high shoes, water proof gloves with a fur lining inside, a monkey cap, sunglasses, dust mask.  This is sufficient to handle the coldest weather that you could face; you do not need much else.
There are no laundry facilities in the entire trip. Having said that, you do not sweat much in Tibet. Also lot of germs that are there in plains would not exist in the harsh weather of the Himalayas. You do not need to change your inners even half as often as you typically do in the plains. So you need not stuff in too many of them. The only time you must change into all fresh clothes is before you go for the pooja and havan at Manasarovar. Everything else is optional.

·         4.  Backpack during the parikrama – You should have a two piece raincoat with you. The down jacket that the operator provided was of fairly good quality, had a hood, and was water proof and wind proof. You need to use the bottom piece of the raincoat though. And it is better to wear it at the start of the day even if it is sunny as the weather can change drastically in a matter of minutes. In the backpack you need to carry the stuff that you may need to change into in case you get wet – thermal inners, 1 T-shirt, 1 pant, a pullover, monkey cap, a pair of socks. Apart from this you will carry 2 one liter bottles, chocolates, dry fruits, toilet paper, a small towel, a torch, sun-cream and any essential personal medicines. This will make the backpack heavy enough. You need not and should not carry anything else during the 3 day parikrama.

5.  Horse and porter - These are hired at Tarboche. The charges are not included in the tour cost, you would need to carry sufficient yuans with you if you intend to hire them. You are not allowed to carry any bags with you while on the horse, so a porter becomes mandatory if you hire the horse. A porter carries max 1 bag which should be less than 8 kg. You need to pack accordingly. You need not hire the horse for the entire journey. Generally you will find horses before the climb to Dolma La just for taking you to the top of the pass, which is the toughest part of the trek. However this is not guaranteed.

In our group 19 people of 66 completed the parikrama. 11 of us (including me) hired horses at Tarboche for the entire 3 day trip. 3 determined trekkers completed the enire journey on foot. The rest had to hire the horse at Dolma La as they found the going too tough.

6.  6. Timing the Yatra – Tour operators typically highlight the dates wherein you get to be at Kailash on the full moon night. I beg to disagree.

One, the darkest period is most auspicious for Shiva pooja. Shivaratri falls on the day before the no-moon. Full moon, on the other hand, has no special religious significance.
Secondly, a full moon at Manasarovar is not much different from a full moon in the city. Instead, if you happen to be at Manasarovar on a no-moon cloud-free night, the sight of the star-lit night sky is mind blowing. You will not get such a spectacle anywhere else on earth. In my opinion, moon light spoils the beauty of the place.

If you have the luxury of choice, you should try selecting a date such that you are at Manasarovar around the no-moon night.

·         7.  The yatra is fairly tough, and you should not expect much of facilities during the entire trip, despite what your travel agent promises or does not promise you. You must leave all your concepts of hygiene, cleanliness and sanitation safely under lock and key at home before you leave for Tibet.

You get a shower at Kathmandu before you leave and on the day you come back.  In between you have an opportunity for a dip in the frigid waters of Manasarovar if your health permits it. I was running a high fever on that day, so I had to postpone the bath to Kathmandu.
Tibetans believe in building homes without restrooms. Sanitary toilets do not exist in Tibet. There were 2 slum dog style toilets for 66 of us, and they had not been cleaned for years. It is far more hygienic to go in the open, behind a boulder. The sooner you accept this, the better.

·         This is not a leisure trip. If you are looking for a nice holiday in a picturesque setting in the hills, Indian part of Himalayas offer far more panoramic locations than Tibetan Himalayas.
This is not to deride the glorious landscape of Tibet in any way. There aren’t many places on earth where you can see right up to the horizon in 360 degrees – whichever way you look. The vast unobstructed openness of the Tibetan landscape, the absolute silence (except for the gushing, icy Tibetan wind), the rugged bare rock mountains and innumerable snow peaks all around are truly captivating. Most of Tibet that you see en-route is at an average height of 15000 feet, well above the tree line. Except for some patches of grass, not much vegetation grows here. You can go a 100 miles without spotting a single living entity, except for members of your own group. Many people find the uninhabited silence a little unnerving; on the other hand there are people who would love the place just for its deep silence; it takes some mental preparation to appreciate it.

Compare this to Indian Himalayas – lush green landscape, with white snow peaks in the distant background for variety, a dazzling array of colorful flowers, birds chirping in a melodious harmony, a rainbow of butterflies, throbbing with life.

There is a certain beauty in the vast rugged openness of Tibet, and I simply loved it. On the other hand there is a soft feminine charm of the Indian Himalayas. I would cherish that aspect of the Himalayas as well.

Salutations to Kailashpati !!!

The Journey Back

 

20^th June – Paryang

Our Driver

We made a leisurely start after breakfast and headed towards Paryang. The road being world class, we made the 277 km in less than 3.5 hours. The lunch was at the lodge at Paryang. Thereafter we were free for the remaining day. After the strenuous trek, it seemed like years since we had time for a nap after lunch.

We lazed around in the evening sharing with each other our experiences during the Yatra. Now that we were out of the Kailash kshetra, our mindset had changed. We just wanted to get out of the place and make it back home as early as possible. The free time at Paryang seemed like time wasted.  The next day we were to cover 460km, we had an early dinner and went to sleep.

Deer herd seen on the way back

 

 

 

21^st June – Nyalam

We started off pre-dawn with packed breakfast. The drive to Saga was beautiful. We stopped on the bank of the Brahmaputra just after crossing Saga for a photo session. Thereafter we continued on to the no-roads section.

China is constructing roads in this region on a war footing. While going towards Manasarovar we had seen a stretch of about 50 Km where a road was being laid. Ten days later on our way back we drove on that newly constructed road!

We crossed Lalung La pass, the highest point of driving, and stopped again for some photos.

Driving by Brahmaputra

At the lodge that night, the tour manager had arranged for a campfire and bollywood music. Swamiji gave a gift of money to the sherpas on behalf of all of us. Though many of us did not appreciate loud bolly music like “munni badnaam” and “sheila ki jawani” to end such a trip, there was a group of gujarati ladies who were enjoying thoroughly. The sherpas finished off their tasks around dinner and joined them in the dancing and revelry. This carried on till 11pm that night.

22^nd June – Kathmandu

Back Towards Zhangmu

We were eager to start off as early as possible. After breakfast we boarded our vehicles for the last leg of the journey. As we headed down from Nyalam towards Zhangmu, trees started reappearing. Soon it was lush green meadows and coniferous trees all around. Apparently it had rained in that area the previous night, the waterfalls and the streams had sprung to life. It was refreshing to breathe in the oxygen rich air of Zhangmu after having spent weeks in the rarefied air of Tibet.

Bhote Kosi

We bid farewell to our drivers with a small gift of money. After clearing the custom formalities we stepped on to the Nepal side and lost no time to change our watches back to IST. There was a wait for about an hour as the passports were stamped at the Kodari border in Nepal and our duffle bags were loaded on top of our bus.

The tour manager had arranged for lunch at a beautiful hotel called Border Line Resorts. Having lost the altitude, our hunger was back. The food was sumptuous, and we ate ravenously as if we had been starving for weeks. The resort provided a splendid surrounding with river Bhote Kosi raging by. There were a number of group photos taken at that spot.

Another three hour drive through treacherous winding roads led us back to Kathmandu. After the rooms were allotted, the first thing I wanted was to get into the shower. I can’t describe the relief it felt to discover modern restrooms after a gap of 15 days.

Nepal

I reclaimed the bags I had left behind at the Hotel during the onward journey and packed my stuff into it keeping in mind the check in baggage weight limitations. Later on, at the airport the next day, I was to find my packing just right – 20 kg for the check in luggage. They did not check the weight of the cabin luggage, so I was through without having to pay anything extra.

 

23^rd June – Back home

We were up early in the morning and ready to move after a lavish breakfast. Our buses were ready, luggage loaded and we bid goodbye to the tour manager and headed to the airport. We reached New Delhi and it was time to part ways. The Delhi’ites were back home. Some people were to stay at their relative’s place at Delhi for a couple of days. A few others were to board a train or a flight the same day.  I headed for the shuttle bus to transfer to the domestic terminal from where I was to catch my connecting flight back home. After a shared pilgrimage of 15 days which gave us experiences to cherish for a lifetime, we bid adieu to each other and moved our separate ways, with a promise and a hope to meet again at some time, some place.

Sri Gurubhyo Namah, Hari Om Sambhave namah
Om namoh bhagavate Rudraaya
Namaste astu bhagwan Vishweshwaraaya
Mahadevaaya Tryambakaaya Tripurantakaaya
Trikaagni Kaalaaya Kaalagni Rudraaya
Neelakanthaaya Mrutyunjayaaya Sarveshwaraaya
Sadaa Shivaaya Shriman Mahadevaaya Namah

Om Namoh bhagavate rudraaya vishnave mrityorme pahi
Sadaa Shivom
Om shanti shanti shanti:
Hari om tat sat, Shri Ramakrishnarpanamastu

Parikrama -Day3 - Back to Manasarovar

 

19^th June – Zuthulphuk – Darchen – Manasarovar

We started off early after breakfast. This time the horse was there right at the doorstep of the mudhouse. But today, I was much better. The fever had left me completely. And then there was the joy of having successfully completed the most difficult part of the journey. Today’s trek was going to be only 6 Km, mostly on level ground.

The trek started off smoothly and after a couple of hours we reached a point where we were asked to dismount from the horse and start walking. I was left wondering for a few minutes as we were walking on level ground with a nice trail. Soon I realized why we had to dismount. Ahead lay a narrow trail of about a kilometer or so with a cliff on one side and a deep gorge on the other. The width was just good enough for people to walk in a single file, and they would not risk the horse under you.

Manasarovar - Signaling completion of parikrama

As we neared the end of this trail we could see the pristine blue Manasarovar in the distance. This filled us with ecstasy – we had completed the parikrama. We congratulated each other, had a photo session. Soon we found our vehicles waiting for us. Our drivers came forward, hugged us and congratulated us. After 3 days on foot and on the horse, technology feels so good. Sitting back in the vehicles felt heavenly!

We headed back to Darchen where the rest of the group was waiting. After hugging each other we sat together in a large room at the Darchen guest house and shared our experiences and any remaining dry fruits and snacks. I and Tripathi ji went out to make a phone call back home. My mother must have been anxious as she hadn’t got any news from me for a while. We walked to the shop where we had negotiated a call rate of 3 yuan per min. Yes, even phone rates are negotiable in Tibet! My mom was truly worried. She felt elated and relieved at the same time on hearing that I had completed the parikrama safely. Tripathi ji also made a couple of calls home to his wife and daughters.

Manasarovar

After lunch we moved on to Manasarovar. This time we were put up in tents on the bank of the Manasarovar. Ours was a ten bedded tent of which one was broken. This was a boon, as the broken bed served to keep our bags. You never know when it rains and water starts flowing under the tent, you need to avoid keeping your bags on the ground.

We went out to fill Manasarovar water to carry back home. Earlier at Darchen, I and Tripathi ji had gone to a shop and bought 2.5 liter cans.  In the euphoria of having completed the parikrama we forgot to negotiate and paid up 5 yuan each. As we reached the bank of the lake, we realized that at least one of us would have to roll up his pants and step into the frigid waters and go some distance to collect silt free water. A Tibetan local came up and offered to bring us the water for 50 yuans per can. All of us felt it was too high and Srihari Rao ji volunteered to go in and get the water for all of us.

As we went back after filling the cans, we found that the cans on which we spent 5 yuans wouldn’t seal properly. The water would leak out if the container was tilted. As we would have to carry the water in the check in baggage, a tight seal was necessary. The cans we had bought were a waste. We had to obtain mineral water bottles, empty them and transfer the contents of the can to the bottles.

 

Lights over Manasarovar

Understandably, dinner was served before dark and soon we settled in our tents.  Being fever free after a long time, and add to it the jubilation of having completed the parikrama, I just couldn’t get to sleep. I decided to walk to the edge of the Manasarovar, about half a km from our tent. Tripathi ji joined me.

It was pitch dark. The dim solar lamps of the tent had gone off. There was absolutely no ambient light, and no man made light to be seen anywhere up to the horizon in 360 degrees. The air was dust free, and sky cloud free.  It was a moonless night. The usual fine cold wind was gushing. Silence reverberating all around. It must have been around 11 pm. We sat quietly on the sand, in a meditative mood. Then we saw it.

It was a sudden flash of light over Manasarovar which was clearly not ground based. It simply could not have been created by any torchlight or car light or any other ground based source. Besides, the whole area is uninhabited. It was not a lightening flash – there were no clouds. There is no aircraft activity over this area either. And this was certainly not an “Ulka” or any object falling from the sky. We were flummoxed. We waited.

A few minutes leaked away in the silence. Another flash. This time over a different area of the lake. It lasted a little longer, but still just under a second. We recollected our group members spotting devi devatas as flashes of light pre-dawn. I was wondering if I was seeing the same phenomenon.

We continued to observe for more than half an hour. We saw a lot of such flashes. These were essentially random, would occur at any place in the wide field of vision over the lake, would typically last a fraction of a second, but some of the flashes lasted a little more than a second. My understanding is that this is a phenomenon of the ozone layer, same or similar to aurora borealis. It’s an occurrence we normally do not witness in our country, its visible in high latitudes or in high altitude places where you get to see over a wide area all the way up to the horizon. Manasarovar offers precisely that kind of a condition, so you can see it there.

We had heard from our group members who “saw devi devatas” over Manasarovar that there were flashes of light. I was curious whether we were seeing the same phenomenon. But their devi devatas came with a lot of strings attached – they would be seen only at brahma muhurtam ( 2 hour period before dawn), it would be seen only on puranmasi nights ( full moon ) and that too only by lucky few.  I resolved to get up early next morning to check on it.

As I walked back to the tent, I looked up. The night sky was mind blowing. Absolute silence, no ambient light on the ground, no dust to scatter light, no clouds, no moon, 360 degrees of unobstructed vision right up to the horizon, pitch dark background, millions and millions of stars spread all over the huge black dome of the sky. You do not get to see so many stars from anywhere else on the planet. The zodiac signs were clearly visible and decipherable.  You could see thousands of stars way down till the horizon. It was a sight to behold and cherish, one that I will never forget. Unfortunately, no camera can capture the open vastness and the enormity of that vista.

I was up next morning at 3am and walked out of the tent towards Manasarovar. As expected, our devi devata sighters were present at the bank trying to have a second sighting. I struck up a conversation to gather a first-hand description – it matched with what I had seen the previous night. I saw nimbus clouds gathering over the lake. If my hypothesis was correct and this was really an ozone layer phenomenon, there would not be any sighting now. I returned back to the tent. Later I tried to find out if there were any sightings that morning – sure enough, there indeed weren’t any. Of course, they attributed this to not being the purnamasi day.

The whole concept of devi devatas being seen as flashes does not have a religious basis either.  Per Swami Madhavanandaji, the scriptures do talk of devi devatas coming for bath at Manasarovar, but they being seen is flashes of light is never mentioned anywhere.

My take – it’s a natural phenomenon of the ozone layer that we do not see in our country, and its every bit worth watching. Manasarovar with its vast unobstructed field of vision right up to the horizon and its high altitude provides the right conditions to sight it. But you should be able to see this anywhere else under similar natural conditions. There is no need to link it to devi devatas or any other supernatural beings. Also, there is nothing like it is visible only at brahma muhurtam or only on certain days – you should be able to see it over Manasarovar on any day after dark if the sky is clear – we saw it at 11 pm on a day which was in no way special.


Next >>  The Journey Back

Parikrama -Day2

 

18^th June – Diraphuk – Dolma La – Zuthulphuk - 18600 ft

Despite being uncomfortable and cold, ‘ajapa’ and the vibrations of the place were clearly felt during the night. After all, we were right next to the Abode of the Lord.

I woke up to a dull, cold morning, still feeling tired and feverish. But both the porter and horse were ready and waiting for me to make a move. Today was to be the toughest day of the Parikrama when we were to cover 22 Km. There wouldn’t be any shelter in between, it would have to be a go or no-go. A number of people from our group decided to return back to Darchen base camp instead of proceeding forward.

After a breakfast of milk and cornflakes and the usual diamox and paracetamol, we were given the packed lunch (again sandwiches, chocolates and biscuits). I was still running a fever and was hoping to get on to the horse right at the guest house. But to my dismay, all the horse owners had moved 2 kilometers away across a semi glacial stream which would have to be crossed on foot. The route to that place was all boulders and I had a tough time walking that distance. My porter Poorpo who was accompanying me looked at me disapprovingly and indicated his recommendation that I go back to Darchen instead of proceeding, as much tougher trek lay ahead for the day.

I had faith in the Lord and faith in paracetamol that my strength would be back by the time I needed to walk the next stretch. I continued and managed to scrape through across the river and boarded the horse.

Nearing Dolma La Pass

The trek continued to climb steeply over a narrow trail. After about an hour’s continuous climb we were at an inflexion point. Ahead lay a much steeper climb which led to the Dolma La pass at 18600 ft, the highest point of the journey. Snow had started appearing in small patches along the path here and there. After another 45 mins of climb, we were walking completely on snow. Each step was a struggle, not only for the experienced Tibetan porter and the horse owner but also for the horse, which was breathing heavily. I got down from the horse a couple of times to allow the animal some rest and all three of us had some chocolates, dry fruits and water which I was carrying in the backpack.

 The climb continued over snow. My horse slipped dangerously over snow a couple of times but I managed to hold on. After some more effort we were near the top of the pass when my horse owner gave up and asked me to get down and walk.

I slowly crossed over the highest point along with my porter and stopped for taking some pictures. The surroundings were breathtaking, but there was hardly any oxygen to breathe!

At Dolma La

All around the pass were walls of snow with ragged edges towering high over us. On our right was Mt Kailash, the abode of the Lord, whose lower reaches were visible, the upper part being under cloud cover.  The landscape was an enthralling combination of glistening white snow and hard black rocks.

We were asked to dismount at Dolma La

Passing by Gauri Kund

Gauri Kund - The lake of Goddess Parvati

On the other side of the pass the descent began, and we were to walk down the next 8 kms after which the horse would be available again. The initial path was a combination of snow and large black boulders and this led us to Gaurikund, a small yet enchanting greenish white pond, largely frozen. A steep, almost vertical ice wall descent from our path leads to the surface of the lake. Only the most daring sherpas can attempt this descent and ascent back; I was no way up to the mark. This is the lake where Goddess Parvati is said to bathe daily. After taking a few pictures of the lake I moved on.

The next kilometer or so was a reasonable slope completely covered with snow. Contrary to what most people describe, I found this snow field quite easy to negotiate. The snow is treacherously soft at places and your foot can sink in deep, but I was soon able to identify a trail of hard snow. My shoes along with the stick was providing sufficient grip and I was able to move quite fast over this stretch without feeling out of control at any time.

After the snow field ended there started a long nightmarish stretch where we had to walk (or rather hop) over boulders on a steep descent. About 50% of the boulders are not guaranteed not to rollover when you step on them, so you have to test each rock before you transfer your weight to it. There is every chance of twisting your ankle or your knee at this stretch and that can only make your life more miserable. There is no trail existing here, you have to figure out your own path. There are two choices -

1. Trust your own judgment, test each rock and move slowly.
2. Trust and follow the instincts of your porter who has trekked this path at least a few hundred times before.

You would think option 2 is the obvious choice. It is not. 

My porter - Mr. Porpoo

Your porter is far more adept at handling this path than you are, but he tends to think that you are as capable as him.  The porters tend to apply a shortest path first algorithm. This is necessarily also the steepest and the riskiest path, and more often than not you will find yourself incapable of negotiating it.

After an arduous trek of over 4 hours we made it to the point where the horses were resting. After finishing packed lunch, I boarded the horse. The trail from here was on level ground – or rather, as level as level can be in the Himalayas. The remaining journey for the day seemed unending. After a long time I saw some tents put up on open ground. My horse owner mistook this to be our destination for the day, only to find that these tents were for another tour company. We continued for another kilometer or so to get to the mudhouse at Zuthulphuk where I found our tour manager waiting with open arms to welcome each one of us completing the toughest day of the trek.

Fortunately, I had made it to the mudhouse before it started raining heavily.  Kohli ji got drenched, and there weren’t sufficient dry clothes to change into. This hurt bad. He fell ill at night and the sickness continued for the rest of the journey.

Most of us made it to Zuthulphuk by 7 pm or so. However, there was a group of 3 gujarati ladies who were doing the parikrama on foot and refused to utilize a horse at any stage. They trudged through rain and hail in pitch dark and made it to the camp at 2 am in the night.


Next >> Parikrama - Day 3: Back to Manasarovar

Parikrama -Day1

 

17^th June – Parikrama Begins: Darchen – Tarboche - Diraphuk

There is no temple at Kailash / Manasarovar. The Kailash Mountain itself is the Shiva Lingam. A circambulation or Parikrama ( or Kora in Tibetan) is performed around the mountain. This covers 52 Kms which is done over 3 days. The Kora starts from Yama Dwar or the gate of the God of Death. The first 8 kms till Tarboche is done on the vehicle, thereafter it is a trek or on the horse. 20Kms are covered on the first day which is mostly over level ground. The second day's trek is the toughest - a total of 22 Kms which involves steep climb over snow, then a steep descent over snow and over treacherous boulders. The remaining journey on the third day is again mostly level, except for a portion which is very narrow, with a cliff on your right and a steep deep gorge on your left.
A parikrama of the Manasarovar lake is also performed. This is 125 kms and is entirely done by the vehicle.

Yama Dwar

Kailash seen from Yama Dwar

The next morning we started off early after breakfast and proceeded to Yama Dwar. This is a small temple like gate through which one must pass before starting off the Parikrama. Yama is the God of Death. We symbolically pass through the gates of death before we can come closer to Lord Shiva who is Mrityunjaya, the immortal one. This is the starting point of the Parikrama.

The initial 8 Km of the Parikrama is by the vehicle. We boarded back our Land Cruisers and were driven to Tarboche. The parikrama starts on foot / horse from this point.

We waited for quite some time here for our tour manager to arrive. We were waiting to be assigned our porters and horses.  The sky was turning overcast and we started getting worried about the prospect of facing rain / hail on the initial day itself.

There was some commotion when the tour manager arrived and he asked the group to queue up. The Chinese guide came up with a hat full of chits containing the name of the porters. The porters were assigned to those of us who had requested for it by drawing lots. I was assigned a Tibetan man whose name I heard as Mr. Poorpo.

Next we queued up for the horse and horse owners were assigned in a similar fashion by drawing lots. My horse owner was a young lady whose name I heard as Tsang Min Ma.

We were asked to preserve the chits containing the porter name and horse owner name (written in Tibetan). This would help the Chinese guide locate them if we lost track of them.

Parikrama Starts - Valley of gods

Base of Kailash see during Parkirama.
Rest of the mountain is hidden in clouds

A Tibetan man performing sashtang Parikrama

Lower reaches of Mt Kailash seen from
Diraphuk guest house

All of us soon boarded our horses and proceeded towards Diraphuk, 12 km away, 16500 ft. People who wanted to do the Parikrama on foot had already started off. The first day’s Parikrama is the easier one and can be done entirely on horse. Doing it on the horse however does not mean you can speed away. The reign of the horse remains in the hands of the horse owner and she walks in front of the horse. The porter also walks in parallel. So you can go only as fast as a Tibetan Sherpa can walk on that terrain (which is much faster than how you would make it if you were on foot).

Midway through the journey there is a stretch where the North face of Kailash is visible. This is usually covered with clouds, but we were lucky to have a clear darshan at this point. Also a Trishul like formation of snow was seen near the top of Kailash. This energized the devotees.

Though there is hardly any vegetation cover, but all along the terrain is truly breathtaking. The snow peaks all around, the waterfalls and the semi glacial river flowing next to the trail makes you feel like it’s the pathway to heaven. We stopped for a few minutes for a snack en-route and also for the horse to take some rest. We had been given a packed lunch consisting of sandwiches, biscuits, chocolates etc which I shared with my porter and horse owner.
We noticed a few Tibetans performing sashtanga Kora. The person prostrates himself, puts a mark at the point till his head has reached, gets up and prostrates again. He would cover the entire circambulation of 52 Kms in this manner. All of us except three resolute trekkers ended up using a horse at some stage. We were wondering how could a person do this over snow and over boulders! Hats off to the devotion of that man!
 

It was raining heavily by the time we made it to the Diraphuk guest house. The weather had turned chilling cold and an icy strong wind added to our woes. All the high mountains right next to us were covered with snow and the visibility was sharply reduced.

My fever was back with vengeance by this time and I was trembling partly due to being cold and wet and partly due to fever. I quickly removed the wet clothes and changed over to the dry ones I was carrying in the backpack and collapsed into the blanket.


Next >> Parikrama - Day 2 

At Manasarovar

15^th June – Manasarovar – 15000 ft

We started off early after breakfast and headed towards Manasarovar. We first sighted Rakshas Taal, which is a huge lake said to be built by Ravana. Soon after, we were on the banks of the Manasarovar and everyone was jumping with glee. After so much of hectic travel, we had reached our 1^st destination.  Swamiji pointed out a spot between two snow caps where Kailash is supposed to be located, but the cloud cover prevented us from seeing anything.

Manasarovar

Kailash - from across Manasarovar

Clouds around holy Mt Kailash are a peculiar phenomenon. You wouldn’t see much of clouds anywhere else around; all other snow capped peaks are clearly visible. But only around Kailash there would be a thick shroud of clouds, and they would blend into the background in such a way as if nothing really exists at that spot. He is the Mayadheesh, He covers and reveals Himself as per His wish. The devotee can only pray for his darshan.

All of our spirits were slightly dampened as we did not get the darshan of Kailash yet. We proceeded on our vehicles towards another portion of the Manasarovar lake to take a dip. Most of us were carrying a set of clothes in the backpack for the bath. I was advised not to dip in the frigid water as I was running a high fever.

As people engaged in taking a bath, I moved away from the group and sat silently on some pebbles by the lake, gazing constantly at the location Swamiji had stated to be the position of Kailash. I took out my binoculars and started seeing around. Kailash was still not visible. And then it happened. Even as I pulled up the binoculars to the eye, within a fraction of a second the entire cloud cover over Kailash disappeared as if a curtain had been removed! The Lord revealed his Abode in all His glory, fully covered with snow, shining bright in the dazzling high altitude sun!

Namamishamishana Nirvaana Rupam
Vibhum Vyapakam Brahma Veda Swaroopam
Ajam Nirgunam Nirvikalpam Niriham
Chidakarmaakaasha Vaasam Bhajeham.

Salutations to Kailashpati ! That one moment took away all the tiredness of the journey. In that one moment, the strength came back to the body and the mind.  That one moment had fulfilled the purpose of this whole journey, all the hardships undertaken seemed like small pin pricks on the way.  Salutations to Kailashpati, the Lord of the Universe!

He Chandrachuda Madanantaka Shoolapane
Sthano Girisha Girijesha Mahesha Shambho
Bhutesha Bhitabhayasoodana Maamanatham
Sansara Dukha GahanaajJagadeesha Raksha:
Sansara Dukha GahanaajJagadeesha Raksha:

All the emotions welled up and started flowing through the eyes - 

Vishveshwaraya NarakarnavTaranaya Karnamritaya ShashishekharaDharanaya
Karpurkanti Dhawalaaya Jatadharaaya, Daaridra Dukha Dahanaya Namah Shivaya:
Daaridra Dukha Dahanaya Namah Shivaya:

Mount Kailash is more than twice the size of all the snow peaks seen in the region. It clearly stands out, and etches a deep imprint in the minds of the devotee for a lifetime.

Kailash

Our vehicles took us to Chihu guest house, which again is a mud house but is beautifully located on the bank of the Manasarovar and offers a clear view of holy Mt Kailash whenever He chooses to reveal Himself. I was running a high fever and took to rest in my bed as soon as it was allotted. I could not manage to get up until next morning.

16th June – Manasarovar – Darchen (16000 ft)

People taking a dip in Manasarovar

Today was the day of the Havan on the bank of Manasarovar, facing Kailash. My fever was out of control even after taking 4 paracetamol tablets a day, so a dip in the Manasarovar before the havan was ruled out. I changed into a fresh set of clothes and got ready to proceed for the Havan.

Apparently, the previous night, the tour manager had prepared 4 lists – a) people who needed to be evacuated due to illness b) people who would stay on in Darchen but would not proceed to the Kailash parikrama due to health reasons c) people who would do the parikrama on a horse d) people who would do the parikrama on foot. He had also collected the money for booking the horse for those who needed it and placed the order with the Chinese tour coordinator. My name figured in the first list – people who needed to be evacuated.

We proceeded to the bank of Manasarovar after breakfast. Swamiji had brought with him all the arrangements required for Pooja and Havan. This was setup with the help of some of his Ranchi devotees. After the pooja, the havan started and we were asked to take turns for the Havan in 5 groups, each person chanting the Maha Mritunjaya Mantra 21 times. I sat in the 2^nd group.

However, when it was the turn for the 4^th group, it was found that most people had already done it in the first 3 groups and there was space for more people. Swamiji allowed any person desiring to repeat to sit again. I sat down for the havan and this time it was conducted with 45 chants of the Mahamritunjaya Mantra.

Partly due to the effect of the havan, and partly due to staying in the penetrating sun for such a long time, I felt much stronger physically and mentally. Just at that time, Srihari Rao ji appeared from nowhere and started scolding me for being mentally weak and giving up on the parikrama too early.  He advised me to attempt the parikrama on a horse.

True, I had a mental block that I would either do the parikrama on foot or not do it at all. A horse was out of question. Now that I was feeling stronger, my mindset changed and I approached the tour manager to arrange a horse for me for the parikrama. He tried to dissuade me once because of my fever and the fact that the parikrama is tough, and even with hiring the horse one would still need to walk about 10km where the horse is not allowed. Something told me that I could do it, and I stayed put.

We returned back to the guesthouse for lunch. Swamiji was justifiably cross about few people not attending the havan as this was the main program in our itinerary.  Apparently, a couple of members of  our group members had stayed out most of the night on the bank of Manasarovar braving inclement weather in the hope of sighting devi devatas (gods and goddesses) taking a dip in the Manasarovar at brahma muhurtam. They claimed to have sighted some devi devatas coming down as flashes of light or “Ulkas” into the lake. However they took ill thereafter and were unable to attend the havan and were also unable to proceed on the Kailash parikrama. So much for sighting devi devatas.

There is a myth that devi devatas come down for a bath in Manasarovar at brahma muhurtam (pre-dawn) as flashes of light. This has been fed on by folklore and by word of mouth of the devotees.  A web of stories has been built around this over time, and some even published in travelogues from reputed publishing houses. This however has no religious or scientific basis. More on this myth a little later.

Rakshas Taal - The lake built by Ravana

Gurala Mandhata Range

Post lunch we proceeded to Darchen where we were put up in the Darchen guest house, again a mud house. This would be our base camp for the parikrama. I collapsed into the bed as soon as I was allotted the room.


Next >>  Parikrama - Day 1

The Journey Through Tibet

11^th June - Kathmandu - Zhangmu - Nyalam

Two buses were ready for us early in the morning. Our duffle bags were loaded by the porters on top of the buses and we started off after tea with a packed breakfast (which was bread, biscuits and some fruits). The tour manager had instructed us to carry a sweater, a monkey cap, a muffler, etc in our backpacks as we would need them at Nyalam which would be 12500 feet, Kathmandu being at 4500 feet. This later turned out to be one of the most important instructions given by him, and some people had ignored it at their own peril.

The road was winding and very scenic, but at places extremely dangerous and narrow. We sang bhajans and stotrams. The bus stopped for us to eat the packed breakfast at a dhaba. There were large quantities of meat being chopped and cooked right in front of the dhaba, and the few jains amongst us found it nauseating.

We proceeded on to Liping Bazar at Kodari border and had a good lunch at a Nepali restaurant. At a height of about 10000 feet, the border between Nepal and China at this point consists of the river Bhote Kosi which flows as a milky white raging torrent through a deep gorge. The Nepal side is called Kodari, while the Chinese side is called Zhangmu. Photography at this point is banned by the Chinese (as for all Chinese check posts en-route) and the ban is strictly enforced. There is a friendship bridge built over this gorge and we were supposed to cross this on foot. But we had to wait for nearly 2 hours for our passports to arrive after stamping at Kodari. After queuing up and clearing the immigration formalities, we proceeded out on the Zhangmu side where we had our Land Cruisers waiting for us. These would be our mode of transport for the rest of the journey.

The Toyota Land Cruisers are 4500cc 4 X 4 vehicles with high ground clearance and real good suspension, capable of off-roading on any terrain. We were destined to witness the real capabilities of these vehicles after another two days.

Towards Nyalam

In Tibet there is nothing called bad road. Either you have extremely good all weather roads which rival the best roads anywhere in the world, or you have no roads at all. The drive from Zhangmu to Nyalam is on goods roads, very scenic and lush green initially. As we gain height and cross the tree line the vegetation thins out. When you get to Nyalam 3 hours later, you are well above the tree line with patches of grass and a few shrubs. You see vast open spaces, with high snow covered mountains in the distance and some bare mountains around you. Your vision spreads all the way to the horizon in every direction. An icy wind chills you to the bone.  A wonderful silence engulfs you as you feel so free and yet realize how small and insignificant you are in the midst of the infinitude of nature.  It reminds me of Tagore – “Mahavishwe, Mahakaashe, Mahakaal Majhe; Ami Manab ekaaki Bhromi biswaye, bhromi biswaye”.  Welcome to the glorious landscape of Tibet!

Lodge at Nyalam

We were put up in mud houses, which wasn’t what many people had expected. Surprisingly, the interior of the rooms were warm, even though there are no heating arrangements. Some of us, most notably Tibrewal ji were already having breathing problems in the thin air of Nyalam. A few others had vomiting, nausea, and diarrhea – all symptoms of high altitude sickness. These were the people who had not taken (or rather could not take) diamox – the high altitude drug which prevents these problems. Per our tour manager, “ye dawa nahin dua hai”. Unfortunately, this being a sulpha drug, people with sulpha drug allergies cannot afford to take it; and these were the people suffering the most.

The big news was broken to us soon – the trucks with our duffle bags were stuck at customs at Zhangmu and wouldn’t arrive until late next evening. This meant that we would have to handle the freezing cold at Nyalam with whatever woolens we carried in our backpacks. This obviously was no match to the icy winds blowing over Tibet. We were asked to stay indoors as much as possible, with the Sherpa staff serving us hot soup and meals in the rooms in pitch dark with the help of torchlight.

Most of us had sleeping problems that night, either not getting sleep at all or getting out of sleep with a jerk after feeling choked.  Again, these are standard high altitude problems which go away with acclimatization and diamox, nothing to worry about.

12^th June – Nyalam – 12300 ft.

We woke up to a bright cold morning and witnessed a glorious sunrise. The landscape was beautiful. Surrounded by sky high mountains, there was a deep gorge a few meters in front of our row of rooms. A milky white torrential stream gushed through the gorge. The mountains were mostly bare, with some grass and a few bushes in the lower reaches. A couple of snow caps added variety in the background. A few yaks grazing, a couple of thick haired wolf like dogs formed the fauna of the place.

All the appreciation for the beauty of the place vanished when it was time to go to the toilet. Our towels, toilet kit and personal accessories where all stuck in the duffle bag at China border. And then to our shock we found that there were no sanitary toilets as we know it. All that was there was a pair of stones with a drain flowing between them, slum dog style. And to add to our woes, the doors had no bolts. Sharma ji found it more hygienic to go out in the open behind a rock. For the rest of us, it took a couple of days to bring ourselves to it.

We were to have the day free for high altitude acclimatization. Due to complaints from several people, we were shifted from the mud house to a concrete hotel across the road – but that hardly was any different. However, this shifting brought together the “Rangad coach” – the group of stags in the team, and this “Rangad coach” stayed together through thick and thin for the entire journey. This consisted of Kohli ji, Chibbar ji, Tripathi ji, Srihari Rao ji, JP Sharma ji, myself and Mohan Rao ji.
The staff at this "She Sha Bang Ma" Hotel were a funny lot. There were just two young ladies performing all tasks about the Hotel. After we were allotted the room, we found it locked and approached one of the ladies for the key. To my amazement, she broke into a bout of break dance and then went away. Bemused, Chibbar ji approached the other lady for the keys. She too did a little jig and disappeared into the hotel. We kept staring at each other in bewilderment. After about 10 mins, the first lady reappeared, this time with a large bunch of keys. She went into a full table scan mode and started trying out all the keys against the lock. After cajoling for another 10 mins, the lock decided to oblige and she let out a big 'hooray' ! We hoorayed back to congratulate her even as we were left wondering why they do not put some kind of markings on the keys.
Btw, this was our last encounter with lock and key in Tibet. From here on,  none of the doors we saw had a bolt. You use a stone to block the door to prevent the icy wind from caressing you while you sleep at night. None of us perceived any security issues though.

We were supposed to be taken for a hike after the shifting, but seeing no signs of it, myself, Kohli ji, Chibbar ji, Tripathi ji and Rao ji set out to see the Nyalam town and also to shop for some accessories for the trek.

Everything that is available at a shop in Nyalam is open for bargaining, including international call rates! Somebody told us that the trick is to start bargaining at a third of the price initially quoted by the shop keeper. You would settle the deal at about 50% of the initial quote. The shopkeepers and locals speak only Tibetan, no English or Hindi. The bargaining happens by typing the figures on the calculator!

Post lunch and after some rest, myself and Srihari Rao ji went for a trek up a nearby hill with the guidance of a Sherpa. We gave up after climbing about a third of it.

At tea, the tour manager made another breaking revelation – we would not be headed to Saga the next day as planned. Instead we would rest the next day in Nyalam and head directly to Paryang on 14^th. The reason given was that all the hotels in Saga town were taken over by the Chinese army for some meeting.

13^th June – Nyalam

Starting the acclimatization trek

Grudgingly, all of us had to accept the fact that we had no say in the schedule once we have bought in to the tour operator. On 13^th morning, after breakfast we were taken for a hike to see a nearby lake.  After trudging along for about 3 hours, the group decided to give up and turn back. However two of us – Tripathi ji and Naresh Kumar ji had gone far ahead of the rest of the group and could not hear our calls to turn back. Sending a Sherpa after them, we returned to the hotel and had lunch at around 2:30 pm. 

A stream on the trekking route

The tired group

When we woke up after a nap at around 5 pm, there was still no news about Tripathi ji, Naresh Kumar ji and the Sherpa. With the weather fast turning inclement and light beginning to fade out, this was serious business. These tracts are largely uninhabited, there would be no help at hand, and no place to take shelter in case of bad weather. The hills are dangerous – it doesn’t take much time for a little fun to turn into tragedy.  Naresh Kumar ji’s wife had started weeping profusely.

They made tea for us, but no cups to drink!

After another hour or so, the three trooped in to a hero’s welcome. It had so happened that they had gone quite far by the time the Sherpa caught up with them. Sensing that they were near the lake that we had set out to see, they decided to go for it. This entailed trekking for another hour before they finally saw the lake. This was mostly frozen but very beautiful. They took some photographs and then returned. In the process they established themselves as the trek leaders amongst us.

14^th June – Paryang – 15100 ft

Our Vehicle for the journey

We started off early in the morning at 8 am Chinese time (5:30 am IST) after breakfast. We were soon pleasantly cruising along the beautifully built Tibetan roads through vast open spaces and the gently undulating Tibetan plateau. The road rose up to 17000 ft at Lalungla pass which is the highest point of driving on this route. Our vehicles stopped at that scenic location for us to take pictures. We could see that a lot of mountain tops were actually lower than us. The rugged Tibetan plateau looked like a giant piece of crumpled paper. We were on the roof of the world and there were snow peaks all around us. A strong icy wind blows here – I took off the gloves to take pictures, and in less than 5 minutes my hand became numb.

At Lalung La pass

Near Lalung La

Lalung La

Soon after Lalungla pass, the vehicles left the black top road to head towards Saga. It was time for our 4 X 4 4500 cc vehicles to show their off-roading capabilities and they took to the terrain like a fish to water.  We drove by the huge Paigu-Tso Lake which was a beautiful sight. The vehicles effortlessly drove over sand, gravel, steep uphill, steep downhill, boulders, across small streams, kicking up a huge cloud of dust in the process. Windows had to be kept tightly shut to prevent the dust coming in; the interior became hot, stuffy and suffocating soon. Tibrewal ji was already suffering from breathlessness, and we had to open the window at times. This triggered a dust allergy in me, and in spite of all medicines and dust masks, by the time we reached Paryang in the night I was running a high fever with throat infection.

We stopped on the roadside en-route at Saga to have the lunch that was being carried with us. We were back to the black topped road from Saga to Paryang, so this leg of the journey was much smoother. We reached Paryang in the afternoon at around 6 pm, covering about 460 km in 10 hours. We took to the bed as soon as we were allotted the rooms in the mud house; none of us had any energy left.

Dusty road towards Saga

Lake Paigu Tso

Back to Black Top after Saga - Road or Runway ?

Later, we learnt about a major bungling by our tour operator. Apparently, nobody checked whether all the 17 vehicles had left Nyalam, and for one of the vehicles the driver did not turn up. Three people allocated to that vehicle – Kohli ji, Chhibber ji and Srihari Rao ji were left stranded even as the hotel became empty. They called up the tour guide using the telephone at the hotel, but did not get much of a response. Kohli ji and Chiibberji had the presence of mind to find out the nearest police station. Then they figured out the phone number of the head of the travel organization by calling up some contacts at Delhi. They called him up and threatened to lodge an FIR against operator with the Chinese authorities on the grounds that they were foreign nationals left stranded by the tour operator and they wanted to get back home.

Yaks

This threat worked and the tour operator swung into action. Soon after, Kohli ji received a phone call at the hotel number stating that a vehicle for them had been dispatched from Lhasa. The tour operator also called up the hotel manager asking him to arrange proper lunch and snacks for the three people. The vehicle finally arrived at Nyalam at 2:30 pm and they reached Paryang at 1 am that night.


Next >>   At Manasarovar